2,000 points CSM vs Imperial Guard

[Brother Ambroz]

Just getting back into the hobby, this was my second game of 8th edition. I of course played using the Night Lord tactics and chose the Lord of Terror WL trait. He played with the Armageddon tactics. We chose to just do a straight up kill each other and forgot about objectives and whatnot. I used the Vanguard detachment and he used the battalion detachment. Here is my list:

HQ
Exalted champion - power axe, PP
Dark apostle

Troops
CSM - x10, PGx2, LC champion
Rhino - havoc launcher

Elites
Contemptor - ectoplasma cannon, chainclaw,
Berzerkers - x8, icon of khorne, chainaxes x5, LC x1 (inside the raider)
Decimator - butcher cannon x2
Plague marines - x5, PGx2
Helbrute - fist, reaper AC
Terminators - x5, pair of LC, heavy flamer, icon of khorne

Heavy Support
Land Raider - havoc launcher
Predator - havoc launcher, TL lascannon, lascannon sponsons

Fast Attack
Spawn - x5

Going off memory here but his list was something like:

HQ

Yarrick

Knight Commander Pask in LR vanquisher

Command squad (not sure if these are HQ or what) x5

Command squad x5

Troops

Conscripts x30

Regular troop squad x10

Chimera

Regular troop squad x10

Chimera

Elites

Vet squad x10, x3 meltas

chimera

Stormtrooper squad (whatever the new ones are called)

Fast attack

Vendetta

Heavy support

Leman russ executioner x2

Leman russ punisher x2

He rolled and won to setup first and so he did. He told me that first turn goes to whoever finishes setting up first which I wasn't sure about but I took first turn anyway. We deployed lengthwise with a few smaller industrial buildings and objects and then a large factory ruin to my left and a smaller ruin to my right near his deployment zone.

Everything I set up here I set up with the intent in mind that my opponent would be going first. I set up my regular helbrute and LR behind a large watertower opposite his two russ executioners and pask's vanquisher. With the decimator, contemptor and CSM rhino in the middle.

Then my footslogging plague marines are just inside the ruins, along with the predator currently hiding from pask and spawn waiting to sprint up the side.

He sets up his vet squad and one regular guard squad chimeras on either side of the big factory ruins with a company command squad in between, followed by the huge conscript blob, yarrick and the two punishers (all within 6 inches of yarrick).

Finally the two executioner russes, a company command squad, the scions squad, a regular guardsman squad and pask's vanquisher (which I'm trying to hide from) are setup in his left corner opposite my helbrute and land raider.

First turn, I move my helbrute forward a bit into the watertower to get entrenched and move my LR around the side (mistake but I'll talk about that later).

The helbrute fires and kills several of the scions and then the land raider splits fire with his havoc launcher and heavy bolter at the scions which kills the squad. The LR then fires its lascannons at the far left executioner which wounded it for 2 wounds.

Unseen in the photo my decimator, contemptor and rhino advance while attempting to stay behind cover. The plague marines advance into the building, just barely managing to get the plasma guys up to the 2nd level and line of site to fire. The predator rolls out and sets its sites on pask's vanquisher while the spawn start their dash around the ruins towards the chimeras. The contemptor is out of range, the decimator attempts to chip away at the russes (also a mistake) with its butcher cannons and the rhino fires its havoc launcher at the conscripts killing a few. The predator manages to wound the vanquisher and bring it down to 9 wounds. Finally the plague marines fire two plasma shots at the chimera and put a wound on it.

His turn he bails out a squad of guardsmen and moves the chimera towards the center of the board and fires at the plague marines but doesn't do any damage.

His vendetta arrives and takes a few potshots at the decimator. The conscripts and yarrick move up slightly. He fires his punishers, chimeras and conscripts at the CSM rhino dealing 6 wounds to it.

On the other side of the board, his executioners move up slightly as does pask's vanquisher and unload into the land raider, dealing 4 wounds to it and ending his turn.

I move my land raider to the other side, thinking that I might be able to get them into combat with the conscripts (really they were way too far). I bring my terminators in this turn right in front of all the russes planning to distract them at least, possibly kill one. The LR again splits fire with HB and HL at the command squad ahead in the ruins which kills them and its lascannons at another russ putting a few more wounds on it prior to being charged by the terminators and further putting a few more wounds (down to 8). The helbrute fires at the chimera for no damage.

