Hello there!
My latest game was between my Astra Militarum Moonstrider's Company, which is led by Company Commander Vauban (props to anyone who knows where that name came from) and Ewan's Blood Angels led by Brother- Captain Aurelius (who is exceptionally well painted).
This was the first time Vauban's command would be tested against the famed Astates' mettle, and it turned into a bloodbath.
Firstly however, allow me to humour you with my army list:
HQ
Vauban's Company Command Squad w/ Astropath + Vox- Caster + Flamer
Troops
Colonel Lucious' Platoon
Colonel Lucious' Platoon Command Squad w/ Vox- Caster + Flamer
Infantry Squad w/ Flamer + Vox Caster + Commissar
Infantry Squad w/ Flamer
Heavy Weapons Team w/ Autocannons
Colonel Reiss' Platoon
Colonel Reiss' Platoon Command Squad w/ Vox- Caster + Flamer
Infantry Squad w/ Vox-Caster + Flamer
Infantry Squad w/ Flamer
Heavy Weapons Team w/ Autocannons
Dedicated Transports
Chimera
Chimera w/ Hull- Mounted Heavy Flamer + Turret Mounted Heavy Flamer
Heavy Support
Leman Russ Battle Tank
Leman Russ Battle Tank
1000 points
So without further lagging, to battle!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++The Battlefield (sorry, I didn't take many pictures):
To the right of the table centre was a series of ruined buildings blocking line of sight. The left was a densely- packed crater field. The centre of the table was an open field.
My side of the ruined Imperial City was sparsely built upon, it has two hills upon either flank and a central 1-story building, with a crater upon its right side.
The opposite side of the table held a high central hill with a small building to the right, and a little in front a ruined wall.
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Mission and Deployment:
I deployed first and parked Leman Russ' on either flank on the hill tops, as close to the table- edge as possible. My Flamer- Chimera housing an infantry squad sat alongside my left- most Russ. The autocannon crews sat in the central building to gain cover, and slightly to the right in a crater.
The 20- man blob squad under Colonel Lucious deployed as far forwards as possible, in the open centre. meanwhile my Command Chimera with Commander Vauban sat to the left of the blob- squad, and Lucious marched behind it.
Colonel Reiss and the final Infantry Squad deployed on the right flank, determined to face any foe who came their way.
Ewan deployed second and placed his Baal Predator, Death Company with Chaplain and Dreadnaught on my right flank, along with a combat squad with a power fist. To the Centre he placed a combat squad with missile- launcher, and on the far left another combat squad with a Fizzy- Pop Gun (Meltaguns, for safety reasons, must never be called melaguns).
Finally he held his Warlord and a squad of Assault Marines in deep-strike.
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Turn One:
Ewan kicked off proceedings by rolling to seize the initiative. I was unconcerned until the six dots faced upright and terrified me to my core.
He move up his left flank (my right) so that the death company were behind the Baal, and the dreadnought and combat squad were in cover. The other two remaining combat squads on the left and centre moved into cover too. The missile launcher fire a snap-shot at my left Russ but thankfully missed, as well as the Baal Predator being out of range with its flamer- cannon thingy (I don't know what they are called).
On my turn one I engaged with full force. The Company Commander moved over to the autocannons and the blob squad moved up and spread out wide. The Russ on the left moved forwards a little to gain sight of the Baal, and Reiss' infantry contingent on the right moved to sight the death company. The flamer chimera charged forwards a full 12" on the left.Then the firing began.
Vauban firstly ordered the two autocannons to 'Bring It Down!' and 'Fire on my Target!'. The autocannons aimed at the Baal Predator and fired salvo after salvo of high- calibre rounds, knocking off a single disappointing hull-point.
The right Russ fired at the central combat squad and killed the missile launcher, while the left Russ scattered off target.
Reiss had a bit more success. He ordered the right Infantry squad to 'Rank, Fire!' into the Death Company, causing five wounds and two lacerated Space Marine bodies falling.
With no assault to speak of, I passed my turn back to the Blood Angels, praying for a soft turn two.
Turn Two:
The central combat squad hopped out of cover and into the open to face the 20 guardsmen blob, and the left combat squad moved forwards out of cover. Thankfully the Assault Squad remained in deep-strike.
In the shooting phase the Baal Predator incinerated three guardsmen from the blob, while the central squad took pot shots and felled a single man. The Death Company and left combat squad chewed through the Infantry Squad, leaving five alive.
(Finally an actual picture of the battle, yay!)
