20081217

2k8/12/17: Preservation of Captain Valiant!

Just months into the Kingbreakers Space Marines' campaign to reclaim the Lechten System from the Legio Apex Chaos Marines, the conflict has spread to every planet in the region. Strike craft on both sides flit back and forth as Chaos and Imperials both try to shore up breaking defenses and pour on offensive firepower at critical moments.

On the star's second planet, Lohotep, the battle rages on for control of the gargantuan Temple of Sands. Finally the tide swings in favor of the Apex cult when Lord Typhus himself arrives, smashing through the defenses and rushing headlong into the labyrinthine temple. Unwilling to concede whatever the dread lord has come to retrieve, Kingbreakers Chapter Master Liacouras dives into the catacombs in hot pursuit. As First Company heels to follow, the drive unit of Captain Valiant's Dreadnought is shorn to pieces by a chance lascannon hit from a corrupted Predator suddenly arrived on the horizon! Unwilling to forgo either Typhus or brother Valiant, Liacouras orders Captain Angholan and Third Company to immediately drop from orbit and defend the crippled Captain Valiant until evac can be arranged.

Hitting the ground first, deep in enemy held ground, Sergeant Hapless' Scouts broadcast an unexpected find. A lone Nurgling has been spotted not far from Captain Valiant---a personal familiar of the plague spawn Typhus, left behind in the confusion of battle! Hate rising up as the familiar cold heat inside him, Angholan makes the call and issues adjusted orders: Defend Captain Valiant. Take the beast man's plaything. As the blackest forces of Chaos swarm all around the Kingbreakers, only the Warp knows if this conceit of pride will overstep their abilities today...

Rules

Fifteen hundred points, standard force organization and normal rules. Matt fielded 1507 points of Apex Marines and won first deployment/move. Joe fielded 1517 points of Space Marines. The board was on the smaller side, about 4'x'4, with almost two thirds covered in terrain featuring some rock and ruin walls as well as Difficult and even Dangerous terrain. A Nurgling with a banner (a wound marker for Matt's Typhus model) was used as the Apex objective, and a (disabled) Dreadnought as the Kingbreakers objective. Deployment was done along table edges.

Battle!

Deployment

Rushing from the flanks of the larger assault to exploit Typhus' breakthrough, Kar'Eth snarled as he saw drop pods and flyers deploying reinforcements for the corpse god. Diverting their column, his company of Apex marines quickly spread out to form a highly mobilized battle line of Plague Marines embarked on Rhinos, a Predator, and even a berzerking Heavy Support Dreadnought. Opening the throttle on his bike to full bore, Kar'Eth growled even deeper as he saw one of Typhus' idiot Nurglings taunting the drop pods, blithely unaware of the new danger the flaming meteors carried within. Deftly grabbing the bouncing Nurgling without letting up the throttle at all, Kar'Eth tossed the squealing ball of fat and puss into a safer position without letting up on the throttle at all. Cursed the new arrivals for causing him to miss the slaughter and prizes sure to be found within the temple, Kar'Eth vaulted ahead of his men as he gunned his turbochargers.

Scanning the horizon while his men set up an early perimeter, Captain Angholan surveyed the hills all around. Watching the oncoming Apex vehicles while calculating vectors and probabilities, Angholan stood silently brooding for a moment then began issuing orders at a rapid clip. Surrounding Captain Valiant Angholan placed a dense cluster of Tactical Squads Scolirus and Segundus---the best protection available on all the Imperium. Devastator 1 set up position just aside the Tac squads, taking a commanding view of the battlefield. Overhead, Landspeeder 1 skimmed marginally over the hill tops as it blasted past to right flank the enemy and strafe its vehicles from the side as a combat squad of Terminator 1 dropped down onto the plains and start moving forward to engage the surviving vehicles head-on.

Meanwhile, Angholan dispatched his most elite units to capture or kill the Nurgling, still visibly capering and jeering at the Marines. After a quick conference, Sergeant Harbinger and Brevet Sergeant Bolingen rushed their Sternguard and Terminators into action, double-timing to catch the Nurgling in a sweeping left flank.

