Company Veterans...don't play games without them

[TiguriusX]

This is a batrep for the gimmick list to test the company veterans and bodyguard rule

1 set of company vets are used in the deployment zone

1 set of company vets are used in the LF DP so I can sling shot forward

I am also testing the company ancient with the LFs so I can squeeze extra shots out of the unit. If I can get 2/5 banner activations for the multi-melta I will be happy

SW-Murder make v Chaos Black Legion

Map/Mission-Scouring

My list

Battalion

HQ

140 Chapter Master on Bike

30 TH/SS

100 Captain on Bike

30 TH/SS

140 Master of Sanctity on Bike (Warlord)

Troops

90 5xBC

90 5xBC

90 5xBC

Elite

135 Wulfen Dread Claw/Shield 2xHeavy Flamers

150 Murderfang

85 Judiciar

95 5xWolf Guard

44 Jump + 4xLC/SS + LC/LC

48 2xCompany Vets + 2xCS/SS

48 2xCompany Vets + 2xCS/SS

75 Company Ancient

Fast Attack

15 Cyberwolf

Heavy

240 6xEradicators

108 6xLong Fangs

105 5xMulti-Melta + Armorium Cherub

Transport

70 Drop Pod

70 Drop Pod

1998 Total

12 CP

His list

++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Chaos - Chaos Space Marines) [90 PL, 11CP, 1,670pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points)

Detachment CP

Legion: Black Legion

+ Stratagems +

Council of Traitors [-1CP]

+ No Force Org Slot +

Dark Disciples [1 PL, 10pts]: Mark of Slaanesh

. 2x Dark Disciple: 2x Close combat weapon

+ HQ +

Abaddon the Despoiler [11 PL, 2CP, 220pts]: Warlord

Dark Apostle [4 PL, 80pts]: 5. Trusted War-leader, Blissful Devotion, Council of Traitors, Illusory Supplication, Mark of Slaanesh, The Black Mace

Sorcerer [5 PL, 90pts]: Bolt pistol, Council of Traitors, Delightful Agonies, Diabolic Strength, Force sword, Mark of Slaanesh, Warp Lord

+ Troops +

Chaos Cultists [9 PL, 180pts]: Mark of Slaanesh

. 29x Chaos Cultist w/ Autogun: 29x Autogun

. Cultist Champion: Autogun

Chaos Cultists [3 PL, 60pts]: Mark of Slaanesh

. 9x Chaos Cultist w/ Autogun: 9x Autogun

. Cultist Champion: Autogun

Chaos Cultists [9 PL, 180pts]: Mark of Khorne

. 29x Chaos Cultist w/ autopistol and brutal assault weapon: 29x Autopistol, 29x Brutal assault weapon

. Cultist Champion: Brutal assault weapon and Autopistol

+ Elites +

Chaos Leviathan Dreadnought [13 PL, -1CP, 225pts]: 2x Grav-flux bombard, Hellforged hunter-killer missile, Mark of Slaanesh

. Two twin volkite calivers

Chaos Leviathan Dreadnought [13 PL, -1CP, 225pts]: 2x Grav-flux bombard, Hellforged hunter-killer missile, Mark of Slaanesh

. Two twin volkite calivers

Mutilators [5 PL, 105pts]: Mark of Khorne

. 3x Mutilator: 3x Fleshmetal weapons

+ Fast Attack +

Greater Blight Drone [7 PL, 125pts]

+ Heavy Support +

Chaos Rapier Carrier [5 PL, 85pts]: Mark of Nurgle, Quad heavy bolter

Chaos Rapier Carrier [5 PL, 85pts]: Mark of Nurgle, Quad heavy bolter

++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (Chaos - Thousand Sons) [17 PL, -3CP, 328pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Cults of the Legion: Cult of Magic

Detachment CP [-2CP]

+ HQ +

Ahriman [8 PL, 150pts]: Death Hex, Prescience, Warptime

Sorcerer in Terminator Armour [6 PL, -1CP, 118pts]: Devastating Sorcery, Familiar, Infernal Gaze, Inferno Combi-bolter, Magister, Tzeentch's Firestorm

+ Troops +

Chaos Cultists [3 PL, 60pts]

. 9x Chaos Cultist w/ Autogun: 9x Autogun

. Cultist Champion: Autogun

++ Total: [107 PL, 8CP, 1,998pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe (https://battlescribe.net)

Pre-game and Deployment

First time going up against chaos and this black legion type list in 9th

After some quick research I understand his cultists + Abaddon are immune to morale and he has tide of traitors if I fail to kill a unit off

I should be able to kill his vehicles with my LF and eradicator options

He also has 1K sons with cult of magic for mortal wound artillery basically...those guys can be nasty

Good test for this list as psyker defense is an area I did not invest in and it ignores the company vet bodyguard rule

Chapter Master gets Rites of War + Armor of Russ

Captain gets Hunter

Chaplain gets Wise Orator + Bear + Wulfen Stone

Chaplain gets recitation of focus + canticle of hate

LFPL gets Morkai bolts

Secondaries

Bring it down

Oath of Moment

Scan sites (map specific)

Domination

Assassination

Grind them down

I deploy 1st

Put characters far forward using bodyguard protection rule

I know his psykers can get me if he pushes forward but the entire point of this battle is to experiment so here we go!!!

