This week's Battle Report sees my White Scars take on Ben's Orks.
I have been following the Frontline Gaming series on updating White Scars for 8th edition with great interest. It talks about using the White Scars Chapter Tactics to their best extent. Based on the suggestions, I've had a look at changing my list around a bit to further suit 8th edition. I purchased some Assault Marines, Scouts and Vanguard Veterans from ebay to add to my army.
My army consisted of:
Battalion Detachment
Captain- Bike, Power Fist, Shield Eternal (C1)
Librarian- Jump Pack, Force Stave, Might of Heroes, Veil of Time (L1)
5 Scouts- Bolters (S1)
5 Scouts- Bolters (S2)
5 Scouts- Close Combat Weapons, Bolt Pistols (S3)
5 Assault Marines- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords, Flamer (AM1)
5 Assault Marines- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords (AM2)
5 Assault Marines- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords (AM3)
Battalion Detachment
Captain- Jump Pack, Master-Crafted Bolter, Power Axe (C2)
Lieutenant- Jump Pack, Power Fist (L2)
5 Tactical Marines- Heavy Bolter (TM1)
5 Tactical Marines- Missile Launcher (TM2)
5 Tactical Marines- Missile Launcher (TM3)
5 Vanguard Veterans- 2 Pairs of Lightning Claws each (VV1)
5 Vanguard Veterans- 2 Chainswords each (VV2)
10 Sternguard Veterans- Special Issue Boltguns (SV)
Rhino- 2 Storm Bolters (R)
6 Scout Bikers- Twin Bolters, Shotguns (SB)
5 Devastators- 3 Heavy Bolters (D1)
5 Devastators- 2 Missile Launchers, Lascannon (D2)
The army is based around the Space Marine characters, who can hit hard in combat and can buff nearby units. The Jump Pack units also benefit from the White Scars Chapter Tactics, as they can fall back from combat and still shoot and assault.
Ben's army consisted of:
Spearhead Detachment
Big Mek- Kustom Force Field, Kombi-Scorcha, Tenacious Survivor (BM1)
Squiggoth- Gorin' Horns, Kannon (S1)
Squiggoth- Gorin' Horns, Kannon (S2)
4 Mek Guns- Kustom Mega Kannons, 20 Grot Gunners (MG for Mek Gun, G for Grots)
3 Mek Guns- Kustom Mega Kannons, 15 Grot Gunners
Vanguard Detachment
Big Mek- Kustom Force Field, Big Choppa (BM2)
Nob- Kombi-Scorcha, Waaagh Banner (N)
15 Tankbustas- Nob, 4 Bomb Squigs (T1)
10 Tankbustas- Nob (T2)
10 Tankbustas- Nob (T3)
Super Heavy Auxiliary Detachment
Gargantuan Squiggoth- Huge Tusks, 2 Supa Lobbas, 2 Twin Big Shootas, 3 Big Shootas (GS)
An unusual Ork army, containing a ton of Tankbustas, guns and three Squiggoths. They could take some cracking, but hopefully my Devastators and Tacticals could take care of them.
Ben was wanting to practice for an upcoming tournament, so we used the ETC missions. These consisted of an Eternal War and Maelstrom mission. The Eternal War mission was Resupply Drop, the maelstrom mission was Kill Confirmed.
We set up the objectives as shown below, the placement being fixed by the mission:
Ben won the roll to deploy first. We deployed as shown below:
I was able to force Ben to deploy his Sguiggoths first, as I put a number of my units in deep strike reserve. I put the bulk of my forces on the opposite side of them, hoping to keep them out of combat for longer. I put one unit of Scouts on the right to hold the objective. My plan was to rush the Big guns and try and take them out, then target the Sguiggoths and try to take them out. I put two units of Scouts in the ruins in front of the Big Guns. If I got the first turn, I could charge them and stop the bulk of their firepower.
Ben won the roll off for first turn. I rolled to seize and succeeded. However, I chose not to take the first turn. I wanted to see how the army would fare without the first turn.
TURN 1- ORKS
On his first turn, Ben drew Secure Objective 6, Defend Objective 4 and Behind Enemy Lines.
The Squiggoths moved up on the left flank, the Big Mek advancing to keep up with them. On the right flank, the Grots spread out on their lines.
In the shooting phase, one of the Sguiggoths targeted the Scouts in the ruins, but failed to hit with any of its shots. The second Squiggoth targeted a unit of Tactical Marines with the Missile Launcher killing one of the squad in the open. The Big Mek fired on the Scouts, but was unable to harm them with his Shoota.
The Big Guns then opened fire on the Scouts. Two of the Guns targeted the Scout squad in front of them, killing two with their combined firepower. The Tankbustas then targeted the Bolter Scouts in the ruins, wounding them 4 times, but I made three of my saves.
