My Army:
HQ:
Primaris Psyker Palpatine
Elites:
Boba Fett (Guardsman Marbo)
5 Storm Troopers, 2 Meltas, Plasma Pistol
Troops:
Veteran Squad, 3 Plasma Guns, Plasma Pistol, Grenadiers
Veteran Squad, 3 Plasma Guns, Plasma Pistol, Grenadiers
Veteran Squad, 3 Plasma Guns, Plasma Pistol, Grenadiers
Veteran Squad, 3 Grenade Launchers, Grenadiers
Veteran Squad, 2 Grenade Launchers, Flamer, Grenadiers
Veteran Squad, 2 Flamers, Grenadiers
Fast Attack:
3 Armored Sentinels, Lascannons, 2 Hunter-Killers
2 Armored Sentinels, Plasma Cannons
6 Speeder Bikes (Rough Riders)
Justin’s Army:
HQ:
Librarian, Sword, Storm Bolter, Psykotroke Grenades, Warp Rift, Might of Titan, Hammerhand, Shrouding (in Chimera)
Elites:
6 Purifiers, 2 Psycannons, 4 Halberds
-Razorback, Heavy Bolters, Psybolts
Inquisitor, Bolt Pistol, Hammerhand, other equipment…?
-2 Meltagun Henchmen
-2 Crusaders
-5 Death Cult Assassins (I may be a little off on this squad’s composition)
-Chimera, Multilaser, Heavy Bolter
Troops:
10 Grey Knights Strike Squad, 2 Psycannons, Daemonhammer, Justicar Daemonhammer (Combat Squadded)
-Razorback, Heavy Bolters, Psybolts
10 Grey Knights Strike Squad, 2 Psycannons, Daemonhammer (Combat Squadded)
-Razorback, Heavy Bolters, Psybolts
Heavy Support:
Rifledread, Psybolts
Rifledread, Psybolts
Mission: 5 objectives
Deployment: Dawn of War (goody)
Justin won the roll for deployment, and elected to set up first.
Deployment:
He deployed one Strike Squad in Combat Squads. On my left center went the 2 Pycannons, on the right went the 2 Daemonhammers, each claiming an objective.
I deployed Palpatine and the Grenade Vets on my far left, behind a handy building, and a Plasma Vet squad in cover on a hilltop by my righthand objective. I Deep Struck the Storm Troopers, and Boba Fett was lurking, but otherwise both our armies would show up Turn 1.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...loymentIGR.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...loymentIGL.jpg
The Plan:
1) This will be a very, very tough game for me to win. His firepower is much more impressive than mine, at the same range. If I can knock out the Rifledreads in a duel with my Lascannon Sentinels (being in cover is a must for this), I may be able to deal some plasma death to his infantry and Bolterbacks.
2) We’ll both be pretty spread out for this mission. Since he’s going first, I’ll be able to react to his initial deployment. I think there’ll be effectively 2 mini-games, one for the 3 objectives to the left of this big chunk of cover in the middle of the board, one for the 2 objectives on the right.
3) I have to knock out Psycannons, Bolterbacks, and Rifledreads. And I can’t get into many assaults, because there’s no unit in his army that won’t rip me apart up close. The Death Cult are just overkill.
Turn 1
Justin brought his empty Bolterback and full Chimera onto the left, with a Rifledread, Strike Combat Squad (with Psycannons), and Purifier Bolterback in the center, and another Rifledread and Bolterback toward the right. His front squad stayed stationary to shoot at maximum firepower with their Psycannons, and his righthand Combat Squad also stayed put on the objective.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...15/Turn1GK.jpg
This proved a bad idea, as he failed his Night Fight spotting distances. He Ran with all the infantry and Dreads in his backfield, closing distance.
