First Game post Faith & Fury

[Ado]

As title says had my first game post F&F against my mates White Scars. We played ITC rules. I only play with painted models so I brought an unoptimised list against my mates more finely-tuned Scars so take this  feedback with a grain of salt. 

 

I lost 27-20 but there were times where I thought I could have won. Highlights - concealed positions invicor + 10man scouts + Phobos LIeutenant w Aurilian Shroud. Held up one of his flanks for two turns. Took out 2 5man intercessor squads and should have done more except for my :cussty rolls!

 

Helbrecht buffed with Grimaldus wiped out a 6-man intercessor squad, and then on the following turn took out a wounded librarian terminator (wounded by witchseeker bolts) and used his MM to wipe his smash captain warlord. The auto-wounding 6s put out a lot of hurt - I rolled 4 of them against his aggressors which also generated extra attacks with Grimaldus near by.

 

However!! The only reason Helbrecht did this was because he had to disembark my LRC which the aforementioned Aggressors popped on turn 2 when they Outflanked me. This meant that although Helbrecht wrecked in CC against three of his main units, he, Grimaldus and the crusader squad were let on the flank of the board with no way of getting to the bulk of his Obj scoring units by the end of the game.

 

The other issue was deep striking terminators. He left a gap in his backfield which allowed me to drop in behind his JP Chaplain and Relic Leviathan dread. I rolled a 6 and a 2 for the charge. I re-rolled the 2 and got..... another 2. Yet again my termies fail me!! Had I made that charge the chaplain was gone and I could have consolidated into his leviathan. As it was his Leviathan went on to put out a lot of hurt in shooting and possibly won him the game.

 

The other problem was I only successfully cast litanies with my JP Chaplain and Grimaldus about half of the time. Statistically below average but not getting the buffs when you need them can hurt.

 

Notable mentions to the Vicious Riposte strat which killed an intercessor when rolling saves for my scouts. 

 

On reflection, I'm going to ditch the LRC and my terminators. Too many points and too risky when it comes to them being able to do their job. I'm going to add drop pods, VVs w jump packs and a sword brethren squad instead. I'm also considering the Ancient Breviary for the roll 2D6 for the litanies to increase the chance of getting the litanies off when I need them.

 

I'm also shocked at how many more charging strats, buffs etc the Scars get compared to us. It really shows how much GW screwed us over in comparison to the other melee chapters. Sad times!

 

[Sword Brother Adelard]

I had my first game today post F&F, and it was also my first ever 40k win!!

 

I took the following list:

 

Battalion Detachment +5CP (Imperium - Space Marines) [64 PL, -4CP, 1,115pts]

• HQ
  • Chaplain [5 PL, 90pts]
    Selections: 1. Litany of Faith, Bolt pistol, Jump Pack, Litany of Hate, The Crusader's Helm (SM2018)
    Chapter Master [6 PL, -2CP, 96pts]
    Selections: Chainsword, Jump Pack, Master Swordsman, Master-crafted boltgun, Stratagem: Chapter Master, Teeth of Terra, Warlord
• Troops
  • Crusader Squad (8x Initiate w/Chainsword, Initiate w/Heavy Weapon,(Power axe) Sword Brother (Combi-flamer, Power sword)Intercessor Squad Intercessor Sergeant (Power sword) 9x Intercessor (Auxiliary Grenade Launcher, Bolt rifles)
  • Scout Squad : 4x Camo cloak Scout Sergeant (Bolt pistol, Sniper rifle) Scout w/Heavy Weapon (Heavy bolter  )3x Scout w/Sniper Rifle
• Heavy Support
  • Devastator Squad Armorium Cherub Space Marine Sergeant (Combi-grav, Power fist) 4x Space Marine w/Heavy Weapon (Grav-cannon)

• Dedicated Transport
  • 3 x Drop Pod (Storm Bolters)

Vanguard Detachment:

• HQ
  • Chaplain Grimaldus 
• Elites
  • Company Ancient (Power Sword)
  • Relic Contemptor Dreadnought (Dreadnought melee weapon with Heavy flamer, Twin autocannon )
  • Vanguard Veteran Squad: Jump packs, 4x Space Marine Veteran (Storm shield, Thunder hammer) Veteran Sergeant, (Grav-pistol, Relic blade)

Vanguard Detachment:

• HQ
  • The Emperor's Champion [4 PL, 75pts]
• Elites
  • Company Veterans: 3x Space Marine Veteran (Power sword, Storm shield) Veteran Sergeant (Power sword, Storm shield)
  • Cenobyte Servitors 
  • Venerable Dreadnought  (Twin autocannon, Dreadnought combat weapon w/Storm Bolter)

 

This wasn't an intentionally optimised list, and I didn't use it as well as I could have done, but, these guys did work.