Finally in the assault phase the Death Company mulched through the remaining Infantry Squad and left none alive (sadly unsurprising) and quickly moved forwards to come face- to- face with Colonel Reiss, who promptly wee'd a little when faced with the leering mask of the Chaplain and the rage of the Death Company.
On my turn I advanced the blob further towards the relic, and sped the flamer- chimera forwards into a crater, passing the dangerous terrain test. Reiss prepared to die for the Emperor and formed a cordon around the Death Company in a ditch effort to stop them from advancing further.
The Command Chimera shuffled backwards a little ways to get a clear shot at the Death Company, and the left Russ shifted its gaze towards the Dreadnought.
For shooting Commander Vauban ordered the autocannons to 'Bring it Down!' and 'Fire on my Target!' at the Baal predator. Sure enough, with no cover and side armour 11 (or was it 12?) the mighty infernal beast became a wreck metres away from its juicy target.
The blob squad ran towards the relic and grabbed it, and the Command Chimera fired at the Death Company, but to no avail. The right Russ fired at the left combat squad but missed.
Reiss ordered his men to 'Rank, Fire!' at the Death Co. but to no avail.
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Turn Three:
"It was a good life" thought Reiss.
The Death Co. jumped over Reiss' Platoon Command and into the cover hiding the right Russ. Reiss took a moment to catch his heart which was beating out of his chest when the dreadnought stomped around the corner.
"I will Purge the Unclean" spoke the ancient machine, weapons spinning up.
The right combat squad moved towards the wrecked Baal predator and the left combat squad immobilised the flamer chimera. The central combat squad mowed down more guardsmen from the central squad. The dreadnought slaughtered the five men standing in front if it, Reiss rooted to the spot unable to comprehend the horrors of what he was seeing. The Death Company assaulted the right Russ and completely wrecked it (I cringed, the thing had cost so much and done hardly anything).
In my turn the Infantry in the flamer chimera disembarked and advanced upon the left combat- squad. The blob- squad grabbed the relic and fired at the central combat squad, reducing it to one man. The autocannons were ordered to fire at the dreadnought by Vauban, and felled it in one round, knocking all three hull-points off.
Pie plates fired from the Russ at the right combat squad to only superficial damage.
The flamer- chimera flamed one astates to death while the infantry squad failed to cause any damage.
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Turn Four:
Aurelius came screaming down on winds of fire with his hand-picked angels of death. They landed next to the downed Baal, while the Death Co. advanced towards the autocannons. The right combat squad tucked in behind the Baal and the left combat squad bore down on the inferior infantry presented to them from the flamer- chimera.
Aurelius and the right squad shot at Lucious' Platoon Command and forced them to dive for cover (go to ground), however the squad flamer and Lucious were still critically wounded as bolt- shells tore ligaments and limbs from their bodies. Lucious died after the battle finished.
"The fallen shall be forever remembered, as the Emperor's finest"
Meanwhile on the left flank the Infantry squad was crushed by the combat squad, and run down. The Marines then chose to go after the remaining Russ rather than waste time of the critically wounded Chimera. To close off the slaughter the Death Co. fully committed to wiping the autocannons from the planet, instantly pulling men away from their weapons and breaking them over knees. None survived.
In my turn the Command Chimera sped towards the centre of the table, leaving the autocannons to their doom. The Russ backed away from the approaching Fizzy-Pop Gun, and the blob sized up Aurelius, throwing nervous glances at the Commissar for courage.
Shooting- wise the battle cannon fired at Aurelius and scored a direct hit. The blast wiped out four of the six assault marines, the gunner smiling smugly to himself.
The autocannons turned on the Death Co. and caused a wound on the Chaplain, however their doom was still nigh. Vauban ordered Platoon- Commander Lucious' squad to 'Get Back in the Fight!', forcing them out of the tiny foxholes they had dug for themselves.
the blob fired and felled another Assault Marine, who took the wound for Aurelius. The flamer- chimera turned its turret around to fry another power-armoured warrior from the inside. Now only the Fizzy Pop Gun was left.
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Turn Five:
Aurelius was mad now. he charged towards the blob squad, las-rounds lighting his resplendent artificer armour with a fierce red splash. The Fizzy Pop Gun advanced towards the Russ and fired, but missed. The Death Co. got as close as possible to the terrified autocannons, and the right squad moved about terrain to get to grips with the Command Chimera.