Turn 1

Both sides knew instantly when the battle had truly been joined, as a blazing, momentary starburst lit up the sky---Landspeeder 1 erupting into flames as it was clipped by a well timed lascannon shot from the corrupted Dreadnought it was rushing to engage. Near simultaneously, a second fireball at ground level shook the ground throughout the region. Moving at reckless speed well in advance of his troops, Kar'Eth braced himself as he launched off a small rise in the landscape, aiming to come down directly amidst the wretched Imperials. Instead he was met with a wall of bolter shells as Sternguard 1 paused momentarily in its headlong rush to catch the lord unawares in a crossfire with the nearby Terminator combat squad. Kar'Eth's bike was instantly ignited with a massive crack by rending assault cannon fire as the lord himself was thrown dozens of meters from the explosion, armor and flesh boiling with acid from the Marines' venom bolts. Popping smoke launchers for cover on the open plain and over-revving their engine to follow his charge, Kar'Eths supporting Plague Marine troops arrive too late in their Rhino to do little but avoid annihilation themselves.

Turn 2

Shocked by the instant incapacitation of its leader, the Chaos Dreadnought temporarily lost its senses and rushed to defend his broken body, bloodlust overcoming its every thought. Similarly stripped of their momentum by the loss, two Plague Marine units immediately set a defensive line and dug in to protect the Nurgling, belatedly a clear target of the insipid Loyalists. Finally realizing its danger, the bleating Nurgling despaired upon its dark lords for yet more protection. Its shrieking cries heard, one of the Plague Marines suddenly burst into fleshy pulp, a Greater Demon emerging from the Warp Portal suddenly erupting in its chest.

From their vantage point, Sergeant Hapless' scouts see the Demon appear. Struggling against their revulsion at the sight, the scouts run breathlessly through the scrub and loose sand to meet the advancing Sternguard and Terminators to warn of the horror awaiting them. Regaining comms contact and delivering the message, the scouts proceed without pause to scramble into the nearby ruins and hills to search for a hiding place to bide their time until an opportunity to capture the Nurgling presented itself. Forewarned of the danger lurking ahead, Harbinger and Bolingen instantly reconfigure their formation on the run, repositioning each to best cover the other for the brawl to come with the Demon.

Meanwhile, its smoke screen having drifted away, Terminator 1b avails itself of the opportunity to full-on side strafe the traitors' advancing Rhino. Assault cannon shells rip through the vehicle and crew, igniting the fuel stores within and cracking its armored frame into pieces. Stunned by the fireball engulfing them, the Plague Marines entombed within are unable to find cover before also being obliterated by a cloud of plasma cannon, heavy bolter, and missile fire from Jericho's Devastator Squad. Howling in rage, the unit's Aspiring Champion shambles through the wreckage, deaf and blind from the blast. Unseeing and tripping over the burning corpses, the warrior is stopped short by the unmistakable feel of adamantium pressed against his skeletal forehead. Smile unseen within his champion's helmet, Captain Angholan relishes the moment for just the briefest of pauses before pulling the trigger and executing the traitor with his plasma pistol.

Turn 3

Undetected, high above the clouds, a unit of Chaos Raptors braces in their flyer as they craft approaches the battle field. Slinging the doors open, their Aspiring Champion laughs in a bloody, thirsty gurgle as he dives out of the craft toward the slaughter below. Hurtling toward the ground at unbelievable speed, the unit executes a perfect Deep Strike, flipping and full throttling their jump packs at the last possible moment, converting sure death into a perfect landing square in the middle of the ruins surrounding the disabled coffin-walker of Captain Valiant.

Immediately sensing the danger and left slightly out of position after the brief tangle with the mobilized Plague Marines, Angholan orders all his defensive units back to the now-silent Captain Valiant at double pace. Frenzied by the misstep and guilt-wracked at leaving their dying, ancient brother marine alone to his fate, Sergeant Scolirus and Angholan lead Tactical 1 and Terminator 1b charging onto the plateau, unloading ammunition at an unbelievable rate into the Raptors. Their shots go largely without effect however, their aim disrupted by the brisk effort of hauling up the steep inclines. Afraid the Raptors will jump away only to assault again from a new direction, Tactical 2 steps out of its hiding place just outside the ruins and assaults the Raptors. The charge quickly comes to a gruesome stalemate as Tactical 2 dances with the Raptors, outmatched but desperately purchasing time until the other units can arrive and finish the deed.

