This week's battle report features my Deathwatch army taking on Alex's Chaos Space Marines in a Chapter Approved 2018 maelstrom of war mission.
We were playing the Scars of Battle maelstrom mission. This is the mission where you roll a D6 on the first battle round. If you roll a 1, you remove cards 11-16, if you roll a 2 you remove cards 21-26, etc. This limits the cards you can score and can really hurt your game depending on what cards you need to remove.
My army consisted of:
Battalion Detachment
Watch Master- Guardian Spear
Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Thunder Hammer, Bolt Pistol, Storm Shield
9 Deathwatch Veterans- 9 Storm Bolters, 2 Storm Shields, Chainswords, Vanguard Veteran- Bolt Pistol, Storm Shield
10 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols
5 Veterans- 2 Missile Launchers, 3 Stalker Bolters, Chainswords, Terminator- Power Fist, Storm Bolter, Cyclone Missile Launcher
5 Veterans- 2 Frag Cannons, 3 Shotguns, Storm Shield
5 Veterans- Missile Launcher, 2 Heavy Bolters, Bolters, Terminator, Power Fist, Assault Cannon
10 Veterans- 6 Bolters, Meltagun, 3 Combi-Meltas, chainswords
Rhino- Two Storm Bolters
Rhino- Two Storm Bolters
Razorback- Twin Lascannon, Storm Bolter
Outrider Detachment
Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Relic Blade, Bolt Pistol, Lord of Hidden Knowledge (warlord trait), The Tome of Ectoclades (Relic)
4 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Sergeant with Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Chainswords
4 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Sergeant with Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Chainswords
4 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Sergeant with Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Chainswords
This was my first game with the new Beta Bolter rules. Due to this, I wanted to try out some Biker units, given the additional shots at long range they now get. I took three units to allow me to fill an Outrider detachment.
I didn't take a double Battalion, as I wanted to practice the list for an upcoming tournament, the North East Open. They don't allow double detachments, so I wanted the extra command point in the army.
Alex's army consisted of:
Battalion Detachment
Chaos Lord- Plasma Pistol, The Murder Sword
Daemon Prince- Malefic Talons, Hell-forged Sword, Warp Bolter, Unholy Fortitude (warlord trait), Prescience
7 Chaos Space Marines- Bolters, Power Sword
20 Cultists- Autoguns, Heavy Stubber
10 Cultists- Autoguns, Heavy Stubber
4 Chaos Spawn
4 Chaos Spawn
Spearhead Detachment
Dark Apostle- Power Maul, Plasma Pistol
5 Havocs- Combi-Melta, 2 Meltaguns, Bolters
Rhino- Combi-Bolter, Havoc Launcher
Maulerfiend- 2 Magma Cutters
Maulerfiend- 2 Magma Cutters
Vanguard Detachment
Chaos Sorcerer- Combi-plasma, Force Stave, Warp Time, Death Hex
7 Possessed
10 Possessed
Rhino- Combi-Bolter
5 Chaos Terminators- 4 Combi-Bolters, Heavy Bolter, 3 Power Fists, 2 Chainfists
A mixed force of Word Bearers Chaos Space Marines, with a lot of potent combat ability and fast moving units. Not a huge deal of firepower in the army, so I would just need to stop them from getting up close and personal with the Deathwatch.
We set up the objectives as shown below:
We rolled for the deployment zone and got Spearhead Assault. Alex chose his side and I deployed first.
I put a unit of Bikers at the front of the army, with the two other units on the left flank. The Rhinos went behind the big building in the centre of my deployment zone. At the back of the zone, I put the two Terminator Kill Teams, the warlord Captain and Razorback. I put the second Captain behind the Rhino. I put the Storm Bolter Veterans, Intercessors and Watch Master in reserve.
Alex put his Chaos Space Marines ahead of the bulk of the army. He put a Rhino, Maulerfiend and Spawn on each of his flanks. The Cultists and Havocs held the backfield of the deployment zone. The Daemon Prince went on his right flank, while the Chaos Lord went on the left.
For the maelstrom cards, I removed Domination, Master the Warp, Witch Hunter, Scour the Skies, Advance and Kingslayer. Alex removed Advance, Scour the Skies, Psychological Warfare, Priority Orders Received, Claim and Despoil and Mission Critical Objective.
I chose to take the first turn. Alex then seized the initiative on me (once again!) and I was relegated to second turn. We rolled to see which cards we had to remove. I rolled 61-66, of which I had removed three cards already. Alex rolled 11-16 which were the Chaos-specific objectives.
TURN 1- CHAOS SPACE MARINES
In his first turn, Alex drew Overwhelming Firepower, Supremacy and Blood and Guts. For my Mission Tactics I chose Fast Attack, while I went for Heavy Support with the Tome of Ectoclades.
The Chaos Space Marines picked their way through the ruins, while the Rhinos, Maulerfiends and Chaos Spawn moved up on the Deathwatch lines. The Sorcerer disembarked from the Rhino to cast his powers.
The Sorcerer cast Warp Time on the Maulerfiend, moving up towards the Deathwatch Bikers. The rest of the psykers chose not to Smite, as it would have affected the Bikers, putting the Maulerfiend out of charge range.
There was no enemy firepower in range to target the Astartes.
The Maulerfiend attempted to charge the Bikers, but failed the 8" charge after rolling a 3.