Everything else out of LOS for turn 1 movement

I combat squad my eradicators as well

DP1

LF

Company vets

Ancient

DP2

BC1

BC2

He hides out of LOS as well with his cultist blobs in the lead

Nothing in reserve for him

BATREP

He wins the roll and goes first

Turn 1

Able to advance both large cultist blobs 11" and grabs objectives and take up his half of the map basically

He keeps all his vehicles back and out of LOS

His psykers push forward hard in the middle

He unleashes long range psyker spells on me and goes bonkers

He smites my captain off the map immediately and puts 2 wounds on my chaplain

My turn

I thought I would be facing his long range vehicle firepower and did not expect this

He has smite artillery and an ocean of cultists to protect him...he doesn't need to expose vehicles yet

Crafty move

I decide I will hold the LF DP another turn and bring down the BCs for a chaplain assisted charge

Losing the captain hurt my original plan to start the scan action on the left objective.

On the right side my plan to drop the BC pod has prevented my chapter master from touching the objective so I fail to scan there as well.

Going 2nd has thrown a huge wrench into my pre game plans

I choose NOT to chant any litanies in my command phase so I can auto change canticle of hate for 1 CP later

Chapter Master gives full rerolls to eradicators and tucks in behind cover to avoid MW artillery

Full reroll eradicators step through the wall and kill 4 cultists

BC Drop pod comes down near the chaplain within 9" of cultists on the right side

Both units make their charge into the same cultist squad

This is a big play for me. I am hoping to wipe all 30 cultists and prevent tide of traitors

Worst case I hope he has to pull enough bodies that I steal the objective from him and he burns tide of traitors early

I have 42 dice hitting on 2s

If I can kill 20+ it should give me more obsec bodies and deny him any primary points by stealing the objective

I start with BC1 on the left of his formation so if he pulls bodies to deny my other unit I will win the objective from him

BC1 uses savage strike to hit on 2 and wound on 2...kills 7 cultists (he made 10 5++ saves)

He declines to intervene

BC2 kill 7 more cultists (lots of 1s and 2s for hit/wound...he failed all his 5++ saves at least)

Only 14/30 cultists dead

He still outnumbers me on the objective...absolute failure of an attack here

He uses veterans of long war and black legion outnumber trait to counter attack and only kills 1 BC

Abaddon makes him immune to morale so my BCs fail to kill AND fail to steal even though I have obsec (he has more than my 5 models on the objective)

Turn 2

He smites BC1 to death in midfield

His vehicles on the right peek out to get LOS at my BC on the objective and finish them off

36 cultists firing at eradicators use veterans of long war to wound on 4...do 5 wounds...I decline to use the gravis armor strat so I can save CP. I roll 5 2's and just shrug my shoulders. Don't need this 3 man unit of eradicators as much as I need the CP so I am fine

My turn

I roll and activate both litanies

2 man eradicator gets BS2

I push middle with every combat unit I can get to charge his large cultist squad and shoot his depleted squad

I drop the LF pod on the left to assist

LF kill 6 cultists

Wulfen flamer kills 4

After everyone else fires and is saved there are 4 cultists left

I am hating cultists with a passion at this point

I charge EVERYTHING into green cultist squad that I can

Chapter master goes after the 4 survivors from red cultist squad

Chaplain is blocked out and can't charge anyone

Murderfang and Wulfen dread and Judiciar and Eradicator all fight

Eradicator gets 3 hits and 3 wounds...does 0 damage

Judiciar gets 5 hits and 5 wounds...does 0 damage

Yes...these cultists are making TONS of 5++ invulnerable and 5++ FNP

BC3 with savage strike combo kills 9

WG with their LCs and 26 rerolls hit/wound combo kill 8 total cultists

He has 2 survivors...OMG I hate cultists

This combat was another fail...I needed to wipe him to deny him primary points

Chapter Master kills all 4 survivors from other cultists...no tide for them at least!!!

Turn 3

Here is the kicker...I have more OBSEC on the objective than him

Except he has the world killer strategem and turns OFF my obsec for 3CP

Now that he has scored hold more using that trick he uses tide on his 2 remaining cultists...puts them in the rear to steal an objective from me

The dirty SOBs roll 9 and charge my BC DP from turn 1 then wrap and steal my objective

He also blasts me with lots of psyker

Turns off invulnerable for WG

Mortal wound explosions left/right but nothing dies yet (judiciar has 1 left)

He kills everything in the middle with shooting except Murderfang and the chaplain

Chapter master gets grav flux...fails 2/2 4++

Wulfen dread fails 3/4 4++

He decides to charge Abbadon into my WC pack leader and the rest of his psykers into murderfang.

