BATTLE REPORT: Bringing a Gun to a Knife Fight

I finally got a full sized game of 40k in last night down at the Last Square in Madison. My opponent, Brian, was geared up for a 2k battle but I unfortunately just did not have the models to get up to that points range. Fortunately he was very understanding and edited his list to be 1850.

My list:

CCS with 4 plasma, plasma pistol in a Chimera (ML/HF)

PCS with 2 flamer, autocannon in a Chimera (ML/HF)

Inf. Squad with commissar with power weapon, sgt. with power weapon and meltabombs, AC/GL

Inf. Squad with sgt with power weapon, AC/GL

Inf. Squad with AC/GL

Inf. Squad with no upgrades (in a Vendetta)

SWS with three flamers (in a Vendetta)

HWS with three ACs

Two vet squads with three meltaguns, AC and a Chimera (ML/HF)

Two Vendettas

Leman Russ Battle tank w/HB

Leman Russ Executioner w/HB

Manticore w/ HF

His list:

Two Daemon Princes, Mark of Tzeentch, Bolt of Change

Three 10-man squads of Berzerkers with champ armed with power weapon and meltabomb, one of which had a rhino with Daemonic Possession

Two Land Raiders with Daemonic Possession

Three Obliterators

We rolled up Capture and Control on Dawn of War and he won the roll to go first. The board looked like so:

He naturally wanted to close with me as soon as possible so deployed his ‘zerker Rhino in the center of the board behind the building and one Daemon Prince lurking amidst the central blue rock outcropping. In return I deployed my combined infantry squad on the right flank with good fire lanes on his Rhino and mirrored the move with the HWS on my left flank, also in view of his Rhino. I figured that that singular tank was the only thing the AC HWS would be able to target, and their placement would mostly be to annoy and distract.

The rest of our battle lines, eager to get stuck in, elected to roll on first turn, he hoping that the cover of night would be enough to save his traitorous skin while I hoped that my searchlights would be able to pierce the gloom. My commander tried to rouse his troops into seizing the initiative but failed as the Berzerkers burst out of the gates…

Turn 1:

The Chaos armada moves on. Both land raiders ran pell mell forwards, one towards my objective the other towards the middle of my lines, their cargo roaring with anticipation. The Rhino also made a desperate bid for glory, going full out in the hopes of sinking their chain axes into my armor. The forward Daemon prince continued to emulate his patron and hid behind another piece of terrain, hoping that it would be enough to protect him from Imperial retribution.

In short, it wasn’t. My army rolled one with guns a blazing. The Daemon Prince was picked out by my Executioner and was summarily pummeled by plasma and lascannon fire. The prince’s wards tried to shrug off the atomic fire to no avail, crumbling to dust after the third salvo. My Battle tank, which had been hold its gun quiet until the Prince had been dealt with, attempted to light up the still rather far away Rhino… and somehow managed to succeed, allowing my autocannons to target it. The few scrapes that my shells caused the rhino only made the daemon possessed engine angrier. Meanwhile on my right flank the Manticore rolled into position and readied its missiles while my mechanized infantry arrived on the left flank to support their entrenched comrades.

Turn 2:

With the veil of night lifted the Chaos war engines blazed forward yet again towards my lines, their possessed machine spirits cackling with glee. The ponderous Obliterators moved into a firing position and found a target in one of my Vendettas, immobilizing the bird and bringing it crashing to the ground. While still able to fire its guns were now locked in fairly useless arcs, effectively knocking it out of the game.

The imperial guns made several attempts to counteract the impending chainaxe wielding madmen. First the possessed Rhino was opened up by precision melta fire from my Diamond vets, earning their first kill of the game. This early success was followed up by the cannon of the Leman Russ, pouring plasma and battle cannon fire into the cowering berzerkers, eliminating all but four of the foul beasts. My commander decided to finish the job with plasma fire of his own, eliminating a further three Berzerkers and making a miraculous armor save to avoid a gun exploding. Meanwhile my Hearts vets attempted to surpass their Diamond brethren, disembarking from their vehicle and aiming their meltaguns at the charging Land Raider. Unfortunately they must have underestimated its speed as all three failed to hit the large target. Finally the Manticore attempted to crack the other Land Raider to no avail, merely annoying the Daemon Prince with its explosions.

