Prot's Quickie Batreps: Custodes Vs Chaos (pics) 2K

[Prot]

So a few very quick Batreps. Sorry not a lot of time today....can only do one of these...

I got a few games in, and had time to take pics from a few of them.

The first one was very challenging against Chaos. Word Bearers specifically. Keep in mind these aren't ultra competitive games as you'll see from the lists, but they aren't pushovers either. I didn't want to go stupid deep into Custodes bikes, and he didn't want to get into mixed traits, etc. But as you'll see there's some punch to the lists as well.

We played a Maelstrom game with our typical house rule of discarding any card that could never be accomplished from turn 1. Also 'Domination' has been voted on as an auto-discard as well. (have you ever accomplished this when you weren't already hammering your opponent? ;) )

So from memory here's the stinky Word Bearer's list:

Sorc

Sorc in Termie Armour

Dark Apostle (there's a LOT of cultists in this list)

Exalted Champ

5 x Warp Talons

Rhino + 8 Zerkers

2 x 30 Cultists, 4 x 10 Cultists = 100 disgruntled Imperium Postal Employees serving the word of Lorgar.

3 x Oblits... MoS

Pred Annihilator

Some Forgeworld Units:

3 x Heavy Bolter thingies... very annoying... cheap. Manned by marines 12 shots I piece I believe.

1 huge tank from 30K Mechanicum (Or so it looked like. All I know is when it penetrates it's an Auto 6 Damage (it has two firemodes)

1 tank that was proxied... I want to call it... a Vindicator laser? All I know is when thing thing fires it's one shot, S12 ! And the damage is dependent on a chart and can be 3 x D6 damage!

Ones who used to watch, but now kick Word Bearers out of Imperium Union meetings:

HQ:
Valoris (warlord - testing stuff)

Allarus Termie Shield Captain

1 x Vexilus Praetor Magnifica

3 x 3 Gaurdians

4x Allarus

3 x Wardens

1 x Contemptor Kheres

3 bikers (one with Salvo for experimentation... I've been trying it out in my last couple of games)

( I finally ditched the Landraider... just feel like it needs to come down a hundred points or something lol)

So it's a basic scenario with 3 objectives a turn and we are in quarters with the 9" circle of no man's land in the center.

- The Word Bearers looking to spread the word.... unfortunately the Custodes have a copy of the pamphlet and are attending the next union meeting....

+++ The Custodes "Union Busters" deploy in a tight circle around the Vexila Magnifica. behind a mostly LOS blocking building.

- The Contemptor and all Alluras Models remain in reserves.

- The dirty Word Bearers get to go first, and they decide to hit hard... it was with heavy contemplation that the Word Bearers did indeed go for a gutsy (unusually so) move.

++ There will be no fair fights against the heinous Legion of dirty lies and exorbatant union dues.... From my non-deploy corner the Oblits drop in, and the Termie Sorc comes down with a body guard of Warp Talons. They've played their hand fairly early... will the game pay off? ++

- The Warp Talons aim to tie the Custodes up, and the Cacaphony of double firing is used, and a Guardian squad is sent back to Terra in the form of shiny Loonies (*Canadian coin currency). It's ugly; I never had a chance there.

- Back in the Psychic phase I get a real break.... he fails so many things it's obvious his false gods have left him here to die. Even with command point re rolls he fails the big test... Death Hex. This is huge since I took a massive chance and am trying a game without Impregnable Mind!

- The Talons do make a charge, it's pretty impressive because even with all that hit back, he still had 2 of those Warp Talons left from some good invuln saves.

- He puts a small, but important dent in the small model count army, but even though he scores First Blood, I feel lucky about the Psychic phase. That could have been far worse on the Mortal Wound front too.

+ Custodes early game:

- Custodes get objectives that are just too difficult to achieve. I'm okay for numbers, but I really need an objective (Hold) that puts me too close to his Oblits. I take a chance and call in the Contemptor Dread to see if maybe he can do it.

+++ The Contemptor comes down from the Teleportarium and needs to punch some shots through the Oblits. The Bikes react as far as they can to lend a hand.

- This was not a good turn. The Contemptor had to deploy too far from the objective to declare it for the turn. The Bikers are on their own because the Warp Talons have completely clogged my slow foot sloggers... I don't think it was intentional by my opponent but it had a VERY annoying, and effective result of stopping me from moving models through models to get to the Sorc/Oblits.

- I hold off on the Allarus. The Contemptor fires and with cover saves -nothing- goes through the Oblits. The bikes unleash the Salvo shot, do nothing, the Hurricanes are bouncing here as well I think one or two wounds are finally failed after I dump everything I can in range into the Obllits. I fail the long charge with the bikers. I score nothing.

++ Word Bearers:

- Their long shots are not able to really get a fix on the Custodes. This is intentional on my part as I know by turning a corner on the center ruins almost insures certain death. I am feeling the weight of the small model count, and the Word Bearers are pushing through the whole table with cheap, expendable bodies.

- The Cultists charge in, Vets of the Long War, and multiple shots do some good wounding numbers, but I make a lot of saves here... it's low end damage, but there's a fair chunk of it.