At the end of his turn, Alex scored Supremacy (for 2 points) and discarded Overwhelming Firepower.
TURN 2- DEATHWATCH
In my first turn, I drew Secure Objective 1, Secure Objective 2 and Secure Objective 3.
One unit of Bikers moved up towards the Chaos Space Marines, while the other two units moved up to target the Spawn. The Meltagun Veterans disembarked from the Rhino and moved up on the Maulerfiend, the Watch Captain moving up to support them.
The Veterans fired their Meltaguns at the Maulerfiend, wounding it twice. The shots did 9 damage with the use of one command point re-roll. The Assault Cannon Terminator Kill Team fired a Krak Missile at the Maulerfiend, hitting but failing to wound. The Heavy Bolters did one wound on the Spawn on the right flank.
The Razorback fired at the Maulerfiend, hitting and wounding once, but he made his invulnerable save.
On the left flank, the Bikers fired on the Chaos Spawn, doing 12 wounds with their Hellfire shells and killing two of them. The second unit of Bikers fired at the squad, killing one and leaving one on a single wound. The Rhino on the left flank fired at the last Spawn and was able to kill it.
The Missile Launcher Kill Team fired at the Maulerfiend and Chaos Space Marines, finally killing the Maulerfiend and two Marines.
The forward unit of Bikers fired at the Spawn on the right flank, killing two of them with the Hellfire Bolts.
In the charge phase, the Bikers assaulted the Chaos Space Marines. They struck at the Marines, wounding them four times, but failing to get past their armour. The Bikers attacked back, managing to kill one Bikers in combat.
At the end of my turn, I scored First Strike, Secure Objective 1 and Secure Objective 2. I discarded Secure Objective 3.
VICTORY POINTS:
Chaos Space Marines- 2
Deathwatch- 3
TURN 2- CHAOS SPACE MARINES
In his turn, Alex drew Secure Objective 5, Defend Objective 6 and had Blood and Guts. He spent 2CP to discard Defend Objective 6 and drew No Prisoners. A pretty good draw for Alex and a nice use of the stratagem to swap the cards. If he could kill three units in assault this turn, he would get 2D3 victory points and could get a significant lead.
On the left flank, the Possessed disembarked from the Rhino, moving up on the Meltagun Veterans, supported by the Spawn and Chaos Characters. On the right flank, the Maulerfiend and Possessed moved up on the Deathwatch Bikers. The Daemon Prince, Dark Apostle and Sorcerer moved up on the Bikers engaged with the Chaos Space Marines.
In the psychic phase, the Sorcerer failed to cast Smite. The Daemon Prince then cast Prescience on the nearby Possessed.
In the shooting phase, the surviving Maulerfiend fired at the Bikers, killing the Sergeant after I failed a Storm Shield save (with one CP re-roll). The Rhino fired at the Bikers, doing another wound.
The Sorcerer fired at the Meltagun Veterans, killing one. The Rhino added its firepower, but did no damage. The Daemon Prince fired at the Veterans, but failed to wound with his two shots.
The Possessed charged the Meltagun Veterans, while the Maulerfiend and Possessed charged the Bikers on the right flank. The three Chaos Characters assaulted the Bikers engaged with the Chaos Space Marines.
The Rhino and Possessed attempted to charge the Deathwatch Rhino, but failed to make the distance.
In the fight phase, the Possessed on each flank ripped apart their Astartes opponents with ease, one unit consolidating into the Rhino. Two units were down, with just the second unit of Bikers needing to fall to secure Alex his three kills.
The Daemon Prince attacked the Bikers, only managing two wounds. Both were saved on the Storm Shield with a CP re-roll. The Dark Apostle managed to kill one Bikers. The Sorcerer attacked the Bikers, doing two wounds but failing to get past their armour. The Chaos Marines then attacked, doing one wound on the Bikers. Alex had failed to slay the squad, leaving two remaining.
The Bikers attacked back, doing a single wound on the Dark Apostle. Alex debated using the 3CP to attack again. However, the Daemon Prince was now out of range thanks to my casualty removal, and he didn't think the Dark Apostle or Sorcerer could finish off the unit. He decided to keep the command points.
At the end of his turn, he scored all three objectives for 3 points.
TURN 2- DEATHWATCH
In my second turn, I drew Secure Objective 6, Defend Objective 6 and Hold the Line.
The Bikers fell back from combat towards the objective, while the Frag Cannon Kill Team moved up on the Possessed, the Thunder Hammer Captain moving up to support them. The Rhino fell back from combat, while the squad inside moved to engage the Possessed on the right flank. The Razorback moved position to target the Maulerfiend.
At the end of the phase, the Storm Bolter Veterans and Watch Master arrived deep in the enemy lines, behind the Havocs and Cultists.
In the shooting phase, the Storm Bolter Veterans split fire between the two squads, killing the Cultists and two of the Havocs (after some horrendous wound rolls on them). The Watch Master added his firepower, but did no damage.
The Bikers fired on the Possessed, doing five wounds and killing two. The Rhino managed to kill another in the squad with its Storm Bolters.
I used the +1 to wound stratagem on the Frag Cannon Kill Team to target the Maulerfiend. I used the Frag rounds for automatic hits, but only rolled a 9 on 4D6! Even with a command point re-roll. The Maulerfiend took three wounds from the volley. The Shotguns did no damage on the Possessed.
The Terminator Kill Team fired on the Possessed, killing another three with their firepower.