I brought my Plasma Sentinels onto the far left (behind cover), and my Flamer Vets and a Plasma Vet squad onto the left center to claim the objective near me there, and to get in an uneven gun duel with the Grey Knights. The Rough Riders arrived at the center and tried to duck behind cover, with the Grenade/Flamer Vets next to them. The Lascannon Sentinels and last Plasma Vets bolstered my right flank. I had the beginnings of a plan: try to wipe Justin out on the right, while holding or contesting at least one left objective.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...5/Turn1IGR.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...5/Turn1IGL.jpg
Night Fight was unkind to me, as only the Lascannon Sentinels had range, and their sole penetrating hit on the nearest Bolterback (lousy shooting) was foiled by a cover save. No damage at all inflicted.
Turn 2
Justin moved his vehicles toward the center of the field, moving his righthand ones toward the middle instead of the right, more or less ceding me that flank. His Strike Squad on foot hustled toward midfield. He used Warp Quake on the Strike Squad in the left center, and the righthand Bolterback.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...15/Turn2GK.jpg
His shooting was rather more effective this turn. The Rifledread on the right only managed to Shake one of the Lascannon Sentinels, but the one in the center knocked out one of my Plasma Sentinels and Shook the other. Palpatine’s squad took moderate losses from Psycannon shots, but thanks to cover, remained more or less intact. My Rough Riders got butchered, losing all but 2, then failing Morale and fleeing the field, and I lost a couple of Plasma Vets from the squad on the hill on my right. Ouch.
In my turn, Boba Fett and the Storm Troopers both arrived! I dropped the Storm Troopers behind the lefthand Rifledread… then scattered them off the table. Oh well, I had a reroll… I scattered them off the table again, rolled a 1 for the Mishap table, and removed the squad. Sigh. Boba Fett popped up in the rubble directly behind the center Strike Squad, readying his thermal detonators. Palpatine’s squad shifted forward and left, keeping to cover. The Flamer Vets moved toward the Strike Squad, and the Grenade/Flamer Vets in the center coasted along behind the big building there.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...urn2IGBoba.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...5/Turn2IGL.jpg
Shooting was… disappointing. Probably disastrous. I killed one of the righthand Combat Squad (with 6 BS4 Plasma Guns, I was hoping for more) and lost one of my Plasma Guns to an overheat. Palpatine double-6’d his psychic test and took a wound. Boba Fett did the only really useful shooting of the turn, as he obliterated two of one Strike Squad and one of another with his Demolition Charge. The Psycannon Strike Squad took a tremendous amount of abuse, but the Psycannons made *all* their saves (8 or so), leaving the Cannons and one other Marine alive, and passing Morale to stand firm. The Sentinels bounced their shots off the Rifledread completely harmlessly on the right.
Turn 3
Justin had the momentum, and he used it to keep whittling me down. The vehicles on the left continued coming, with the Purifiers disembarking and preparing to assault Boba Fett.
Fett took some fire from the Henchmen in the Chimera, but passed all his cover saves. The Sentinels absorbed a volley from the Rifledread without harm. The Flamer Vets took the brunt of Justin’s aggression, being reduced to just the Sergeant, who then failed Morale and fled. On the right, I lost a couple more Plasma Vets, who of course failed Morale and fled (a running theme for me this game; I’d passed only 1/3 of my Leadership rolls as of this point).
The Purifiers easily dispatched Boba Fett with the combination of Frag Grenades and Halberds allowing them to strike first. They consolidated to spread out.
I was running pretty short on bodies, and decided to try to concentrate on knocking out his Troops. Accordingly, Palpatine and the Plasma Vets took aim at the Strike Squad up front. My Grenade/Flamer Vets continued their trek toward Justin’s righthand objective.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...5/Turn3IGL.jpg
I knocked out a single Grey Knight from the squad on the far right, leaving 3 alive. On the left, the Psycannon Combat Squad once more proved tremendously resilient, as the Shrouding protected them well and despite every one of them taking 2 Plasma wounds, and a couple of Lasgun wounds into the bargain, not to mention the Plasma Cannon from my Sentinel, a single Psycannon still survived! The Grenade Vets succeeded in getting a penetrating hit on the Bolterback holding the Daemonhammer Combat Squad, but only Shook it. On the right, the news was slightly better, as a Lascannon Sentinel got the range on the Rifledread and won the gun duel by blowing it to pieces.