Only the cult of magic terminator makes it into murderfang and he does 1 total damage.

Murderfang has 1 wound remaining and shreds him to bits...bye bye MW artillery

Abbadon is ready to turn my WG with no SS into paste so I just pull him...no rolls needed

My turn

Eradicators fire into Abbadon and he saves enough to have 2 wounds remaining

LFs walk and uses keen senses.

Due to range I fire 6 into his leviathan (5 wounds left) and 4 into Abaddon (2 wounds left)

I use the cherub and fire 2 more BS2 MM into Abaddon

He laughs and makes both 4++

I put bolters and flamers into the dark apostle and he dies

Murderfang says enough of this crap and puts an end to Abaddon in melee

Chaplain fails to kill the nearby sorceror landing a single hit/wound in melee

Turn 4

He kills all my LFs and I get 1 banner activation

Luckily it takes the final 5 wounds off the leviathan

He splits fire between chaplain and murderfang and it looks like the chaplain will live after the last shots fail to kill him

Then murderfang explodes and kills the chaplain instead

I concede and we walk through final rounds of points

Final score and recap

94-29

SW are crushed

I simply could NOT get objectives with the fearless cultist blobs everywhere

I could not kill a blob full of 5++/5+++ units worth a damn

The dice were most unkind

I also thought I could get strategic scan points but was on the back foot from turn 1

As for the company vets and the entire point of this experiment...I'd say it shows promise

This psyker type list is a strong counter but I was still able to maneuver and take advantage of characters immune to ranged shooting

Murderfang is 100% back in my lists if I can maneuver him around the board knowing he will survive

I was disappointed with the ancient but I'll chalk it up to the dice

Will keep this same list for the next round in this experimentation pod and try to report again

[Jorin Helm-splitter]

That game sounded rough TiguriusX, he made a ton of improbable clutch saves. It's interesting to see a list like that though and I could see it being a tough out. I do think your opponent really benefited from not only going first but also getting great advance rolls for the cultists. It just put a ton of pressure on your list to focus on the cultists first instead of going after the big threats which was gonna be tough.

[TiguriusX]

Goonhammer just touched on the bodyguard rule

 

You can prevent overwatch if you charge with a character near a bodyguard unit RAW

 

 

https://www.goonhammer.com/ruleshammer-qa-december-3rd-2020/

[The Saint Ragnar]

How were the cultists at a 5++/5+++? I'm assuming a psychic powers combination? So he made one unit tanky each time and it was the only one you could get to each time?

 

Edit: Okay I see the 5++ from the Dark Apostle and then the Sorcerer's Delightful Agonies. It's a rough combo

Edited December 5, 2020 by The Saint Ragnar

[TiguriusX]

How were the cultists at a 5++/5+++? I'm assuming a psychic powers combination? So he made one unit tanky each time and it was the only one you could get to each time?

 

Edit: Okay I see the 5++ from the Dark Apostle and then the Sorcerer's Delightful Agonies. It's a rough combo

 

Ya it doesn't seem like much at first glance but 5++/5+++ gives you greater than 50% odds (5/9) against damage 1 weapons

 

I was going to put more shots into the green cultists but the 4 man red cultists with only a 5++ refused to die

 

I thought I had a decent chance of wiping green still

8 from murderfang (rerolling wounds)

3 from eradicator (this eradicator went first and landed all 3 hits/wounds)

5 from judiciar (wounding on 2)

21 from BCs (wounding on 2 with savage strike)

22 from WG (rerolling hits and wounds b/c chapter master was close enough)

 

59 attacks hitting on 2s and I was going to land a majority of those wound rolls as well

 

I think the green squad had 26 or so models before the fight phase began

 

Dice shifted just enough that he had survivors

 

 

 

 

Next time I play the list I need to be more aggressive and push in hard

 

It was my first time seeing that type of list.  I have a tendency to play defensive when facing something new...in the future I need to commit to obliterate units

 

I also won't be experimenting to see how many psyker spells I can take to my face with deployment 

Edited December 5, 2020 by TiguriusX

[Karhedron]

Running into a list like that with no anti-psyker capability is definitely an uphill battle.

[TiguriusX]

Running into a list like that with no anti-psyker capability is definitely an uphill battle.

Quote for truth...seriously missed the old version of wolf tail talisman in that test game

[Karhedron]

Yeah, seeing how they nerfed WTT for 9th was harsh. The problem with taking a single Rune Priest is he could stop one or 2 powers at best (with the chief librarian upgrade) but that really doesn't cut it against a smite spam list. Now the Culexus is the only thing who's ability scales in response to the threat.