On the right flank, the Bolter Veterans fired at the second unit of Possessed, killing two. The Missile Launcher Kill Team fired on the Maulerfiend, the Krak Missiles doing three wounds. Alex made one save and decided not to use a CP re-roll. I then rolled 9 damage, exactly enough to kill it. The construct exploded, killing one Possessed Marine and one Deathwatch Biker.
The Bolters of the squad fired at the Possessed, killing two more. The Razorback fired its Lascannons at the Possessed, but the single wound was saved.
In the charge phase, the Bikers, Frag Cannon Kill Team and Watch Captain assaulted the Possessed on the left. The Deathwatch Veterans on the right assaulted the Possessed, the other Watch Captain failing to make the distance to join them.
The Watch Captain struck the Possessed, wounding them three times with his Thunder Hammer, but Alex made all three 5+ invulnerable saves!
He then spent the 2CP to interrupt and attack with the Possessed on the other side of the field, killing two of the Deathwatch Veterans.
The Bikers and Frag Cannon Kill Team attacked the Possessed, killing the squad and consolidating towards the objective to secure it. The other Veteran squad did no damage on the other unit of Possessed.
At the end of my turn, I scored Hold the Line and Secure Objective 6. I discarded Defend Objective 6.
VICTORY POINTS:
Chaos Space Marines- 5
Deathwatch- 5
At the end of turn 2, things were even between the forces of the Deathwatch and Chaos. Both armies had suffered casualties, but had enough left to cause problems to the enemy army.
TURN 3- CHAOS SPACE MARINES
In his third turn, Alex drew Secure Objective 2, Secure Objective 4 and Hold the Line. He spent 2CP to discard Hold the Line and drew Assassinate.
The Daemon Prince, Chaos Lord, Sorcerer and Chaos Space Marines moved up on the Deathwatch on the right flank, while the Chaos Spawn and Rhino moved up on the Deathwatch on the left flank. The Cultists moved into the ruins, while the Havocs moved around the ruins to the objective. At the end of the phase, the Terminators arrived, teleporting next to the Bikers.
In the psychic phase, the Sorcerer cast Smite, killing the Biker on the right. He then cast Death Hex on the Watch Captain to rob him of his invulnerable save. The Daemon Prince cast Smite, killing one of the Frag Cannon Kill Team. Alex used a command point re-roll, but rolled another 1.
The Chaos Space Marines opened fire on the Frag Cannon team, wounding them 5 times, but I made all my armour saves. Both Rhinos opened fire on the squad, doing no damage. The Havocs fired into the squad, doing three wounds, but the armour saved them from harm. The Chaos Lord fired his Plasma Pistol, hitting but failing to wound.
The Sorcerer fired his Combi-Plasma, killing two of the squad. The Dark Apostle fired his Plasma Pistol, hitting but failing to wound. The Daemon Prince added his firepower, doing one wound, but failing to get past their armour.
The Frag Cannon Squad had soaked up a ton of firepower from the enemy army and a few members had survived.
The Terminators opened fire on the Bikers, causing one wound on the squad.
In the charge phase, the Rhino assaulted the Frag Cannon Kill Team, soaking up the overwatch fire and taking no damage. The Chaos Space Marines, Dark Apostle and Chaos Lord followed the vehicle into combat. The Daemon Prince charged the Watch Captain, while the Terminators made a 9" charge into the Bikers.
The Terminators struck at the Bikers, killing three of the squad. The Dark Apostle was able to wipe out the remnants of the Kill Team.
The Daemon Prince struck at the Watch Captain, hitting five times but only wounding once! Alex used a CP re-roll to score another wound. I made one armour save and the Captain took three damage, surviving the combat.
The Possessed on the other flank killed one Veteran, while the surviving Veterans put a wound on one of the possessed. The Bikers did one wound on the Terminators. The Watch Captain then struck at the Daemon Prince, doing two wounds and four damage on the Daemon.
At the end of his turn, Alex scored Secure Objective 2 and Secure Objective 4. By all accounts, the Watch Captain should have perished, after Death Hex got rid of his invulnerable save.
TURN 3- DEATHWATCH
In my turn, I drew Defend Objective 2, Defend Objective 4 and Defend Objective 5. Some tough objectives to get, but big score if I could. I changed my Tome of Ectoclades mission tactics to Elites.
The Biker fell back from combat towards the enemy forces, while the Watch Captain fell back from combat with the Daemon Prince. The Rhino moved up to secure the objective. The Veterans fell back from combat with the Possessed, while the Rhino moved up on the Possessed and Chaos Spawn.
The Storm Bolter Veterans and Watch Master moved up towards the Havocs, while the Intercessors arrived from reserve on the objective in the enemy deployment zone.
The Storm Bolter Veterans fired on the Cultists and Chaos Space Marines, killing 5 Cultists. The Intercessors added their firepower, killing 6 more of the squad.
The Missile Launcher Kill Team opened fire on the Terminators. The Stalker Bolters killed one, while the Krak Missiles killed two more. The Razorback added its firepower, killing one more of the heretics. The Storm Bolter on the Vehicle managed to kill one of the Possessed.
The Rhino fired at the Spawn, causing three wounds, but the Daemon made three 6+ saves. The other Terminator Kill Team fired at the enemy Terminators, wiping out the unit.
In the charge phase, the Storm Bolter Kill Team assaulted the Havocs. The Rhino charged the Possessed and Spawn, while the lone Biker charged the enemy Rhino.