I was in serious trouble.
Turn 4
The remaining Grey Knights on the right advanced on my Grenade Vets, while the rest of his army remounted empty vehicles—except the Inquisitor and his hit squad, which hopped out and came for Palpatine’s squad.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...15/Turn4GK.jpg
The Plasma Vets in the center were wiped out by heavy enemy fire. The remaining Rifledread engaged my Sentinels, killing one at long range.
In assault, the Strike Squad charged my Grenade/Flamer Vets, and the Librarian/Inquisitor combo overran Palpatine’s unit. Palpatine and his friends stood no chance whatsoever and were annihilated, but the Vets on the right were made of sterner stuff. They lost 3 of their number, but dragged down one of the Grey Knights in return, rolled a 6 on their Morale test, and held!
On the left, my army consisted of a lone Sentinel, which was about to be wiped out by Might of Titan-boosted Assassins. But on the right things were actually going well for the 2 squads and 2 Sentinels still standing. I moved my Plasma Vets toward my right home objective.
The Plasma Sentinel got a good shot at the side armor of the Chimera (I was hoping to scatter onto the lone Psycannon Marine, who was behind it now), but failed to damage it. The Sentinels Immobilized the Rifledread, which hardly mattered.
In assault, the Vets bayoneted the Daemonhammer Marine before he could strike, and had one of their number mashed to paste by the Justicar in return. Tie combat!
I still had a slight chance. If I could finish off the Justicar in assault in Justin’s turn, move on his righthand objective with my survivors, take my righthand objective with my Plasma Vets, and shoot one of his Strike Squads off one of their objectives, and then have the game end, I could still scrape a draw despite having my army slaughtered wholesale. It was worth a try!
Turn 5
Justin made objective moves with his depleted Strike Squads (one of them consisting of that damnable Psycannon Marine alone!) keeping them inside their vehicles when possible (on the center and far left objectives). The Librarian and company moved on the Plasma Sentinel.
"Hmm... maybe they don't see me behind this wall..."
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...5/Turn5GKL.jpg
Not much shooting. The Rifledread knocked out one of my remaining Lascannon Sentinels, leaving just 1.
"Get him, boys!"
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...5/Turn5GKR.jpg
In assault, the Plasma Sentinel was wrecked (I think) 5 separate times, and didn’t even have the decency to explode. However, the Daemonhammer Justicar, faced by 3 Vets, was chopped down before he could strike, the victorious Guardsmen consolidating toward their objective. I still had a chance.
My heroes of the game: 3 Veterans, completing their mission, a trail of Grey Knight corpses in their wake.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...15/Turn5IG.jpg
I aimed my Sentinel at the 3 Strike Squad members on the near left objective. They were in cover, but out of their vehicle. All I had to do was kill one. I hit, I wounded, they went to ground… and rolled a 3. Just barely a successful save, curses! I had one final chance. My Grenade Vets fired Krak rounds at the Bolterback near them. If they could explode it and cause a Morale check on the Strike Squad there… but they bounced off.
We rolled for random game length, and the game ended.
Result:
Grey Knights 3, IG 2 objectives.
In terms of casualties it was far more lopsided, as all I had left were a dozen Veterans and a single Sentinel, while Justin’s army was largely intact (I’d only managed to completely destroy 2 units!) If it had been a KP mission, I'd have been massacred, 9-2.
Thoughts:
1) Ouch. The bad luck in the first 2 turns, and Justin’s unwillingness to fail armor saves, doomed me. I do think it was always going to be an uphill fight, but things like losing the Storm Troopers in a parachute accident, him passing something like a dozen straight saves on that lone Marine (without whom the game would’ve been a draw!) and suchlike just made it worse.
2) I really don’t know what I could’ve done differently, under the circumstances. Even with the fates conspiring against me, I did come remarkably close to scraping a draw out of the disaster. Never give up!
Originally Posted by Atrahasis
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Codsticker
dirtly little midgets pummeling 300lb gorillas into the ground.... makes me angry! 