Meanwhile, Sergeant Jericho finally scores a hit on the Predator that has been plaguing Devastator 1 throughout the battle. What few men are left in the squad cheer briefly as they see the weighty tank jump slightly then crash back to the ground, lifted by the plasma bubble bursting underneath its chassis, tracks blowing out to the sides. Their celebration is short lived however as they reposition in cover to retarget the immobilized but still lethal weapon.

On the other side of the battlefield, close combat of the deadliest kind is enjoined by both sides. Apex Plague Marines, wary of the scout advance, go crashing through the ruins and scrub. Heedless of legs and arms broken in charging through the treacherous terrain, the heathen troops rampage into the scouts, gnashing and tearing by blade and tooth. Simultaneously, the Greater Demon rounds the ruins protecting the scouts' flanks, and units with the Plague Marines. Overcome by the ferocity of the assault, the scouts are annihilated. Only Sergeant Hapless survives, cut and torn beyond recognition, scrambling for cover through the undergrowth.

Tracking the heathen scum, Sergeant Harbinger rallied his Sternguard up the steep slopes and scrub to the edge of the ruins, unleashing their wrath into the Plague Marines. Employing long years of training, Terminator 1 carefully but brutally charged within their own fire lane, locking the Greater Demon in hand to hand combat and simultaneously wiping out the few traitor marines still standing after the Sternguard's fusillade.

Turn 4

For moments that stretched to eternity, Brevet Sergeant Bolingen swung and parried with the Warp spawn. The air burned with acrid, foul smoke as his Power Sword stove against the beast's demon blade. Finally it was too much and Bolingen's ancient blade broke in two, the Demon taking the opening to bite deep into his shoulder. Screaming in pain and fury, Bolingen was saved from certain death only by the sudden giving-way of the ground beneath him, the hillside crumbling away from the fury of the combat. Steadying themselves in the shifting landscape, the remnants of Terminator 1 responded immediately as Sergeant Harbinger snapped orders over the intercom. Dropping to the ground instantly, the adamantium casing of their Terminator armor was just grazed by volley after volley of Hellfire from the Sternguard, directed squarely into the jiggling gut of the monstrous Greater Demon. Its pestilence-ridden body eating itself in the venom delivered by the marines' shells, the hideous thing's head bellowed impotently as its corporeal form disintegrated beneath it.

The Sternguard's triumph was short lived however as they collected themselves in the midst of their fallen scout and Terminator brothers. Worse, the stomping Chaos dreadnought across the battlefield managed to land a long distance lascannon shot on Sergeant Hapless. At the same time, Tactical 2 finally gave way in its losing battle with the Deep Striking Raptors, with every man dead or critically wounded. Their gambit paid off, however, as they had bought just enough time for Tactical 1 and Terminator 1b to return to the plateau. Storm bolters and plasma pistol raging as they dashed breathlessly to renew the assault, the Terminators and Angholan quickly avenged Tactical 2.

Dangerously firing just past the assaulting troops, Devastator 1 finally gets off a shot at the Chaos Dreadnought. The machine-man is destroyed immediately by Jericho's plasma cannon fire upon stepping into his line of sight. but the enemy Predator simultaneously manages to tag Primus and his missile launcher with its lascannon!

Turn 5

Rapidly firing again, ignoring heat safety warnings, the Predator immediately retargets and manages a glancing hit on Jericho's Power Armor before he can return to cover, finally completing a long day's work and incapacitating the entirety of Devastator 1. Tactical 1 and Terminator 1b quickly move to secure the perimeter and pull their wounded brother marines into cover. Angholan, meanwhile, does his best to tend to Captain Valiant while vectoring the evac craft into the site.

