Action Report: 6 Mar 010.M3
Training mission against a brother Space Marine chapter.
Nezerians:
Captain - Artificer armor, relic blade
Tactical Squad (2 of 10 ea) - 1 flamer, Rhino with extra armor, dozer blade, storm bolters
Devastator Squad (5) - 3 plasma cannons, 1 lascannon
Predator - extra armor, twin-linked lascannon, sponson lascannons
Brother Chapter:
Chapter Master
Tactical Squad (5) - flamer
Tactical Squad (10) - grenade launcher, flamer
Venerable Dreadnought - drop pod
Terminator Librarian
Terminator Squad (5)
Mission: Capture and Control
Deployment: Dawn of War
I won initiative, chose to go second. Failed to seize initiative ... whoopty-doo.
Deployed both Rhinos near the objective on my side of the board near the left edge. ('His' objective was diametrically opposite 'mine', with a third dead center.)
He deploys the two tac squads and the chapter master. His first turn, no shooting because he can't -see- anything.
My turn one I bring everything else in because I didn't declare anything going into actual reserves. The devastators and captain beeline for some ruins on the other side of the board of 'my' objective, and the Predator rolls onto the center of the table.
The Predator, possessed of more lascannons than you can shake a stick at, proceeds to perforate the venerable dreadnought with three Str 9 AP 2 hits. Basically, the V'Dread takes three steps out of its drop pod, goes 'Huh, nice place' ... and EXPLODES. Blast goes 6" and takes out one of the 5-squad of tac marines that the Chapter Master is in, which is sitting on the center objective.
His turn two, some stuff happens. Nothing special.
My turn two, I pile into the ground floor of the ruins with the devsquad and chapter master; the sergeant and master take potshots at the five-squad that split off 'his' objective. Rhino #2 stays in cover, going around the far side of 'my' objective. Five of Tac Squad #1 pile back into Rhino #1 which goes the other way toward the center objective, popping smoke for a cover save.
His turn three, his terminator squad and librarian deep-strike in near 'my' objective. I think he should have gone for the objective to take out the 5-squad remaining; instead he headed for my Predator, which was trying and failing due to bad dice rolls to take out the drop pod.
Dropping turn counts at this point because I don't really remember specifics after this.
Rhino #2 takes a circuitous route around 'my' objective and heads for the center objective; all ten pile out and begin rapid-firing on his center five-squad, which is under cover and makes all saves. His five-squad on 'his' objective fires a grenade launcher and my squad BOXCARS their leadership test in turn four, so they go to ground and end up staying there.
His Terminators finally take out the Predator, which explodes and takes out a Terminator. The Librarian Gates over to Rhino #2 with the remaining three Terminators (the five-squad on 'my' objective rapid-fired one more to death).
Rhino #2 promptly guns it and tries to tank shock the Terminator squad; he makes godly rolls to Death or Glory and stops it. Boooo. He did -not- destroy it, though.
Rhino #1 makes for the center objective, the five-squad popping out right next to the drop pod to rapid fire his 5-squad and taking out one.
The Devastators at first concentrate their fire on the split five-squad which begins advancing out of cover. For once my plasma dice did not like me and I got bad scatter results and one failed Gets Hot! armor save; four of his squad were still alive at game end and wouldn't have been able to get into assault range even in turn 7 (not that they really would've wanted to) so the Devsquad started firing into the center objective units.
The five-squad from Rhino #1 advances toward the center objective and in turn five initiate an assault. They end up losing combat by one, I BOXCAR my leadership test, and lose a second model when they catch me. I have to move more than 3" from the objective.
We roll to see if the game continues, and it does not.
If I had managed to contest the center objective, the game would have been a draw.
If the game had continued to turn six, Rhino #1 would be in a position to tank shock the center five-squad and chapter master; as long as the Rhino wasn't destroyed/exploded, it would be close enough to contest the objective. Rhino #2's tac squad would get up and rapid fire the Terminators (because I'd bet he would've gone for their Rhino), then advance on the center objective as well.
All in all, I did pretty damn well. I lost my Predator, two plasma cannon Devastators, and three Marines; in exchange I took out two Terminators, five Marines, a Venerable Dreadnought, and both HQ units each had a wound on them. Given another turn, I was in a very good position to start taking out additional units and at least contesting, if not capturing, the center objective.