The Veterans put four wounds on the Havocs, but only one Marine fell. The lone Biker and Rhino did no damage to the enemy forces.
The Chaos units did not damage to the Deathwatch in reply. In the morale phase, seven more Cultists fled. At the end of my turn, I scored no points and discarded Defend Objective 2.
VICTORY POINTS:
Chaos Space Marines- 7
Deathwatch- 5
I had gone behind in points at the end of turn 3, but could gain more from defending the objectives that I had.
TURN 4- CHAOS SPACE MARINES
In his fourth turn, Alex drew Master the Warp, Secure Objective 6 and had Assassinate.
The Possessed and Chaos Spawn fell back from combat with the Rhino towards the Deathwatch lines. The Havocs also fell back from combat with the Veterans.
The Rhino moved up on the Deathwatch Rhino, while the Daemon Prince, Chaos Space Marines and Sorcerer moved up on the Deathwatch on the left flank.
In the psychic phase, the Sorcerer cast Smite, doing two mortal wounds on the Rhino. He then cast Warp Time on the Chaos Space Marines, moving the squad up. The Daemon Prince cast Smite, doing 3 mortal wounds on the Rhino.
In the shooting phase, the Rhino fired on the Biker, wounding him once. The Chaos Lord fired at him, killing him with his Plasma pistol.
The Sorcerer overcharged his Combi-Plasma at the Rhino, rolling a double 1 to hit! Fortunately, the Daemon Prince was nearby, but he still rolled a 1 on the re-roll, perishing and doing two wounds on the Rhino.
The Dark Apostle fired at the Rhino, overcharging his Plasma Pistol. Alex rolled a 1 to hit once more, but fortunately hit with the re-roll and took it down to a single wound.
The Chaos Space Marines fired their Bolters at the Rhino, wounding with 7 of their 8 shots! The Rhino was destroyed.
In the charge phase, the Daemon Prince failed a 5" charge on the Watch Captain, even with a command point re-roll. Fortunately, the Chaos Space Marines made it in to combat.
In the fight phase, the Chaos Marines did two wounds, but both were saved by the armour of the Captain. The Watch Captain struck back, killing two of the Heretic Astartes.
At the end of the turn, Alex scored Secure Objective 6 and one point for Master the Warp. He discarded Assassinate. I also scored Defend Objective 5.
TURN 4- DEATHWATCH
In my turn, I drew Secure Objective 5 and Blood and Guts to go with Defend Objective 4.
The Veterans and Watch Captain moved up on the Possessed and Spawn. The Storm Bolter Veterans moved up on the Havocs. My plan was to try and kill three units in the assault phase to go for the D3 victory points.
In the shooting phase, the Intercessors fired at the Cultists, killing the squad. The two Veterans fired at the Spawn, doing two wounds on it. The Razorback fired at the Rhino, taking three wounds from it. The Missile Launcher Kill Team fired at the Rhino, taking another four wounds from it. The Bolters of the squad killed one Possessed and the Chaos Spawn.
In the charge phase, the Veterans and Watch Captain assaulted the last of the Possessed. The Missile Launcher Kill Team assaulted the Chaos Space Marines. In the enemy deployment zone, the Veterans charged the last of the Havocs.
In the fight phase, the Watch Captain struck down the Chaos Space Marines. The Storm Bolter Veterans slayed the Havocs. The other Watch Captain fluffed his attacks on the Possessed, doing no damage. The two Veterans were fortunately able to slay the last of the Possessed.
At the end of my turn, I only scored a 1 for the Blood and Guts roll, and scored Secure Objective 5.
VICTORY POINTS:
Chaos Space Marines- 9
Deathwatch- 9
At the end of turn 4, we were drawn in points. Things were still in the balance for both forces.
TURN 5- CHAOS SPACE MARINES
In his fifth turn, Alex drew Kingslayer, Big Game Hunter and Secure Objective 1. Killing my warlord could score him big this turn and put Alex in the lead.
The Dark Apostle and Daemon Prince moved up on the Veterans and Watch Captain.
In the psychic phase, the Daemon Prince cast Smite, killing the two Veterans.
In the shooting phase, the Daemon Prince did two wounds on the Watch Captain. The Rhino fired at the Veterans, killing one.
In the charge phase, the Dark Apostle and Daemon Prince assaulted the Deathwatch warlord. The Daemon Prince struck, doing two wounds, but I made both armour saves. The Dark Apostle managed to do 2 wounds on the Captain, leaving him on one.
The Watch Captain struck back, doing three wounds on the Prince with his Relic Blade.
At the end of the turn, Alex scored no points and I scored Defend Objective 4.
TURN 5- DEATHWATCH
In my fifth turn, I drew Overwhelming Firepower, Psychological Warfare and Defend Objective 3.
We were running out of time at the club and Alex decided to concede the game. I would most likely get Overwhelming Firepower and was already in the lead, so it was likely to be a Deathwatch victory.
AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to Alex for a fun game.
He didn't seem to have much luck in this game, failing in key rolls in many cases, mostly to do with charges and combat rolls. He should have been able to take out the Bikers and Watch Captain in combat against the Daemon Prince. Had he done this, he would have scored more maelstrom points for his cards.