The Gargantuan Squiggoth then targeted a Scout unit with its firepower, killing two with its Kannon fire and massed Big Shoota fire.
Two more of the Big Guns targeted the Scouts and were finally able to wipe out the Squad. The sixth Big Gun fired on the second Scout unit, killing all but one of the squad.
The final two Big Guns targeted the Missile Launcher Devastators, killing three of the squad. In the morale phase, the Scouts and Devastators passed their morale tests.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored First Blood only.
TURN 1- WHITE SCARS
In my first turn, I drew Domination (hold all the objectives), Secure Objective 4 and Defend Objective 3.
The Scout Bikers advanced on the Big Guns, using the Born in the Saddle stratagem to keep their combat effectiveness. The lone Scout moved up to support them, joined by the White Scars Characters and one of the Assault Squads. The Rhino moved to secure the objective.
One of the Vanguard Veteran units arrived from reserve, landing beside one of the Squiggoths.
In the psychic phase, the Librarian cast Smite, killing two of the Grots. He then attempted to cast Might of Heroes, but failed in the attempt.
In the shooting phase, the Sternguard fired at one of the Big Guns, causing three wounds thanks to their Masterful Marksmanship stratagem. The two Devastators fired their Missile Launcher and Lascannon at the damaged Big Gun, destroying it with the use of one command point in the process.
The Scouts on the right flank fired their Bolters at the Squiggoth and managed to take a wound from it.
Two of the Tactical Squads fired their Missile Launchers at another Big Gun, wounding it four times with one of the Missiles. The White Scars characters added their firepower to the damaged gun, but failed to harm it.
The Scout Bikers split their fire between two of the Big Guns. Their Bolter fire destroyed one of the units, while the Shotguns did two wounds on another.
In the charge phase, the Vanguard Veterans assaulted the Sguiggoth. On the other flank, the Scout and Scout Bikers assaulted the Grots.
The Vanguard Veterans struck at the Squiggoth with their Lightning Claws and managed to do a great 7 wounds on it! The Scout Bikers were able to kill two of the Grot units.
In reply, the Squiggoth was able to kill one of the Vanguard Veterans.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 4 and discarded Domination.
VICTORY POINTS:
Orks- 0 maelstrom points, First Blood = 1
White Scars- 1 maelstrom point = 1
TURN 2- ORKS
In his second turn, Ben still had Behind Enemy Lines, Defend Objective 4 and Secure Objective 6.
The Grots dragged their Big Guns out of combat, away from the White Scars assault. One of the Squiggoths moved up to support its brethren against the Vanguard Veterans.
The Gargantuan Squiggoth moved towards the attackers on the right flank.
In the shooting phase, the Big Mek fired at the lone Scout, but failed to do any damage. The nearby Grot gunners fired on the lone Scout and were able to kill him.
One Squiggoth fired on a Tactical Squad, killing one with its Kannon. The second Squiggoth fired at the same squad, but was unable to do any damage. One of the Tankbusta squads in the Squiggoth fired on the Tactical Squad, wounding them four times. I was able to make three of my saves and only one more Marine perished.
The Tankbustas on the Gargantuan Squiggoth fired on the Rhino, wounding it 7 times. I made four of my saves, and the Rhino was left on one wound. A Big Gun fired on the transport vehicle and was able to destroy it. The adjacent Big Gun fired at the two Devastators in the ruins and was able to wipe out the squad.
The Gargantuan Squiggoth fired on the Devastators and Assault Marines, killing one in each squad.
In the charge phase, the Gargantuan Squiggoth charged the Scout Bikers, killing one on the charge. On the other flank, the Squiggoth charged the Vanguard Veterans, killing two with its charging hits.
The Gargantuan Squiggoth was able to kill three of the Scout Bikers, while the other Squiggoths were able to wipe out the Vanguard Veterans. The rest of the Scout Bikers passed their morale test.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored no maelstrom points and discarded Secure Objective 6.
TURN 2- WHITE SCARS
In my turn, I drew Overwhelming Firepower, No Prisoners and had Defend Objective 3.
The Assault Marines jumped over the ruins to target the Big Gun, joined by the Biker Captain, who moved around the ruins. The rest of the White Scars characters moved up to the ruins.
The Sternguard Veterans moved over to the objective. A unit of Assault Marines arrived from reserve, landing in the enemy deployment zone next to the Big Mek.
In the psychic phase, the Librarian was able to Smite and take three wounds from a Mek Gun. He then cast Might of Heroes on the Biker Captain.
The Assault Squad on the left flank fired on the wounded Mek Gun, destroying it. The Biker Captain fired on another Mek Gun, wounding it once. The Sternguard Veterans added their firepower, taking another wound from it.
The two Tactical Squads fired on a Squiggoth with their Missile Launchers, but both shots missed, despite using a command point re-roll. The Heavy Bolter Devastators fired at one of the Big Guns, destroying it.