Nezerians:
Captain - Artificer armor, relic blade
Tactical Squad (2 of 10 ea) - 1 flamer, Rhino with extra armor, dozer blade, storm bolters
Devastator Squad (5) - 3 plasma cannons, 1 lascannon
Predator - extra armor, twin-linked lascannon, sponson lascannons
Brother Chapter:
Chapter Master
Tactical Squad (5) - flamer
Tactical Squad (10) - grenade launcher, flamer
Venerable Dreadnought - drop pod
Terminator Librarian
Terminator Squad (5)
Mission: Capture and Control
Deployment: Dawn of War
I won initiative, chose to go second. Failed to seize initiative ... whoopty-doo.
Deployed both Rhinos near the objective on my side of the board near the left edge. ('His' objective was diametrically opposite 'mine', with a third dead center.)
He deploys the two tac squads and the chapter master. His first turn, no shooting because he can't -see- anything.
My turn one I bring everything else in because I didn't declare anything going into actual reserves. The devastators and captain beeline for some ruins on the other side of the board of 'my' objective, and the Predator rolls onto the center of the table.
The Predator, possessed of more lascannons than you can shake a stick at, proceeds to perforate the venerable dreadnought with three Str 9 AP 2 hits. Basically, the V'Dread takes three steps out of its drop pod, goes 'Huh, nice place' ... and EXPLODES. Blast goes 6" and takes out one of the 5-squad of tac marines that the Chapter Master is in, which is sitting on the center objective.
His turn two, some stuff happens. Nothing special.
My turn two, I pile into the ground floor of the ruins with the devsquad and chapter master; the sergeant and master take potshots at the five-squad that split off 'his' objective. Rhino #2 stays in cover, going around the far side of 'my' objective. Five of Tac Squad #1 pile back into Rhino #1 which goes the other way toward the center objective, popping smoke for a cover save.
His turn three, his terminator squad and librarian deep-strike in near 'my' objective. I think he should have gone for the objective to take out the 5-squad remaining; instead he headed for my Predator, which was trying and failing due to bad dice rolls to take out the drop pod.
Dropping turn counts at this point because I don't really remember specifics after this.
Rhino #2 takes a circuitous route around 'my' objective and heads for the center objective; all ten pile out and begin rapid-firing on his center five-squad, which is under cover and makes all saves. His five-squad on 'his' objective fires a grenade launcher and my squad BOXCARS their leadership test in turn four, so they go to ground and end up staying there.
His Terminators finally take out the Predator, which explodes and takes out a Terminator. The Librarian Gates over to Rhino #2 with the remaining three Terminators (the five-squad on 'my' objective rapid-fired one more to death).
Rhino #2 promptly guns it and tries to tank shock the Terminator squad; he makes godly rolls to Death or Glory and stops it. Boooo. He did -not- destroy it, though.
Rhino #1 makes for the center objective, the five-squad popping out right next to the drop pod to rapid fire his 5-squad and taking out one.
The Devastators at first concentrate their fire on the split five-squad which begins advancing out of cover. For once my plasma dice did not like me and I got bad scatter results and one failed Gets Hot! armor save; four of his squad were still alive at game end and wouldn't have been able to get into assault range even in turn 7 (not that they really would've wanted to) so the Devsquad started firing into the center objective units.
The five-squad from Rhino #1 advances toward the center objective and in turn five initiate an assault. They end up losing combat by one, I BOXCAR my leadership test, and lose a second model when they catch me. I have to move more than 3" from the objective.
We roll to see if the game continues, and it does not.
If I had managed to contest the center objective, the game would have been a draw.
If the game had continued to turn six, Rhino #1 would be in a position to tank shock the center five-squad and chapter master; as long as the Rhino wasn't destroyed/exploded, it would be close enough to contest the objective. Rhino #2's tac squad would get up and rapid fire the Terminators (because I'd bet he would've gone for their Rhino), then advance on the center objective as well.
All in all, I did pretty damn well. I lost my Predator, two plasma cannon Devastators, and three Marines; in exchange I took out two Terminators, five Marines, a Venerable Dreadnought, and both HQ units each had a wound on them. Given another turn, I was in a very good position to start taking out additional units and at least contesting, if not capturing, the center objective.