Seizing the initiative was a nice bonus, allowing him to get closer to my lines. However, he didn't really have much firepower to threaten my army, so most of my forces were relatively unharmed. Had the Maulerfiend made the first turn charge against the Bikers, I would have been in more trouble, as I may have lost a biker unit on turn 1.
The new Beta Bolter rules were great for my Bikers. This allowed them to hold back and put out a lot of strong firepower on my first turns. Their Hellfire Bolts were great for taking on the Chaos Spawn, as their higher toughness was no defence against the Bolts. This allowed me to take out the Spawn quite quickly.
One mistake in the game was falling back the Rhino from combat with the Possessed. I didn't realise they had two wounds each, so though I would have enough firepower to take out the unit on my right flank, but I didn't. Leaving the Rhino in combat would have held them up, as they would be unlikely to take out the vehicle in my turn.
Overall, a fun game. I like the construction of the army. The Bikers give me some good mobility and firepower, while the Meltaguns and Missile Launchers give me some good anti-tank firepower. The lack of command points from not fielding a double Battalion hurts, as I am generally down to 6 after using the Teleportarium stratagem.
Chaos Lord- Plasma Pistol, The Murder Sword
Daemon Prince- Malefic Talons, Hell-forged Sword, Warp Bolter, Unholy Fortitude (warlord trait), Prescience
7 Chaos Space Marines- Bolters, Power Sword
20 Cultists- Autoguns, Heavy Stubber
10 Cultists- Autoguns, Heavy Stubber
4 Chaos Spawn
4 Chaos Spawn
Spearhead Detachment
Dark Apostle- Power Maul, Plasma Pistol
5 Havocs- Combi-Melta, 2 Meltaguns, Bolters
Rhino- Combi-Bolter, Havoc Launcher
Maulerfiend- 2 Magma Cutters
Maulerfiend- 2 Magma Cutters
Vanguard Detachment
Chaos Sorcerer- Combi-plasma, Force Stave, Warp Time, Death Hex
7 Possessed
10 Possessed
Rhino- Combi-Bolter
5 Chaos Terminators- 4 Combi-Bolters, Heavy Bolter, 3 Power Fists, 2 Chainfists
A mixed force of Word Bearers Chaos Space Marines, with a lot of potent combat ability and fast moving units. Not a huge deal of firepower in the army, so I would just need to stop them from getting up close and personal with the Deathwatch.
We set up the objectives as shown below:
We rolled for the deployment zone and got Spearhead Assault. Alex chose his side and I deployed first.
I put a unit of Bikers at the front of the army, with the two other units on the left flank. The Rhinos went behind the big building in the centre of my deployment zone. At the back of the zone, I put the two Terminator Kill Teams, the warlord Captain and Razorback. I put the second Captain behind the Rhino. I put the Storm Bolter Veterans, Intercessors and Watch Master in reserve.
Alex put his Chaos Space Marines ahead of the bulk of the army. He put a Rhino, Maulerfiend and Spawn on each of his flanks. The Cultists and Havocs held the backfield of the deployment zone. The Daemon Prince went on his right flank, while the Chaos Lord went on the left.
For the maelstrom cards, I removed Domination, Master the Warp, Witch Hunter, Scour the Skies, Advance and Kingslayer. Alex removed Advance, Scour the Skies, Psychological Warfare, Priority Orders Received, Claim and Despoil and Mission Critical Objective.
I chose to take the first turn. Alex then seized the initiative on me (once again!) and I was relegated to second turn. We rolled to see which cards we had to remove. I rolled 61-66, of which I had removed three cards already. Alex rolled 11-16 which were the Chaos-specific objectives.
TURN 1- CHAOS SPACE MARINES
In his first turn, Alex drew Overwhelming Firepower, Supremacy and Blood and Guts. For my Mission Tactics I chose Fast Attack, while I went for Heavy Support with the Tome of Ectoclades.
The Chaos Space Marines picked their way through the ruins, while the Rhinos, Maulerfiends and Chaos Spawn moved up on the Deathwatch lines. The Sorcerer disembarked from the Rhino to cast his powers.
The Sorcerer cast Warp Time on the Maulerfiend, moving up towards the Deathwatch Bikers. The rest of the psykers chose not to Smite, as it would have affected the Bikers, putting the Maulerfiend out of charge range.
There was no enemy firepower in range to target the Astartes.
The Maulerfiend attempted to charge the Bikers, but failed the 8" charge after rolling a 3.
At the end of his turn, Alex scored Supremacy (for 2 points) and discarded Overwhelming Firepower.
TURN 2- DEATHWATCH
In my first turn, I drew Secure Objective 1, Secure Objective 2 and Secure Objective 3.
One unit of Bikers moved up towards the Chaos Space Marines, while the other two units moved up to target the Spawn. The Meltagun Veterans disembarked from the Rhino and moved up on the Maulerfiend, the Watch Captain moving up to support them.
The Veterans fired their Meltaguns at the Maulerfiend, wounding it twice. The shots did 9 damage with the use of one command point re-roll. The Assault Cannon Terminator Kill Team fired a Krak Missile at the Maulerfiend, hitting but failing to wound. The Heavy Bolters did one wound on the Spawn on the right flank.
The Razorback fired at the Maulerfiend, hitting and wounding once, but he made his invulnerable save.
On the left flank, the Bikers fired on the Chaos Spawn, doing 12 wounds with their Hellfire shells and killing two of them. The second unit of Bikers fired at the squad, killing one and leaving one on a single wound. The Rhino on the left flank fired at the last Spawn and was able to kill it.