 

My opponent had Ultramarines: Primaris Tigurius, Primaris captain, two primaris lieutenants and a Phobos Librarian. Two squads of 5 man intercessors, 5 scouts, 2x5 helblasters, 3 inceptors, Land Speeder Typhoon, 2 x5 helblasters, a bike squad and an LRC.

 

Standard Dawn of War deployment. I deployed everything in pods bar the jump pack vets, chaplain, Marshal and the two dreadnoughts. I had first turn and dropped everything in front of him. In the centre I ran the +1 to advance and charge WL Trait on the Marshal, the Canticle of Hate on the jump chaplain and dropped the advance and charge strat on the VV. Meaning that in turn one I was in his deployment zone with the vanguard veterans taking on the bikes and taking out one of the Helblaster Squads. On the right flank I had the Crusaders, Champion, Cenos and Grimaldus deploy out of pods and all of them made the charge out of the pod into the bikes. in the centre, the captain and chaplain assaulted some forward scouts, and I deliberately didn't kill them to try and have some shooting cover.

On the other side of the table the 3rd pod with the Ancient, grav devastators and company vets dropped in. The vets charged some intercessors holding and objective and the Devastators took 12 wounds off of the LRC (This could/should have been more, but I forgot the extra -1AP for the doctrine)

 

In his first turn. he tried to move his bikes out of combat with the vets, crusaders, champ and Grim, but the strat to keep them locked in prevented that and saved them from the shooting. He did move the scouts out away from the jump characters, and the chaplain got slotted in the shooting phase.

Meanwhile, his efforts to shoot the devastators off the table ended with three dying, but with two shooting again with the banner and finishing off the LRC. He also managed to kill the company vets and the relic contemptor. My Marshal was charged by a Lt, 5 intercessors and 5 scouts, but an interrupt killed the Lt and the troops. he survived on 3 wounds to jump away in my second turn.

 

By now, I had all of the remaining characters, the crusaders the remaining Vanguard Vets firmly within his army, which had been gutted. Grimaldus' auras did amazingly and the Champion had a great face off with the Warlord, absolutely mullering him. The Marshal just went through unit after unit, and ended up killing Tiggy with one wound left.

 

From there, I just continued to tear him away, and he called it at the end of my third or fourth turn.

 

Overall I'm really pleased with how these rules work. Being able to get in their faces reliably on turn one is awesome. My oppo actually described it as 'scary' having the Veterans in his face so early. I must admit, this was also probably the best luck I have ever had. I made every single one of my turn one charges comfortably, I got lucky with the banner revives on the devvies, and really lucky not to lose the marshal when I left him utterly exposed in front of an UM gunline. 

 

I even forgot things, which would have made it better. I forgot the extra AP for the VV being in the assault phase thanks to the helm, I forgot Grims exploding 6s on the first turn. and I forgot to ever even reveal the Ancient's Aurilian shroud! (Although that probably would have meant I wouldn't have killed the LRC...)

 

Most importantly however, playing Templars felt fun again. Even the Crusaders felt genuinely potent in combat for the first time in years. 

Edited December 8, 2019 by Brother Adelard

[SydonianDragoon404]

I had my first game with the new rules this saturday also. Played 2k VS Genestealer Cults. 

 

He was using a rusted cog brigade with lots of the lascannon buggies, characters (including filthy abominable witches!!!), lots of deepstriking/infiltrating troops shenanigans, a big blog on genestealers, and of course the little trick you can do with the motorcycle guys where they just appear anywhere within 3'' of any enemy unit and throw melta bombs at it them. 

 

My 2k list was as follows: 

 

Brigade

HQs: Helbrecht (WT), Grimaldus (WT), Captain (Crusader Helm, Warlord), Primaris Lt (Aurellian Shroud)

 

Troops: 5x Scouts, 5x Scouts, 5x Scouts (HB), 5x Primaris Intercs (Stalkers), 5x Primaris Intercs (BRs), 5x Primaris Intercs (BRs).

