Warpcon Game 1 - Chaos Space Marines

Bright and early on Saturday I arose, grumbled, and headed out in the rain to play some 40k.

After registering and stumbling into the area formerly known as the UCC canteen I said hello to a few folks and then checked the matchups. Table Number 13, unlucky for some, against Chaos Space Marines.

Pitched Battle deployment
Primary Objective: Seize Ground (3 objectives placed along the center line of the table, 18 inches apart and 18 inches from the short table edge)
Secondary Objective: Capture and Control

The Chaos list looked something like this:

2 Deamon Princes with Lash and wings

3 Terminators with Combi Meltas

Land Raider

5 Marines with 1 Melta

Rhino

6 Plague Marines with an Icon, Powerfist and 2 Meltas

Rhino

7 Khorne Berserkers, Icon

3 lots of 3 Obliterators.

I lost the roll off but my opponent, Colin, said I could deploy and take first turn.

I deployed in a corner, protecting my Manticores from as much direct fire as possible, using the Hyrdas as a shield. I sat my Lascannon HWT and the Autocannon Infantry squad on my home objective for the secondary. The Autocannon HWT hid in some ruins anchoring the centre of the battlefield. The two Chimera Vets were on the left, ready to head out and grab some objectives, the other Infantry Squad and PCS ready to head right, and the CCS sat in the middle, ready to counter attack or drop orders wherever they were needed. The Vendettas sat ready to open up on targets in the first turn. Marbo and the Banewolf stayed in Reserve.

My deployment 1

My deployment 2

Colin Deployed with this Deamon princes on each of his flanks, Obliterators in commanding fire positions on Hills. Both Rhinos were poised to ride out and grab objectives and the Berserkers ready to hop in the Land Raider. In reserve the suicide Terminators and another Squad of Oblits.

Chaos deployment

Guard Turn 1. I started with the Chimeras trundling forward and popping smoke, then, shooting! The first Manticore missed, the second, missed. The Hydras Heavy weapon teams and Vendettas opened up on the Obliterators, taking 5 of the 6 down thanks to just sheer amount of saves needed to be made and some poor dice.

Chaos Turn 1. The Rhinos, Land Raider and Princes moved up, 1 squad of marines hopped out onto the secondary objective. The shooting response from Chaos was lacking in available long ranged firepower at this point. The Prince on my right lashed my Lascannon HWT to the back of the board, putting them out of LoS of everything.

Guard Turn 2. The Banewolf decides to turn up early and rolls up behind the Chimeras on the left, the Lascannon HWT tries to get into position to shoot at anything. I shoot, Mantiore one...MISS Manticore two...MISS. The rest of the force opened up with the Hydras and Vendettas popping both Rhinos the remaining obliterator and the Melta gun from the Infantry squad killing the Land Raider, the Khorne berserkers suffer a wound or two, then I charge, yep I charged, all the guardsmen died.

Chaos Turn 2. The Terminators arrived and popped a Chimera, the Berserkers head in to finish another one but don't suceed. The plague Marines move up and kill a Chimera on my left flank, the vets bail out and hide as best they can.

Guard Turn 3. Marbo arrives and appears in the wreck of the Chimera on the left. The Banewolf continues to roll forward up that flank. The PCS head towards the Berserkers, hop out and prime their flamers. Shooting again, the Manticores prime for the 3^rd round of shooting, Missiles away, Manticore 1...Miss number 2...Miss, Bah. The rest of the force opens up, this time the Lascannon HWT is in place, ready to shoot the Deamon prince, Meltas hit the Terminators and 2 go down. The flamers from the PCS open up and toast 1 Berserker, only 2 remain. Marbo grabs his Demo charge and flattens all the plague marines aside from 1, the Autocannons and Vendettas take care of a Deamon prince on the left, the Banewolf helps.

Chaos turn 3. The Berserkers charge the guardsmen, the Deamon prine who is still survives attempts to lash and perils, taking a wound, the Plague marine sergeant kills Marbo, meanie. In assault the doomed guardsmen make some amazing saves and manage to wipe out the squad of Berserkers!

Guard Turn 4. I continue to push up and secure objectives, holding all three Shooting sees the Manticores do nothing, again. I kill off the Deamon prince and remaining terminator as well as the Plague Marine, leaving 1 squad of Chaos marines and the as of yet undeployed Obliterators as a threat.

Chaos turn 4. The Obliterators arrive, deploying near my central line, the fail to make a serious impact with shooting and the Chaos marines hide on the objective.

Guard Turn 5. I melta the Obliterators as hard as I can and they go down, I then proceed to flat out the Vendettas to hopefully get line of sight on the last squad of Chaos marines and finish them off next turn. Everyone else just camps on the primary objectives with victory assured.

Chaos turn 5.  The remaining marines make a desperate move to Melta the closest Vendetta but the 4+ save keeps it alive.

We roll to see if the game ends, and it does. Victory to the Imperial Guard!

Colin, graceful and majestic, even in defeat

Final Result:

Primary Objective: Win 8 - 0

Secondary objective: Draw 3 -3

VPs: 5 - 1

Final score: 16 - 4

One more turn and I would have tabled him, or at least managed 19 – 1 contesting the secondary.

My final positioning, those marines are so dead!

Overall it was great game and I was happy to start on a high.

Tournament results were just posted over on Rankings HQ:

http://www.rankingshq.com/tavern/post.aspx?Id=10990&RoomId=1

It's official, 15th!