The Assault Marines fired their Pistols at the Big Mek, but failed to do any damage.
In the charge phase, the two Scout Bikers charged one of the Mek Guns, but were wiped out by the overwatch fire. The Assault Marines in the centre charged the Grots, losing one of the squad in overwatch. I rolled a 6 and a 2 for the charge, re-rolling the 2 with a command point and getting a 1! On the left flank, the Captain and Assault Marines charged the Grots and Mek Gun.
The Assault Marines struck, killing 5 of the Grots. The Captain was able to kill one of the Mek Guns.
At the end of my turn, I scored No Prisoners for two points and Overwhelming Firepower. Ben also scored Defend Objective 4.
VICTORY POINTS:
Orks- 2 maelstrom points, First Blood = 3
White Scars- 4 maelstrom points = 4
TURN 3- ORKS
In his third turn, Ben drew Domination and secure Objective 2 to go with Behind Enemy Lines. Ben also rolled for the Eternal War objective and rolled Objective 1.
The Mek Gun and Grots fell back from combat with the White Scars, while the Big Mek moved into the Squiggoth.
The Gargantuan Squiggoth moved up on the Librarian, Captain and Lieutenant. On the left flank, one Squiggoth moved up on the Scouts, while the other moved back towards the Assault Marines.
The Tankbustas fired at the Tactical Squad in the ruins, killing one. Both Squiggoths fired their Kannons at the Tactical Squad, killing only one with their combined firepower. The second squad of Tankbustas fired at the same squad, killing one more.
The Nob fired at the Assault Marines, killing one of the squad. The Big Mek fired at the assault Marines, killing one with his Kombi-Scorcha.
The Tankbustas in the Gargantuan Squiggoth targeted the Sternguard, using the Dakka, Dakka, Dakka stratagem. They released their Bomb Squigs, killing two of the squad. The rest of the squad fired, hitting and wounding five times. I failed all 5 saves and the Veterans perished. The Gargantuan Squiggoth fired at the Sternguard, wiping out the unit.
To the north, two units of Grots fired on the Assault Marines, killing one of the squad. The nearby Mek Gun fired at the unit, wiping them out.
In the charge phase, the Gargantuan Squiggoth charged the Captain, Librarian and Lieutenant, using a command point to charge 9". The hammer of wrath attacks managed to kill the Captain and put three wounds on the Lieutenant.
The other Squiggoth tried to charge the Assault Marines, but failed. The other Squiggoth also failed to charge the Scouts.
In the fight phase, the Squiggoth managed to kill the Lieutenant and Librarian.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored Secure Objective 2.
TURN 3- WHITE SCARS
In my third turn, I drew Secure Objective 1, Secure Objective 2 and had Defend Objective 3. I rolled for my Eternal War mission and got Objective 3.
The Biker Captain moved up on the Squiggoth, using the Born in the Saddle stratagem to advance, while the Assault Marines moved up on the Grots. On the right flank, the Scouts moved up on the other Squiggoth, while the Assault Marines and Vanguard Veterans arrived beside them.
The Tactical Squad fired at the Squiggoth, using the Hellfire stratagem to do three mortal wounds on the beast. The Devastators fired their Heavy Bolters at it, doing a single wound.
On the right flank, the Scouts, Assault Marines and Vanguard Veterans fired on the Squiggoth, doing four wounds.
The Assault Marines fired on the Grots, killing two of the squad, while the Captain took a single wound from the Squiggoth in front of him.
In the charge phase, the Captain charged the Squiggoth. The Scouts and Vanguard Veterans charged the other Squiggoth, while the Assault Marines charged the Grots.
The Captain struck at the Squiggoth, but only managed to do three wounds with his attacks. In reply, the Squiggoth did a single wound that was saved by the Shield Eternal.
The Scouts and Vanguard Veterans struck at the other Squiggoth, taking four wounds from it and leaving it on 5 wounds. The Squiggoth was able to kill one Vanguard Veteran in reply.
The Assault Marines killed four of the Grots, the final Grot fleeing thanks to a failed morale test.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 1 and discarded Defend Objective 3.
VICTORY POINTS:
Orks- 3 maelstrom points, First Blood = 4
White Scars- 5 maelstrom points = 5
TURN 4- ORKS
In his fourth turn, Ben drew Hold the Line to go with Behind Enemy Lines and Domination.
The Tankbustas disembarked from the Squiggoth in combat with the Captain. The Tankbustas in the Gargantuan Squiggoth disembarked and advanced on the White Scars lines.
In the shooting phase, one of the Squiggoths fired at the Tactical Squad in the ruins, but failed to wound. The other fired at the Heavy Bolter Tactical Squad, but also failed to do any damage.
The Big Mek fired on the Assault Marines in the Ork deployment zone, killing one. The Grots fired a the same squad, killing another one.