The Missile Launcher Kill Team fired at the Maulerfiend and Chaos Space Marines, finally killing the Maulerfiend and two Marines.
The forward unit of Bikers fired at the Spawn on the right flank, killing two of them with the Hellfire Bolts.
In the charge phase, the Bikers assaulted the Chaos Space Marines. They struck at the Marines, wounding them four times, but failing to get past their armour. The Bikers attacked back, managing to kill one Bikers in combat.
At the end of my turn, I scored First Strike, Secure Objective 1 and Secure Objective 2. I discarded Secure Objective 3.
VICTORY POINTS:
Chaos Space Marines- 2
Deathwatch- 3
TURN 2- CHAOS SPACE MARINES
In his turn, Alex drew Secure Objective 5, Defend Objective 6 and had Blood and Guts. He spent 2CP to discard Defend Objective 6 and drew No Prisoners. A pretty good draw for Alex and a nice use of the stratagem to swap the cards. If he could kill three units in assault this turn, he would get 2D3 victory points and could get a significant lead.
On the left flank, the Possessed disembarked from the Rhino, moving up on the Meltagun Veterans, supported by the Spawn and Chaos Characters. On the right flank, the Maulerfiend and Possessed moved up on the Deathwatch Bikers. The Daemon Prince, Dark Apostle and Sorcerer moved up on the Bikers engaged with the Chaos Space Marines.
In the psychic phase, the Sorcerer failed to cast Smite. The Daemon Prince then cast Prescience on the nearby Possessed.
In the shooting phase, the surviving Maulerfiend fired at the Bikers, killing the Sergeant after I failed a Storm Shield save (with one CP re-roll). The Rhino fired at the Bikers, doing another wound.
The Sorcerer fired at the Meltagun Veterans, killing one. The Rhino added its firepower, but did no damage. The Daemon Prince fired at the Veterans, but failed to wound with his two shots.
The Possessed charged the Meltagun Veterans, while the Maulerfiend and Possessed charged the Bikers on the right flank. The three Chaos Characters assaulted the Bikers engaged with the Chaos Space Marines.
The Rhino and Possessed attempted to charge the Deathwatch Rhino, but failed to make the distance.
In the fight phase, the Possessed on each flank ripped apart their Astartes opponents with ease, one unit consolidating into the Rhino. Two units were down, with just the second unit of Bikers needing to fall to secure Alex his three kills.
The Daemon Prince attacked the Bikers, only managing two wounds. Both were saved on the Storm Shield with a CP re-roll. The Dark Apostle managed to kill one Bikers. The Sorcerer attacked the Bikers, doing two wounds but failing to get past their armour. The Chaos Marines then attacked, doing one wound on the Bikers. Alex had failed to slay the squad, leaving two remaining.
The Bikers attacked back, doing a single wound on the Dark Apostle. Alex debated using the 3CP to attack again. However, the Daemon Prince was now out of range thanks to my casualty removal, and he didn't think the Dark Apostle or Sorcerer could finish off the unit. He decided to keep the command points.
At the end of his turn, he scored all three objectives for 3 points.
TURN 2- DEATHWATCH
In my second turn, I drew Secure Objective 6, Defend Objective 6 and Hold the Line.
The Bikers fell back from combat towards the objective, while the Frag Cannon Kill Team moved up on the Possessed, the Thunder Hammer Captain moving up to support them. The Rhino fell back from combat, while the squad inside moved to engage the Possessed on the right flank. The Razorback moved position to target the Maulerfiend.
At the end of the phase, the Storm Bolter Veterans and Watch Master arrived deep in the enemy lines, behind the Havocs and Cultists.
In the shooting phase, the Storm Bolter Veterans split fire between the two squads, killing the Cultists and two of the Havocs (after some horrendous wound rolls on them). The Watch Master added his firepower, but did no damage.
The Bikers fired on the Possessed, doing five wounds and killing two. The Rhino managed to kill another in the squad with its Storm Bolters.
I used the +1 to wound stratagem on the Frag Cannon Kill Team to target the Maulerfiend. I used the Frag rounds for automatic hits, but only rolled a 9 on 4D6! Even with a command point re-roll. The Maulerfiend took three wounds from the volley. The Shotguns did no damage on the Possessed.
The Terminator Kill Team fired on the Possessed, killing another three with their firepower.
On the right flank, the Bolter Veterans fired at the second unit of Possessed, killing two. The Missile Launcher Kill Team fired on the Maulerfiend, the Krak Missiles doing three wounds. Alex made one save and decided not to use a CP re-roll. I then rolled 9 damage, exactly enough to kill it. The construct exploded, killing one Possessed Marine and one Deathwatch Biker.
The Bolters of the squad fired at the Possessed, killing two more. The Razorback fired its Lascannons at the Possessed, but the single wound was saved.
In the charge phase, the Bikers, Frag Cannon Kill Team and Watch Captain assaulted the Possessed on the left. The Deathwatch Veterans on the right assaulted the Possessed, the other Watch Captain failing to make the distance to join them.
The Watch Captain struck the Possessed, wounding them three times with his Thunder Hammer, but Alex made all three 5+ invulnerable saves!
He then spent the 2CP to interrupt and attack with the Possessed on the other side of the field, killing two of the Deathwatch Veterans.
