Iron Father Ferrum Posted April 15, 2018 Share Posted April 15, 2018 Today, I finally had the opportunity to bring out my Alpha Legion for the first time since 5th Edition and the first serious attempt since 3rd Edition. It was a small game -- 1000 pts -- and I'm saving a bunch of my models for the ETL so it's not all painted. Generally speaking, I was disappointed in my performance in this game. A big part of it was out of my hands as my dice were consistently cold all game, but I also learned some hard lessons in the proper employment of Chaos stratagems. Overall, though, it was a hard fought game and I'd like to thank my opponent Jorge for the rough handling! It keeps me humble. My list was: Battalion+Vanguard Chaos Lord with plasma pistol, Blade of the Hydra Sorcerer with force axe, bolt pistol, Nurgle, Miasma, Death Hex Sorcerer with force sword, bolt pistol, Slaanesh, Agonies, Prescience 10x Chaos Marines, plasma pistol & power sword, 2x plasma guns, Slaanesh 10x Cultists, autoguns, heavy stubber, shotgun, Nurgle 10x Cultists, autoguns, heavy stubber, shotgun, Nurgle Helbrute, twin las, missile launcher, Nurgle Helbrute, twin las, power scourge, Nurgle 8x Berzerkers, 4x chainaxe & chainsword, 3x chainsword & bolt pistol, power fist & chainsword, Icon of Wrath His list was: Battalion Watch Master with the Beacon Angelis Inquisitor Greyfax 3x units of 5x Deathwatch Veterans and Black Shields with assorted frag cannons, storm shield, and other nifty stuff! Corvus Blackstar THE SET UP Having received intelligence from their operatives within the Inquisition, the Alpha Legion knew that a Deathwatch patrol would be conducting a sweep of the Caesarea system. Knowing their patrol path, the Legionnaires set up a classic U-shaped ambush that the Deathwatch Astartes waltzed right into. Deployment: Search & Destroy (Table Quarters) Mission: Cloak & Shadows Objectives: #1 in the very center of the table on the hill; #2 by the ruined pillars on the left, #3 by the trees in the right-hand corner, #4 in the trees where the Berzerkers deployed, #5 by my HQs, #6 by the rocks where his kill team deployed on foot. https://imgur.com/cTnKIKa Deployment from my DZ's corner of the table (we played on a 4x4 rather than a 6x4 table). I placed my Lord, both Sorcerers, and both Helbrutes in the corner, with the Helbrutes covered by trees to pull cover saves. The Cultist squads were deployed on the flanks of the DZ ready to lunge for nearby objectives, while "The Bastards" and Venator Rifle Squad infiltrated. I placed Venator Squad on the central hilltop where they can control the battlefield. The Bastards I placed as close to the deployed Deathwatch team by the rocks as I could. I was leery of putting them quite that close -- I really didn't want them to die -- but I also knew that with most of his army in the Blackstar, I absolutely needed to force him to commit his infantry on his side of the table. Cultists just melt away, and it would give me time to knock the Blackstar out of the sky. The Deatchwatch won the roll-off and I failed to seize the initiative, and away we went. TURN ONE One additional team and both HQs disembarked from the Blackstar, which angled across the table to bring its lascannons to bear on my Helbrutes. The two Deatchwatch teams closed with the Berzerkers of Bastard Squad and pummeled them at range, killing several. The Blackstar accounted for another with its hurricane bolters (dropping them to three), while stripping half the wounds from the non-missile Helbrute. Dracos-pattern missiles exploded amongst Venator Squad, but their armor kept them safe. The two kill teams both executed charges on the Berzerkers; the first set of attacks only killed one Berzerker. Now down to 5 CPs, I foolishly wasted 2 CPs on Counter-Attack, but my dice showed off their cold streak by netting me only one kill. The second team then activated and killed the remaining Berzerkers. First Blood to my opponent. https://imgur.com/Vk5t2Td (The Berzerker stare down the challengers.) On my turn, I flipped the "Advance," "No Prisoners," and "Supremacy" Tactical Objectives. I was already way down in comparative combat effectiveness since I'd lost eight Berzerkers for one Veteran, but at least most of his force was now on foot in his backfield. I needed to keep it that way. The right-hand Cultist squad advanced eastward and got in range of Objective #3 while the left-hand Cultists sprinted to the north to grab Objective #2; combined with my Lord squatting near #5, I had Supremacy in the bag. The Slaaneshi sorcerer advanced onto the hill after Venator Squad vacated it, the Chaos Marine moving north to confront the two kill teams in the woods. I had a piss poor psychic phase, failing Miasma of Pestilence on the Over-wrought (the missile-equipped Brute), and the Slaaneshi Sorcerer failed Prescience on Brother Ostallian (the scourge-equipped Brute) but did manage to get Delightful Agonies on Venator Squad. I proceeded to fire both Helbrutes at the Blackstar but only winged it for two wounds, while a combination