The last remaining Assault Marine shot into the blob and felled a guardsman, while Aurelius with no ranged weapons, having replaced them with a set of Lightening Claws, smashed his fists together, prophesying the destruction to come. When the charge hit home, Aurelius missed all but one of his attacks against the guardsmen, and felled his gracefully, who in return did no damage. The blob stayed in place due to a well- placed bolt round fired by the Commissar.
The Death Co. slayed the last autocannon's and looked on at the last few remaining guardsmen with glee
In the Imperial Guard's turn, the Company Command Squad disembarked and looked straight at the Death Co. coming for them. Lucious' remaining Platoon Command squad went after the surviving Fizzy Pop Gun, but did no damage to the back of the marine. The Russ fired at the combat squad and missed again, the winds scattering off the massive cannons' shell. Vauban's Command Squad took aim and fired expertly into the Death Company, aiming for eye- sockets and vulnerable joints. Two of the enraged marines fell screaming to the floor, attempting to deny death through sheer willpower.
The Astropath looked into the warp for the powers to make the unit Invisible, but too late he realised that the warp was staring right back at him...
Soon enough the psyker was being dragged through the material realm, reality bending around him as demons laughed and crushed his tiny mind. His soul vanished to a great clawed hand, however his sacrifice was not in vain, as the last vestiges of his power cloaked the Command Squad for a time.
In the wholesale slaughter of the blob squad by Aurelius, a handful of guardsmen barely escaped with their lives. The strikes back proved fruitful however, as Aurelius' last companion fell to a full bayonet charge by the last desperate few humans remaining.
Ewan rolled to see if the game continued, and so the God- Emperor willed the bloodshed to go on.
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Turn Six:
The Blood Angels moved in to threatening positions. The Fizzy Pop Gun moved in close to the final Russ, the Chaplain on one wound hovered in front of Vauban teasingly, and the last remaining combat squad moved into charge range of the Command Chimera.
The Fizzy Pop Gun fired again at the Russ and hit finally, however failed to penetrate or glance the vehicle. The Chaplain shot and missed the Command squad, and the Combat Squad shot at the Chimera's rear armour but failed to cause any damage.
(I love meme's)
Meanwhile in the assault phase the Chaplain assaulted the Company Command Squad, however as he was about to smack Vauban's frail body into the dirt, the squad's flamer, Crisp, engulfed the Chaplain in a roaring cacophony of promethium (Wall of Death) which the Chaplain could not bare to handle in his wounded state. He fell with a great thud, and Vauban saluted the avenged guardsmen who had fallen to the monster space marine, then turned to the task still at hand.
The combat squad with the power fist assaulted and penetrated the Command Chimera, stunning the immobile crew inside who were trying not to breathe for fear of the great enemies hearing them.
Meanwhile Aurelius finished reduced the blob to two men; the Commissar and a Sergeant. Each of them were completely outclassed by the Brother- Captain, yet fought on bravely to their deaths.
(Please note that the commissar is not WYSIWYG)
In my turn the remnants of Lucious' Platoon Command spotted the weak spot in the rear of the Fizzy Pop Gun marines armour, and slayed him gracefully (as gracefully as a man can die to lasers up the butt). The Command Squad moved to engage the remaining Combat Squad and fired, bringing down four of the men within it.
Ewan again rolled to see if the game went on, and so it did, by the Emperor's Will.
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Turn Seven:
Ewan shot his combat squad sergeant at Vauban's Command squad, slaying Crisp with a mass- reactive bolt to the chest. The final remaining man from the central combat squad, who had been all but forgotten about, shot as well, felling the final member of the Command squad other than Vauban.
(Vauban in his Commander's Blue Overcoat)
Vauban was then charged by the final remaining sergeant, who he deftly speared through the abdomen with his chainsword, and Aurelius finished off the Commissar and the Sergeant, claiming the relic for himself.
On the last turn of the game, Vauban moved towards the relic and shot Aurelius with his laspistol, rolling successfully to hit and then to wound. Aurelius rolled his armour save and, too great dismay, rolled a 1.
Instant celebration and boo's filled the small attic room as Brother- Captain Aurelius fell to the lone las-round to his carapace, falling into a deep comatic state of recovery from his wounds. Vauban grabbed the relic and the game ended on a dramatic note.
With that we shook hands and counted Victory Points.
The Blood Angels had taken First Blood from Colonel Reiss' Infantry Squad for a total of 1 Victory Point.
The Astra Militarum had taken the Relic, plus Slay the Warlord (Aurelius) for a total of 4 victory Points.
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