Meanwhile my heavy weapons squad quietly packed up their guns and started running towards the Chaos objective. Would they be able to do anything? Of that I was not sure, especially if the Berzerkers decided to hang around. But then again, what else were they to do?

Turn 3:

The Berzerkers were finally in charging range and couldn’t hold themselves back any longer. One squad disembarked from their land raider and smashed into the Hearts vets, cutting them down and collecting their skulls in one fluid motion, their charge taking them right in front of a veritable of sea of targets. Surely those puny flashlights and knives couldn’t harm the Sons of Khorne! Their ride meanwhile took aim and dismantled the vets former transport, adding insult to injury. The other land raider, still out of position, moved full to be ready to disgorge its cargo on the following turn while closely followed by the remaining Daemon Prince (who still wisely hid from my infantry). Meanwhile the Skull Champion emerged from the wreckage of the Rhino, meltabomb in hand and dashed after the Leman Russ. The pilot desperately tried to jink out of the way but was still shaken by the large explosion that occurred on his side hatch. Finally the Obliterators only managed to graze the airborne Vendetta.

I have to admit, staring down those ravenous Khorne worshippers I was beginning to be afraid. Fortunately for me my commander wasn't. Furious at the loss of a squad of prized Veterans he commander ordered the combined squad to fire in ranks, eliminating a full half of the charging Berzerkers by blinding them with lasgun shots. His command squad added to the weight of fire, pouring plasma fire into the heretics and killing a further two.

The Imperial counterattack continued with the Diamond vets, fresh off their victory over the Rhino, pop  the e-brake on their Chimera to line up shots on the second Land Raider, blowing it up with a single meltagun hit. The Manticore strike that had been called in just before to crack the tank happily found its contents packed in a nice formation and detonated right on target. This, plus the murderous fire from the Executioner reduced the proud Berzerker squad to the Skull Champion.

Amid the clash and furor on the right flank the heavy weapon squad continued its quiet run for the Chaos objective, now joined by the crew of the downed Vendetta. Only the Obliterators stood between them and potential glory, and surely they had better things to shoot at?

Turn 4:

The tide had been turned. The three remaining Berzerkers on my right flank charged into the sea of infantry only to lose two of their own members to power sword and bayonet. While the casualties they inflicted were much greater my Guardsmen did not even need the cocked bolt pistol of the Commissar taking up the rear to fight on.

The Daemon Prince and the Rhino Skull Champion leapt into the middle of my ranks causing what havoc they could among my lines. The Champion’s meltabomb struck the Diamond veteran’s Chimera, forcing the squad to bail out or be choked by the fumes while the Daemon Prince, incensed that his magics had been put to waste, sliced deep gouging holes in the tracks of my Leman Russ.

But even this was not enough to forstall Imperial victory. My commissar finished off a Skull Champion in close combat with his power blade while the Command Squad defeated the Prince with remarkably uncoordinated plasma fire. The other Skull Champions were cut down by fire from my tanks while my Diamond squad unsuccessfully tried to add a third tank kill to their record, their weapons only warming the twisted metal of the Chaos land raider.

The pace of my runners on the left flank picked up, closing to within striking distance of the objective. The was was open, the Obliterators far too distracted by the remaining Vendetta to pay them much heed.

Turn 5:

It was all over but the screaming. The Land Raider tried to tank shock its way onto my objective but had to charge through the Diamond veteran squad. Unwilling to let their failure undo them one brave Guardsmen stood in front of the tank, meltagun in hand, and put the snarling beast out of its misery.

The Aftermath

At this point I held my home objective firmly and the Chaos objective would have fallen on the next turn thanks to my handicapable heavy weapon and bog standard infantry squads, so with only the three Obliterators left my opponent conceded.

Thanks for reading the report, and apologies that there were not more pictures to go along with it- me and my camera are having a hissy fit right now. Tomorrow there will be a post-battle review which will hopefully prove enjoyable.