of VOTLW, Cacophony, and horrendous wounding rolls on my five plasma shots meant that I only killed one Space Marine with Venator Squad. Determined to kill the last four, I charged both kill teams and but only managed to reach one. Since the Berzerkers had put their storm shield-bearer into the dirt, Sergeant Otheum's was able to gut two of them with his power sword and the combined attacks of the rest put paid to the remaining pair. I consolidated into the second team, who promptly took their turn and killed two Chaos Marines. https://imgur.com/2zmvjf2 (Venator Squad takes aim.) I scored Supremacy (for 3 VPs!) and No Prisoners, and discarded Advance. Unfortunately, I forgot to record what cards my opponent drew each turn, and technically I wasn't supposed to know according to the mission anyway. In any case, he had scored First Blood and one other card, which put me up 4-2. TURN TWO Now stuck in the corner, the Blackstar goes into hover mode and remains stationary. The last kill team deploys, moving out to confront the Cultists who had moved on the objective in the pillared ruins. Greyfax and the Watch Master moved up to support the embattled Marines facing Venator Squad, with Greyfax contributing a well-placed Smite to get things started. The Blackstar's lascannons converged on Ostallian, blowing the Helbrute off the table while its anti-personnel weapons, combined with the kill team's shooting, killed six Cultists despite some actually decent cover save rolls. That team failed to charge the Cultists, but in the backfield, the Deatchwatch pressed its advantage and killed several more members of Venator Squad, reducing them to six men. https://imgur.com/fcvzn1x (The kill team ravages the Cultists.) On my turn, I drew Hold the Line, Secure #6, and Defend #6. Objective #6 just happened to be the objective that the kill teams abandoned to annihilate my Berzerkers, meaning it was both in range of a forced march and undefended. I was torn; on the one hand, I wanted to stay stuck in and kill some Loyalist dogs, but on the other hand. . . sacrifices must be made to ensure victory. Venator Squad fell back from combat and took up a defensive position around the rocks by Objective #6. The remaining full-strength Cultist squad rushed quickly back into my table quarter to meet the imminent advance of the third kill team, while the HQs shuffled around a bit to that my Lord wouldn't be the closest shooting target if all the Cultists evaporated. I dropped Miasma on the Over-wrought, Prescience on the Over-wrought, and Delightful Agonies on Venator Squad, marking my most successful psychic phase of the game. The Over-wrought then proceeded to nail the Blackstar for ten wounds (dropping it to two remaining), constituting the only damage I inflicted that turn. I then score Secure #6 and Hold the Line, extending my lead to 6-2. The Cultists lost three more men to battle shock, leaving just the Champion alive. https://imgur.com/xeCfMx7 (Venator Squad secures Objective #6.) TURN THREE My opponent's moves at this point were fairly predictable, dictated as they were by the board state. The third kill team advanced towards my fire-base, ignoring the Cultist Champ they couldn't see through the ruins. The Blackstar, still in hover mode, paralleled their course and slid over to the central hill to bring its hurricane bolters into range of multiple targets. The HQs and back-field kill team pressed their advantage against Venator Squad, while Greyfax made a break for open ground and closed the distance to the Slaaneshi Sorcerer standing on the hilltop. She Smote him for three wounds, and while the Blackstar landed a lascannon shot on him as well, a timely cover save ensured his survival. Combined fire from the Master, kill team, Greyfax, and Blackstar dropped the Venators to three men and a charge claimed just one more thanks to some decent armor saves and a couple lucky FNPs from Delightful Agonies. https://imgur.com/sye2hib (Venator Squad struggles valiantly for their objective.) This turn I drew "The Will of Chaos" (for which I rolled a 5, being objective #5 which was near my Lord) and "Scour the Skies." Falling back again, the remaining two Venator Squadmates move just far enough to claim #6 for a second turn running, knowing full well that I sacrificed that squad for three VPs across two objective cards. The lone Cultist Champ climbed the hill to take up a position next to the Slaaneshi Sorcerer, while the full Cultist squad shuffled around a bit in their woods template. The Nurgle Sorcerer moved up, closer to the approaching kill team, in the hopes of landing a Smite. I got Delightful Agonies on the Sorcerer, who also attempted to Smite the Blackstar but was denied by Greyfax. The Nurgle Sorcerer placed Miasma on himself and then Smote, but while I wanted to hit the Blackstar, the kill team was closer and I nailed one Space Marine with mind-bullets. The Helbrute took its turn and inflicted only one wound on the Blackstar due to poor dice, and my Cultists tried to plink the last one off but failed to