The Bikers and Frag Cannon Kill Team attacked the Possessed, killing the squad and consolidating towards the objective to secure it. The other Veteran squad did no damage on the other unit of Possessed.
At the end of my turn, I scored Hold the Line and Secure Objective 6. I discarded Defend Objective 6.
VICTORY POINTS:
Chaos Space Marines- 5
Deathwatch- 5
At the end of turn 2, things were even between the forces of the Deathwatch and Chaos. Both armies had suffered casualties, but had enough left to cause problems to the enemy army.
TURN 3- CHAOS SPACE MARINES
In his third turn, Alex drew Secure Objective 2, Secure Objective 4 and Hold the Line. He spent 2CP to discard Hold the Line and drew Assassinate.
The Daemon Prince, Chaos Lord, Sorcerer and Chaos Space Marines moved up on the Deathwatch on the right flank, while the Chaos Spawn and Rhino moved up on the Deathwatch on the left flank. The Cultists moved into the ruins, while the Havocs moved around the ruins to the objective. At the end of the phase, the Terminators arrived, teleporting next to the Bikers.
In the psychic phase, the Sorcerer cast Smite, killing the Biker on the right. He then cast Death Hex on the Watch Captain to rob him of his invulnerable save. The Daemon Prince cast Smite, killing one of the Frag Cannon Kill Team. Alex used a command point re-roll, but rolled another 1.
The Chaos Space Marines opened fire on the Frag Cannon team, wounding them 5 times, but I made all my armour saves. Both Rhinos opened fire on the squad, doing no damage. The Havocs fired into the squad, doing three wounds, but the armour saved them from harm. The Chaos Lord fired his Plasma Pistol, hitting but failing to wound.
The Sorcerer fired his Combi-Plasma, killing two of the squad. The Dark Apostle fired his Plasma Pistol, hitting but failing to wound. The Daemon Prince added his firepower, doing one wound, but failing to get past their armour.
The Frag Cannon Squad had soaked up a ton of firepower from the enemy army and a few members had survived.
The Terminators opened fire on the Bikers, causing one wound on the squad.
In the charge phase, the Rhino assaulted the Frag Cannon Kill Team, soaking up the overwatch fire and taking no damage. The Chaos Space Marines, Dark Apostle and Chaos Lord followed the vehicle into combat. The Daemon Prince charged the Watch Captain, while the Terminators made a 9" charge into the Bikers.
The Terminators struck at the Bikers, killing three of the squad. The Dark Apostle was able to wipe out the remnants of the Kill Team.
The Daemon Prince struck at the Watch Captain, hitting five times but only wounding once! Alex used a CP re-roll to score another wound. I made one armour save and the Captain took three damage, surviving the combat.
The Possessed on the other flank killed one Veteran, while the surviving Veterans put a wound on one of the possessed. The Bikers did one wound on the Terminators. The Watch Captain then struck at the Daemon Prince, doing two wounds and four damage on the Daemon.
At the end of his turn, Alex scored Secure Objective 2 and Secure Objective 4. By all accounts, the Watch Captain should have perished, after Death Hex got rid of his invulnerable save.
TURN 3- DEATHWATCH
In my turn, I drew Defend Objective 2, Defend Objective 4 and Defend Objective 5. Some tough objectives to get, but big score if I could. I changed my Tome of Ectoclades mission tactics to Elites.
The Biker fell back from combat towards the enemy forces, while the Watch Captain fell back from combat with the Daemon Prince. The Rhino moved up to secure the objective. The Veterans fell back from combat with the Possessed, while the Rhino moved up on the Possessed and Chaos Spawn.
The Storm Bolter Veterans and Watch Master moved up towards the Havocs, while the Intercessors arrived from reserve on the objective in the enemy deployment zone.
The Storm Bolter Veterans fired on the Cultists and Chaos Space Marines, killing 5 Cultists. The Intercessors added their firepower, killing 6 more of the squad.
The Missile Launcher Kill Team opened fire on the Terminators. The Stalker Bolters killed one, while the Krak Missiles killed two more. The Razorback added its firepower, killing one more of the heretics. The Storm Bolter on the Vehicle managed to kill one of the Possessed.
The Rhino fired at the Spawn, causing three wounds, but the Daemon made three 6+ saves. The other Terminator Kill Team fired at the enemy Terminators, wiping out the unit.
In the charge phase, the Storm Bolter Kill Team assaulted the Havocs. The Rhino charged the Possessed and Spawn, while the lone Biker charged the enemy Rhino.
The Veterans put four wounds on the Havocs, but only one Marine fell. The lone Biker and Rhino did no damage to the enemy forces.
The Chaos units did not damage to the Deathwatch in reply. In the morale phase, seven more Cultists fled. At the end of my turn, I scored no points and discarded Defend Objective 2.
VICTORY POINTS:
Chaos Space Marines- 7
Deathwatch- 5
I had gone behind in points at the end of turn 3, but could gain more from defending the objectives that I had.
TURN 4- CHAOS SPACE MARINES
In his fourth turn, Alex drew Master the Warp, Secure Objective 6 and had Assassinate.
The Possessed and Chaos Spawn fell back from combat with the Rhino towards the Deathwatch lines. The Havocs also fell back from combat with the Veterans.
The Rhino moved up on the Deathwatch Rhino, while the Daemon Prince, Chaos Space Marines and Sorcerer moved up on the Deathwatch on the left flank.