Despite all visible threats to Captain Valiant being eliminated and the Kingbreakers' primary mission accomplished, the battle to capture Typhus' Nurgling raged on unabated! With both the Sternguard and remaining Terminators regrouping, the defending Plague Marines attempt a last ditch effort to halt their advance---the Rhino they've been using for cover suddenly springs into life, flinging sand in every direction by its tracks tearing into the ground as it spins to face the advancing Loyalists, then overdrives directly into a frontal tank shock! Caught unawares by the unexpected tactic, the Sternguard barely manage to vault out of the way. One particularly quick-reacting marine manages to plant a krak grenade on the vehicle as it hurls by, losing only a finger in the process, but the grenade is ill-placed and has little effect on the crazed crew inside. Eye scopes narrowing as they focus on the dust cloud driving toward them at incalculable speed, the able-bodied remnants of Terminator 1 plant their heavy shock boots into the ground, determined to stand their ground. Charging their powerfists as the tank sped forward, the Terminators landed their blow at precisely the right moment. Powerfists slamming into its front hull, the tank stopped dead in its tracks, flipping up on end with momentum and exploding in mid-air.

Shaking off the blast, the Sternguard instantly seize the moment and charge into the unprepared line of Plague Marines providing the last line of defense for the Nurgling. Despite their momentarily lapse, the Plague Marines regained their composure near instantaneously, chainswords whirring to life as they grappled with the Imperial elites. The struggle was think and furious, with little give on either side.

Kicking a just-dispatched traitor off his chainsword and breaking free of the brawl for a moment, Sergeant Harbinger watched the evac craft appearing on the horizon. Eager to join the main battle beginning deep in the temple's underground chambers and watching the assault rapidly develop into a grinding stalemate, Harbinger took decisive action. Fending off an approaching Plague Marine with his chainsword, the sergeant seamlessly switched his bolt pistol for his combat blade. Flipping it up and catching it by the tip, he hurled it through a slight gap in the melee in front of him.

The Nurgling, previously leering at the Space Marines and poking at them with its short blade, suddenly choked and looked down. Its stubby, deformed claws trembled as they pawed at the still-vibrating combat blade buried to the hilt in the Nurgling's gaseous, deflating belly, pinning it to the Chaos banner behind. Harbinger slashed deep into the Plague Marine nearest him with his chainsword, then began directing a fighting withdrawal and quick transition back to the Kingbreaker's drop craft. He smiled grimly, without feeling, as he reflected that, whatever the outcome of the battle below, Lord Typhus would be none too pleased to learn of this later...

Results

JOE: Kingbreakers victory! The loyalists successfully defended Capt Valiant and contested Typhus' Nurgling. After the second turn, things seemed grim for the Apex Marines by casualties, but they were still well placed to defend their objective and threaten the Kingbreakers' objective. If Tactical 1 had been a bit farther out when the Raptors dropped in, it may not have been able to get back to Capt Valiant in time to hold the objective in the endgame after the death of Tactical 2. Similarly, the Sternguard just barely managed to squeak in and contest the enemy objective. A half inch less movement earlier in the game, or a failed Death or Glory attack against the Tank Shock and they would not have made it.

MATT: Great game Joe. Well played and you deserved the win. About time too, we have been getting draws for way too long. I agree on your points above. We each made the best or suffered the worst from our deployments. It was you superior ability to organize that won the day since I missed some critical moves.

Unit Dispositions

Kingbreakers

Unit	Status
Capt Angholan	Full health
Terminator 1	60% dead to Greater Demon
Terminator 1b	Full health
Sternguard	10% dead to Plague Marines
Tactical 1	20% dead to Plague Marines
Tactical 2	Eliminated by Raptors
Scout 1	Eliminated by Plague Marines, Greater Demon
Landspeeder 1	Eliminated by Dreadnought
Devastator 1	Eliminated by Predator

Apex Marines

Unit	Status
Biker Lord	Eliminated by Sternguard
Greater Demon	Eliminated by Sternguard, Terminator 1
Dreadnought	Eliminated by Devastators
Plague Marines	10% dead by Sternguard
Plague Marines	Eliminated by Terminator 1, Sternguard
Plague Marines	Eliminated by Devastators, Tactical 1
Rhino 1	Eliminated by Terminator 1b
Rhino 2	Eliminated by Terminator 1
Raptors	Eliminated by Tactical 1, Terminator 1b, Angholan
Predator	Immobilized by Devastator 1

Lessons

Sternguard

JOE: Sternguard are probably the most versatile unit in the Space Marine army. They can hold their own in close combat, and their ranged attacks are devastating. This is what Space Marines are supposed to be like---rare, badass units totally outnumbered but fighting strong! Between their different ammunition types they have almost everything they need to "specialize" in fighting hordes (Dragonfire), well armored infantry (Kraken and Vengeance), and monsters and bio units (Hellfire).