do any damage. Due to poor positioning on my part -- I forgot to shift my Lord within 3" of Objective #5 -- I missed Will of Chaos but did score Defend #6 for two more VPs, bringing me to 8-2. https://imgur.com/Zly0F9K (Odan, Right Hand of the Prophet, defies the Corvus Blackstar.) TURN FOUR The northern kill team and Watch Master once again pursue Venator Squad; with only two men left, their fate is sealed. The western kill team advanced to set themselves up for rapid fire range on the next turn, but the Blackstar remains stationary. Its guns, due to the damage to the airframe, miss wildly with most of their shots but are able to kill the lone Cultist Champion. Greyfax Smites the Nurgle Sorcerer for three wounds, then plinks the Slaaneshi one with her Condemner Boltgun and kills him. Venator Squad finally succumbs to frag cannon shots. The Deatchwatch score two objectives; one is a character assassination mission, though I forget what the other was (Secure #6, maybe?). Score is 8-4. https://imgur.com/5HWkFd9 (The end is nigh for Venator Rifle Squad.) I draw "The Warp is Your Ally" for my third card this turn. Refusing to fail a second time, I string some of my Cultists out of the woods towards Objective #5, and the Nurgle Sorcerer likewise moves up to confront the kill team. He casts Miasma on the Cultists and then attempts to Smite the kill team, but fails his casting roll with a 4. Still, its enough to nab me The Warp is Your Ally. The Helbrute opens fire and finally puts paid to the Blackstar with its missile launcher, which crashes into the hillside and scores me Scour the Skies. The Cultists rattle off some autogun shots at the kill team which does nothing, as does the Sorcerer's bolt pistol. He then attempts to charge in the hopes of killing a few of them and maybe holding them up for a turn, but the frag cannon-carrier in the squad landed like nine wounds and I couldn't roll enough saves to survive it. However, I did score all three objectives, netting me three more VPs and bringing the score to 11-4. At this point, we actually confused ourselves and thought it was the bottom of turn five so we rolled for the end of the game and got a two: game over! The Deathwatch scored a fifth VP for Line Breaker, but my 11-5 lead could not be overcome at the end. https://imgur.com/DU3C2Uv (Board state at the end of the game.) Overall, it was a slug fest and I really felt like I was fighting up-hill due to my :cuss -y dice rolling all game long. In the end I didn't kill a lot of models and my forces were in turn pretty heavily attrited, but playing to the objectives put me in the winner's circle. In my eternal struggle to showcase the durability of CSMs compared to Cultists, Venator Squad was key to my victory; their good armor saves, backed up by FNPs, kept just enough of them alive just long enough to pull in three VPs and keep two-thirds of the enemy infantry plugged up in their backfield. My opponent confided after the game that he suffered under poor objective pulls, was constantly discarding cards because he kept drawing cards for Objectives #1, 3, and 5 -- all of which were on my side of the board and too far for him to make a rush on them! He also hit a wall on dice rolls a few times, with his phase swords rarely landing wounds. While I tended to roll fairly well for my power sword, I only ever benefited from a singe DTTFE attack. Massacre or no, any win is a good win! I'd once again like to thank Jorge (he's trying to get an account set up hereabouts, so once he's set I hope he'll swing by and set me straight on anything I messed up!) for a good game and you guys for reading. Til next time! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/346232-ambush-at-caesarea-iv-alpha-legion-vs-deathwatch/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
noxiimus Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 Hey this is Jorge! It was a really fun match Hope to do this again some time soon! Also it was awesome to read the battle report! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/346232-ambush-at-caesarea-iv-alpha-legion-vs-deathwatch/#findComment-5056613 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vel'Cona Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 Man, something in this battle report stoked the nostalgia in me. Might be the old-school terrain or the face-off between Astartes armies :) Great bat-rep and I look forward to seeing more with the AL "traitors"! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/346232-ambush-at-caesarea-iv-alpha-legion-vs-deathwatch/#findComment-5058137 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kierdale Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 That was a great read. :tu: And I think your playing to the objectives was very much in the style of the Alpha Legion. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/346232-ambush-at-caesarea-iv-alpha-legion-vs-deathwatch/#findComment-5060120 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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