In the psychic phase, the Sorcerer cast Smite, doing two mortal wounds on the Rhino. He then cast Warp Time on the Chaos Space Marines, moving the squad up. The Daemon Prince cast Smite, doing 3 mortal wounds on the Rhino.
In the shooting phase, the Rhino fired on the Biker, wounding him once. The Chaos Lord fired at him, killing him with his Plasma pistol.
The Sorcerer overcharged his Combi-Plasma at the Rhino, rolling a double 1 to hit! Fortunately, the Daemon Prince was nearby, but he still rolled a 1 on the re-roll, perishing and doing two wounds on the Rhino.
The Dark Apostle fired at the Rhino, overcharging his Plasma Pistol. Alex rolled a 1 to hit once more, but fortunately hit with the re-roll and took it down to a single wound.
The Chaos Space Marines fired their Bolters at the Rhino, wounding with 7 of their 8 shots! The Rhino was destroyed.
In the charge phase, the Daemon Prince failed a 5" charge on the Watch Captain, even with a command point re-roll. Fortunately, the Chaos Space Marines made it in to combat.
In the fight phase, the Chaos Marines did two wounds, but both were saved by the armour of the Captain. The Watch Captain struck back, killing two of the Heretic Astartes.
At the end of the turn, Alex scored Secure Objective 6 and one point for Master the Warp. He discarded Assassinate. I also scored Defend Objective 5.
TURN 4- DEATHWATCH
In my turn, I drew Secure Objective 5 and Blood and Guts to go with Defend Objective 4.
The Veterans and Watch Captain moved up on the Possessed and Spawn. The Storm Bolter Veterans moved up on the Havocs. My plan was to try and kill three units in the assault phase to go for the D3 victory points.
In the shooting phase, the Intercessors fired at the Cultists, killing the squad. The two Veterans fired at the Spawn, doing two wounds on it. The Razorback fired at the Rhino, taking three wounds from it. The Missile Launcher Kill Team fired at the Rhino, taking another four wounds from it. The Bolters of the squad killed one Possessed and the Chaos Spawn.
In the charge phase, the Veterans and Watch Captain assaulted the last of the Possessed. The Missile Launcher Kill Team assaulted the Chaos Space Marines. In the enemy deployment zone, the Veterans charged the last of the Havocs.
In the fight phase, the Watch Captain struck down the Chaos Space Marines. The Storm Bolter Veterans slayed the Havocs. The other Watch Captain fluffed his attacks on the Possessed, doing no damage. The two Veterans were fortunately able to slay the last of the Possessed.
At the end of my turn, I only scored a 1 for the Blood and Guts roll, and scored Secure Objective 5.
VICTORY POINTS:
Chaos Space Marines- 9
Deathwatch- 9
At the end of turn 4, we were drawn in points. Things were still in the balance for both forces.
TURN 5- CHAOS SPACE MARINES
In his fifth turn, Alex drew Kingslayer, Big Game Hunter and Secure Objective 1. Killing my warlord could score him big this turn and put Alex in the lead.
The Dark Apostle and Daemon Prince moved up on the Veterans and Watch Captain.
In the psychic phase, the Daemon Prince cast Smite, killing the two Veterans.
In the shooting phase, the Daemon Prince did two wounds on the Watch Captain. The Rhino fired at the Veterans, killing one.
In the charge phase, the Dark Apostle and Daemon Prince assaulted the Deathwatch warlord. The Daemon Prince struck, doing two wounds, but I made both armour saves. The Dark Apostle managed to do 2 wounds on the Captain, leaving him on one.
The Watch Captain struck back, doing three wounds on the Prince with his Relic Blade.
At the end of the turn, Alex scored no points and I scored Defend Objective 4.
TURN 5- DEATHWATCH
In my fifth turn, I drew Overwhelming Firepower, Psychological Warfare and Defend Objective 3.
We were running out of time at the club and Alex decided to concede the game. I would most likely get Overwhelming Firepower and was already in the lead, so it was likely to be a Deathwatch victory.
AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to Alex for a fun game.
He didn't seem to have much luck in this game, failing in key rolls in many cases, mostly to do with charges and combat rolls. He should have been able to take out the Bikers and Watch Captain in combat against the Daemon Prince. Had he done this, he would have scored more maelstrom points for his cards.
Seizing the initiative was a nice bonus, allowing him to get closer to my lines. However, he didn't really have much firepower to threaten my army, so most of my forces were relatively unharmed. Had the Maulerfiend made the first turn charge against the Bikers, I would have been in more trouble, as I may have lost a biker unit on turn 1.
The new Beta Bolter rules were great for my Bikers. This allowed them to hold back and put out a lot of strong firepower on my first turns. Their Hellfire Bolts were great for taking on the Chaos Spawn, as their higher toughness was no defence against the Bolts. This allowed me to take out the Spawn quite quickly.
One mistake in the game was falling back the Rhino from combat with the Possessed. I didn't realise they had two wounds each, so though I would have enough firepower to take out the unit on my right flank, but I didn't. Leaving the Rhino in combat would have held them up, as they would be unlikely to take out the vehicle in my turn.
Overall, a fun game. I like the construction of the army. The Bikers give me some good mobility and firepower, while the Meltaguns and Missile Launchers give me some good anti-tank firepower. The lack of command points from not fielding a double Battalion hurts, as I am generally down to 6 after using the Teleportarium stratagem.