Middle of the board, the contemptor and decimator move up and both fire at a punisher, wounding and bringing it down to 9 wounds. The CSM bail out of the rhino while they can and then fire at the conscripts, killing 4 and then charging. They lose 1 to overwatch and kill another 9 guardsmen who then kill one more marine. They fail morale by 5-6 (even with yarrick's leadership).

The predator takes a few more shots at a punisher, wounding it for 2 damage (this thing was a huge letdown for me this game). The plague marines move futher into the ruins and line up their shots, split fire at the conscripts killing a few and plasma guns at the punisher (which fails to do any damage). The spawn race up the side (I'd forgotten that running was a thing until this turn).

This picture I think was taken before he took his turn. He moves his troops and chimeras away from the spawn towards the center, the punishers move up and so does yarrick. The conscripts disengage from the fight with the CSM. Everyone essentially fires at the CSM squad, I use my "In midnight clad" strategem but still lose 6 guys. He also fires the two chimeras at my rhino and puts another two wounds on it (only 2 left). He then charges yarrick at the two remaining CSM guys killing one, the champion then passes his morale check with a 1!

He keeps his executioner in combat with the terminators (which puzzled me a bit) and moves up his vanquisher and remaining executioner which then, along with the chimera, fire everything at the land raider and put another 4 wounds on it. The vendetta moves up and fires at the decimator dealing 2 wounds. The russ fails to hurt the termies again in CC and the termies put another two wounds on it and end his turn.

By this point its really close, I've taken out a few of his squads but he's about to kill my CSM and rhino. I figure I need to change tactics and really get up close and personal. I move my helbrute and land raider really close to the russes. The LR fires everything at pask dealing a few damage and the helbrute does as well.

The decimator and contemptor fire at the furthest punisher and deal a few wounds and then charge the closest one, bringing it down from 9 to 1 wound remaining. I move my rhino back trying to save it and fire the havoc launcher at the conscripts, which he saves both wounds. The plague marines split fire at the conscripts and the russ, killing a few consctipts. The predator fires at the furthest punisher and fails to wound it. The spawn arrive around the corner and eat the command squad. Yarrick finishes off my champion.

His vendetta flies into the action and fires at my spawn, putting a few wounds on it as do the chimeras. His vet squad kills 2 plague marines. The punisher and conscripts fire at the rhino finally finishing it off. Pask and the executioner fire at the land raider doing another two wounds and the chimera fires at the helbrute but fails to wound it. Yarrick decides to charge the decimator for some reason and fails to harm it. The contemptor finishes the leman russ and consolidates towards the land raider and pask's group. My terminators finally manage to kill the executioner with perfect timing.

The berzerkers bail out, the terminators move forward behind the two remaining russes, the contemptor moves within charge range and the helbrute moves as close as it can get. The LR finishes off pask who then explodes and kills two terminators and hurts the chimera for a couple wounds. The helbrute and terminators fire at the chimera but fail to wound. The contemptor charges and destroys the final executioner and the helbrute charges and wrecks the chimera.

Plague marines move down to try to take out that vet squad, the spawn move forward to charge their next target and the predator targets the last russ on the field. The predator hits and wounds twice but rolls 1 for both damage rolls, leaving the russ with TWO WOUNDS LEFT! The plague marines fire their supercharged shots at the russ and fail to wound, killing one plasma guy. The spawn charge the russ and roll 1 for their attacks, failing to do anything (really wanted it do die....). yarrick does one wound to the decimator and the decimator does one to him.

At this point we call it, he's lost almost all his major tanks and for the most part all that would've been left was sweeping left with my forces.

Conclusion: As my second game of 8th edition, it was a lot of fun. Once again, I underestimated how hardy vehicles are and was a littel scared to move my units closer which could have sped the game up some in my favor I think. Those guard tanks are incredibly tough to kill though. The land raider actually did a lot which was a surprise for me since usually chaos land raiders tend to suck. My predator was a huge disappointment but I think that was due to poor rolling. The contemptor was awesome, singlehandedly destroyed a couple russes although I think I will try out a different weapon next time, probably a soulburner. It was hard to judge the decimator's effectiveness because I wasn't using it properly.

Edited January 19, 2018 by Brother Ambroz

[QuarterPounder]

Thanks for posting! Good read, great pictures, and some very impressive painting! Really enjoyed it.

[Brother Ambroz]

Thanks man! Hope to be able to do more in the future!

[Claws and Effect]

Your friend was correct. In casual play the person who finishes deployment first gets the first turn.

 

In Matched play (like in a tournament setting) the person who finishes deployment first gets a +1 to their roll to see who goes first.