- BIG moment here. The Ruins have a Rhino in them, and the Zerkers get out about mid game, and try to charge the Wardens... Zerkers are scary with a Dark Apostle and Exalted Champ it's worse.... I throw down Tangle Foot. This is huge as he only needs about a 5, but I roll a 3 for Tangle Foot and he rolls a 3 for the charge! He has the banner though and re-rolls... a 3! The Custodes feel the Emperor's blessing and have a turn to deal with Cultists without the Zerkers in the mix.

+++ Tangle Foot Grenade is key. With Berzerkers delayed, the Dark Apostle and Exalted Champion send in the peons. A lot of chaff is cleared... enough to cause the finicky worshippers to run off to join a different circus. +++

- With breathing room in the middle the Custodes try to push back. A lot of Cultists die, and Trajann is finally freed up to attack the heinous Sorcerer. Unbelievably the Sorcerer has apparently preyed to the right gods and survives the exchange!

+++ Valoris takes on the Sorc and surprisingly the Sorc still stands. Meanwhile the Bikes get shot up while trying to reach the Oblits+++

- Custodes are down 3-0 by turn 3. I feel quite pinned by sheer weight of bodies and heavy firepower lurking around every corner. I realized I have to take a big risk. It was really unfortunate to have to turn the bikes into the Oblits but they were brutal if left unchecked. Here the Oblits manage to down a biker in Overwatch (they were also "Cacophoned" the turn before). Oblits go down screaming though and the bikers are victorious.

+++ My Custodes' Contemptor: 'Hedonism Bot' lays on the ground, cackling in robotic laughter as the Sorcerer continues to survive the 'Victor of the Blood Games' Trajann Valoris. +++

- Finally Valoris stamps the life out of the Sorcerer with the Watcher's Axe. The Cultsts wave has started to fail severe Moral tests.

- The Wardens take advantage of the Tanglefoot grenade and smash hard into the Berzerkers dispatching them fairly quickly.

- Hedonism bot (contemptor) tries for "defend #2" but will ultimately fail as another wave of cultists will have more Obsec on that marker.

+ Word Bearers are in the lead....

- Word Bearers are up 3-0 and I still have to get out of my zone. The continual wave of Cultists is nearing an end though.

- The Word Bearers need 'Defend' on an objective deep in my zone. In an interesting twist of events the Word Bearers use the 2 CP Strat to recycle a nearly full 30 man Cultist squad and plop them right on top of the objective.

- This forces my hand. I can't turn the Guardians and Trajann around. It will cost me the game because I'll never score points past midfield with the slow speed of the army. However, I can't let the dirty followers of Logar secure another 2 points here... pretty much ending the game for me.

- I answer with the Allarus and Shield Captain. They land and put everything they have (plus some assistance) onto the Cultists.... and unbelievably the Word Bearers rolls exactly the number required to take the very last models off of the objective, denying him Defend for 2 points! This is huge. He had no command points left or would have surely re-rolled this. He only needed on surviving Cultist. But they all failed moral after the shooting... just to a man, no overkill. Close one.

- Now that my zone was finally free of smelly cultists, I could try to push, but this meant taking on the other stuff which has basically been quietly chucking the odd shot out.

+++ Hedonism Bot gets some back up.... Bikers clear out the Cultists and another attempt can be made at "Defend #2" however, the vindicator lasers can be heard screeching in the distance.... +++

- Hedonsim bot fails his second invuln attempt and the mysterious laser goes through, and the table tells us it's going to be 2 x D6 damage.... receiving 9 wounds, Hedonism Bot would be no more. (He had just 9 left).

- The bikers were forced to sit on it and took a lot of predator firepower, heavy bolters x 12, and that other tank... the Mechanicum one. It was quite a bit of firepower.

- The Word Bearers had lost mid field, and could not draw cards that let them sit and collect points, so it was up to the Custodes to press the advantage at the late stages of the game.

+++ Custodes need to get a bonus point here. By overtaking Objective 4, this would help put the Custodes back in the game.... +++

- Custodes push for #4 and easily over take the Cultists.

- Unfortunately my Allarus are almost completely out of the game as they were forced to handle the Cultists deep in my zone. However, the remaining forces took a lot of casualties but kept pushing the traitor legion back....

+++ The last of the Custodes make a desperate push against the cowardly retreating forces of the Word Bearers +++

- Every last custode took the advance order from Trajann. The Allarus were a little too far back, The Guardians would lose a few more, but the Mechanicus tank would get caught up in the ensuing combat and would not be able to fire next turn.

- At the to of turn 5 with 2 more points the Custodes just took the lead by a point... 4-3 and with that the Word Bearers shot everything they had but would not get past enough invulnerable saves to make a difference, and with that the Word Bearers conceded.

- A very, very close game. Some real moments stand out to me in this one that could have easily swung the game either way... the first psychic phase, the cultists breaking, a turn my Bikers saved so many lascannon shots.... but those are the best games.

Thanks for reading this.

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Great game !

[Pearson73]

Sounds a tense match and very cinematic with the small cadre of Custodes swamped by the endless cultist hordes.

[Captain_Krash]

Wow great job with a neat Custodes list. Do you think the Hedonsim bot is worth it? Or just a waste of points that could be spent on more Bikes?

 

Krash