On the flip side, Sternguard are just infantry and only have one wound each. They don't want to go toe-to-toe with a dedicated close-combat unit like the Greater Demon, nor endure fire from anti-infantry weapons, particularly strong blasts such as plasma cannons. They should be maneuvered carefully to ensure they can shoot without exposing such an expensive unit to these threats.

That being said, among his other traits, Pedro Kantor's ability to make Sternguard count as scoring units is extremely powerful, and clearly one of the reasons for his popularity.

MATT:The Nurgle Biker lord cannot go out on his own. I knew this but dared fate to show me how bad it could be and fate delivered my biker lord to oblivion via blessed Imperial fire. The biker lord of Nurgle is inherently VERY resilient: T6, 4 wounds, Manreaper Daemon Weapon and 3+ inv save via turbo boost. Still, he can be autokilled, which I gambled on, figuring the 3+inv save/multi wounds would save him from almost anything. Point here is I sent him out to disrupt the enemy line to no effect; if he actually met a unit and locked it into combat, blocking LOS, then it was worth it. He is built to get stuck in and hang there until a rhino and unit can catch up to his CC. Next time I’ll keep him back a turn or two and only launch him forward if I have lesser daemons that can come into play by being summoned from his personal icon. Lesson learned: Sternguard are no joke, you will fail a lot of saves from all of those 2+ wounds and an assault cannon batting cleanup means Nurgle posts an open Lord position to Nurgle HR the next day.

Objective Defense

JOE: Positioning around objectives is a careful game. Defenders should be far enough away that they can screen attackers away from the objective and keep them at distance as long as possible. If Matt's Plague Marines had been standing another inch from the objective, the Sternguard would not have reached it on the last turn (though the Plague Marines would have then been much more exposed to shooting from the Sternguard given the local terrain and blocking Rhino).

MATT: True in hindsight. In my mind though I figured the Sternguard would just run around me the farther down from the defile chokepoint I moved. I figured where I was could be the "sweet spot" of catching you at maximum movement and still clumping your guys up. If you tried to run past me then I could charge you. Hell, Defenders React might even pull you away from the objective again. Joe, this sets up a good point for you to make...

JOE: Opposite of my point above, defenders need to be able to get back to the objective fast and maintain their own hold on it. This was originally Tactical 2's job, but when they were wiped out Tac 1 had to rush back. If they'd been a bit farther out when the Raptors dropped in, unexpectedly acing a difficult drop, the Imperial would not have been able to get back in time. Even if the Raptors had been cleared out by the end and didn't contest Captain Valiant, Joe would no longer have held his own objective...

MATT: Nurgle Predator! The predator did its job defending the objective in a way: focus on one thing until destroyed and hold the flank. I'm always outnumbered. The Dred on that side is never somthing to count on. Dred performance is gravy for the plan when you season in Fire Frenzy or Blood Rage. Granted, the Devastator target was static and traded shots all game but it still was impressive in the beating the Predator took while still killing a full Devastator squad and guarding a whole flank almost on its own. Given how the Kingbreakers approached my objective from the other flank, the Pred should’ve redeployed to cover the objective better at one point but as it happened, it was immobilized by the time that move would’ve been critical and its position did help the Raptors with cover fire. I like the TL LC and 2xHB combo. Nice to autokill a marine every turn. That plus HB’s can really force a break test almost every turn against most races and make Marines weigh their occupation carefully. Point here is for the odds against it the tank held ground nicely with a great threat range. It made its points I think.