 

Fast Attack: 10x Assault Marines (JP), Tarantula Sentry Gun (HBs), Suppressors

 

Elite: Venerable Dreadnought (ML, Twin LC), Invictor (Flamecannon), 10x Sternguard (Sarge w/ Sword of Judgement), Cenobyte Servitors

 

Heavy: LRC, Eliminators (Witchseeker bolts), 5x Devastators (Cherub, grav cannons). LRC Contents: Helbrecht, Sternguard, Devastators.

 

My opponent won the roll off and made me go first, which I really did not want to do. You cannot move within 9'' of the genestealer cult blips, so I was not able to be as aggressive as I wanted to. Most of my army besides the invictor and the Assault marines simply stayed put. I didn't have much other choices, as he null deployed the vast majority of his army using the blips. It was interesting, as this was the first time I was playing against this type of thing but I was familiar with how it works and what his army's tricks are. 

 

I knew he had lascannon sentinels on the field across from my landraider and he had more lascannon buggies that would come in so I went ahead and used the Aurillian Shroud. I also used Grimaldus to put a 5+ to ignore damage on the land raider, also used +1 attack and the Crusader helm on the assault marines to buff them up nicely. 

 

I was as close as I could possibly get to his lines with the assault marines. When he finally revealed the blips, the way he ended up placing his units I was only 7'' away from a corrupted guardsmen squad. He had heavy weapon teams perched up on top of a bunker close by to them, and another guard squad plus a magus.

 

I was able to destroy a good chunk of his heavy anti vehicle power, 4/6 anti tank units were gone even with most of my army behind out of range. I was able to assault into the neophyte squad with my assault marines, and with all the buffs they received they were actually able to kill them. Before our new codex and before Faith and Fury, each assault marine would have gotten 2 attacks at strength 4 AP nothing. Now with the buffs each one had 4 attacks at AP -1 with 6s auto wounding, thank you Crusaders Helm! 

 

They mulch the guard squad, then I use the strat to consolidate 6'' into a heavy weapon squad and another neophyte squad near the magus. They stay held up there for the rest of the game slowly cutting down heavy weapon teams and guardsmen mainly because of the whole dumb rules with model placement. I was able to only get 1 model up on top of the bunker with the heavy weapon squad, the rest had to sit at the bottom and shoot pistols because I couldn't place them within 1'' of the weapon teams because the bases are so large. If I had been able to place my models I would have wiped that heavy weapon team and moved on to the next. Alas. 

 

My opponent proceeded to do exactly what I wanted him to, shoot at my heavily buffed land raider with everything in his army dealt 3 wounds to it. 

 

Over the course of the game I played somewhat cagey and waiting for him to make the first move so I could reply with a counter punch. By turn 3 I was in the assault doctrine, had my sternguard and devastators out, and I was forcing him to pick up ambushing models by the handful. The genestealers and patriarch never came onto the board because I gave them next to no room to do so. The Brigade forcing me to take lots of troops actually came in handy here. The most he killed was a squad of scouts and a few models here and there. 

 

He tried to use the cult biker bomb to take out my dreadnought, but he curiously got greedy and split his fire. I used Duty Eternal to halve the damage which saved my dreadnought's mechanical bacon, only ended up taking 4 wounds because the damage is D3 from the bombs, and you halve rounding down. 

 

Opponent conceded after I had killed about 2/3 of his force without much reply. I was expecting a tougher fight from the cults. I'm guessing the patriach decided to cut his losses and run after seeing that the Black Templars are indeed not mindless berserkers that simply charge forwards frothing at the mouth, and that we can apply aggression and close combat prowess in a measured and tactical fashion. 

 

Overall the new rules feel good, as soon as I saw the opportunity to use that new 6'' consolidation stratagem I saw just how powerful it can be with the right unit. I think assault marines or vanguard vets if you can spare the elite slot are the right unit. 

 

Oh yeah, and I used a witch seeker bolt from my eliminator sergeant on the magus and nearly killed her in one shot since it deals D3 mortal wounds in addition to the normal bolt rifle damage. Even with her goons trying to jump in and save her. 

[Sword Brother Adelard]

What I really like is that our rules don't punish success in CC like they used to. Now that you can consolidate 6 inches and then prevent a unit from fleeing, you don't end up with a successful combat unit ending up destroying a unit, only to find themselves alone and exposed at the mercy of the enemies' guns. It's almost like the days of sweeping advances.

Edited December 8, 2019 by Brother Adelard