Raptors. They actually did an excellent job as a real threat but that came down to luck because they stuck their Deep Strike into terrain. Knowing what I know now, I’d spend the points on a pair of Lightning Claws for the asp champ. They will always be outnumbered and they will most likely get charged since they will frequently claim/contest objectives if their primary objective of killing armor is complete/not needed, like this game.) They need to drop bodies in melee to last a bit longer to be as reliable as one would need since they are a small unit and prone to wipe out against the average 40K player. Lightning Claws would force multiply here.

Combat Tactics and Support

JOE: The Marines' new ability to drop from combat (Combat Tactics, combined with And They Shall Know No Fear) is awesome. This is what enabled the Terminators to leave a losing combat with the Greater Demon and let the Sternguard pummel him with Hellfire. The Terminators are particularly good at this, as their saves mean they're unlikely to suffer much from the No Retreat rule that applies if they're caught in a Sweeping Advance as a result of leaving the combat.

This also makes it even more beneficial and critical than it was before for Marines to team up units, making sure that everyone is covered by someone as best as possible. Careful coordination of fire and assaults has huge effects, and can really save a unit when they come into trouble (e.g., Sternguard saving the Terminators), as well as make their going easier (Devastators wiping out the disembarking Plague Marines before Tac 1 would have assaulted). It's important to have a unit standing by to shoot an enemy after a friendly leaves combat with it, as well as to shoot up enemy units with multiple units before assaulting it with one or more of the friendlies. A notable sidepoint here is to shoot first with the units most likely to eliminate a unit, so that other units are free to target elsewhere if the results are particularly successful, especially since they might no longer have to assault a unit if it's unexpectedly destroyed by shooting!

MATT: Tac-tics? What is this word? I'll see if I can get some tactics next game. When I do I'll stop bringing the Greater Daemon.

Devastators

JOE: This Devastator loadout worked really in this game, even if you factor in some uncharacteristically lucky scatter rolls:

• Sergeant (his signum is what really matters)
• Missile launcher
• Heavy bolter
• Two plasma cannons
• Two marines w/ bolters

Two missile launchers and one plasma cannon would probably also be good, and necessary if facing heavier armor such as Land Raiders or Monoliths. Obviously the two bolters should be removed first, then probably the heavy bolter, the sergeant, a plasma cannon, then either the plasma cannon or missile launcher depending on what they're fighting.

Mobility

JOE: Fifth Edition's Run ability makes transports somewhat less critical, however they're still important. In particular, they may be necessary to have a chance at getting troops to remote objectives in time. They're also of course useful as mobile terrain, blocking lines of fire as well as choking up passageways.

MATT: I have three squads of really tough Plague Marines and stand guilty of spreading them out too much. My initial plan, forgotten at deployment, was to charge the entire army(yes, all of it) to his objective and overwhelm it/claim it with Rhino Rush and Running. This would hopefully do 3 things: 1. Contest/Claim the objective by surprise. 2. Destroy too much of his army for him to recover. 3. Allow me to consolidate and send a task force out to contest my own objective back via Rhino borne Plague Marines at the end. Generally I am faster than Joe’s army and should strive to capitalize on that speed.

Don’t know if that would work but it seemed better to attack in force and save the asset of Plague Marine resilience for the final push instead of absorbing punishment all game with no action that could win objectives in return. Looking back, that seemed smarter than what I did despite Joe's good upcoming points about terrain choke points.

Notes

JOE: The smaller table dimensions and large amount of terrain worked really well for this size game. Shorter table edges meant the combat started straight away, and little time was spent just heading toward the bad guys or objectives. That freed up time for a lot of maneuver to work around the terrain, which all in all had great strategic and cinematic impact. Fire and movement lanes were just open enough for vehicles and heavy support to matter, but just constricted enough for maneuver to matter. All the Difficult Terrain also made for some interesting movement and assault choices and risks. The Plague Marines' assault on the scouts through the Dangerous terrain of the ruins and surrounding slopes and scrub was also awesome for the cinematic feel of these guys rushing through these terrible ruins to get at the scouts at all costs.

MATT: I need to embrace the Plague Marines for what they are: close firefight specialists. I need to max out with 2 plasma rifles in each squad and use them. Dealing out and weathering fire is what they do best. They need to win games that way.