One of the Mek Guns fired at the Heavy Bolter Devastators, slaying the unit. The second Big Gun fired at the Tactical Squad, killing one of them.
The Tankbustas in the centre fired at the Tactical Squad in the ruins, killing one. The other Tankbusta unit fired at the Assault Marines, killing two of the squad. The third squad of Tankbustas fired at a unit of Tactical Marines, wiping them out.
The Gargantuan Squiggoth fired on the Tactical Marines, killing one more.
In the charge phase, the Tankbustas assaulted the Captain in combat with the Squiggoth. The Big Mek charged the lone Assault Marine in the Ork deployment zone.
The Tankbustas struck at the Captain, wounding him once, but failing to get past his armour. The Big Mek struck at the Sergeant, hitting twice, but failing to wound.
The Squiggoth targeted the Captain, wounding him twice, but the Shield Eternal saved him from harm. The Captain hit the Squiggoth three times, but only managed a single wound on a 3+ for the second turn in a row. His power first did only a single wound.
The other Squiggoth killed one Vanguard Veteran, while the Veterans struck back and took three wounds from the beast (leaving it on 2).
At the end of the turn, Ben scored no maelstrom points.
TURN 4- WHITE SCARS
In my fourth turn, I had Defend Objective 4, Defend Objective 1 and Secure Objective 2.
The Vanguard Veterans fell back from combat, moving to aid the Captain, while the Assault Squad beside the objective moved up on the other Squiggoth. The Captain and Scouts fell back from combat.
The two Tactical Squads targeted the Squiggoth in combat with the Scouts. One hit and wounded, but Ben made his 6+ save and the Squiggoth survived!
The Assault Squad fired on the Squiggoth, but failed to do any damage.
In the charge phase, the Captain and Vanguard Veterans assaulted the Squiggoth, while the Scouts and Assault Marines charged the other Squiggoth.
The Captain struck at the Squiggoth, finally killing it. The Scouts and Assault Marines did three wounds on the other Squiggoth, but only one got through, leaving it on a single wound. The Squiggoth attacked back, but failed to do any damage.
At the end of the turn, I scored no maelstrom points .
We ran out of time, so called the game there.
VICTORY POINTS:
Orks- 3 maelstrom points, First Blood, 14 Kill Points = 18
White Scars- 5 maelstrom points, 9 kill points = 14
A victory for the Orks.
AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to Ben for a fun game. Man those Squiggoths were tough! The Gargantuan has toughness 8 and 35 wounds! There was little point in going for it, but I was glad I was able to take at least one of them out (the other was only on a single wound! Aaaargh!).
Despite the loss, I actually quite liked how the army performed. It's been a while since I played an MSU-type army, so it was a nice change of pace for the White Scars. The Jump Pack troops can be pretty powerful, getting to fall back and still shoot and assault. I think I'll be adding a few Plasma Pistols to the squads to give them a bit more of a punch in the shooting phase. A few more Plasma Pistol shots at those Squiggoths may have taken them out a bit sooner. Glad I saved a bunch of them in my bits box, who would have thought I would need Plasma Pistols again!
The Squiggoths and Mek Guns were a mean combo. The Squiggoths were decent in combat, but the big boost came from the charge mortal wounds they caused. Had I known that, I probably would have charged them with more of my units to help keep them protected. Annoyingly, charging them did not stop them or the Tankbustas inside from shooting, so there was little way to take them on without destroying the Squiggoths. I think if I was to play again, I would not go after them piecemeal. I would have sent all my Jump Pack reserves after them and tried to take one out. I then could have engaged the Tankbustas to stop them from shooting and maybe taken them out in the shooting phase and assault phase in the following turn.
The Mek Guns were also pretty powerful and I managed to take a few of them out with my shooting and assault, but there were too many to take out. It also didn't help that the Grot crew cannot be targeted unless they were the closest unit.
I like the army and will probably field something similar to test out their strategies. I am planning to add a Thunderfire Cannon, as the Tremor shells stratagem is pretty powerful. Halving the movement of one of the Squiggoths would have been great in this game, stopping them from getting into assault sooner. I also liked the Hellfire Stratagem, it is a great way to put unstoppable wounds on a big target each turn and slowly whittle it down.
I look forward to trying out more games with the White Scars in this sort of configuration.
Captain- Bike, Power Fist, Shield Eternal (C1)
Librarian- Jump Pack, Force Stave, Might of Heroes, Veil of Time (L1)
5 Scouts- Bolters (S1)
5 Scouts- Bolters (S2)
5 Scouts- Close Combat Weapons, Bolt Pistols (S3)
5 Assault Marines- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords, Flamer (AM1)
5 Assault Marines- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords (AM2)
5 Assault Marines- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords (AM3)
Battalion Detachment
Captain- Jump Pack, Master-Crafted Bolter, Power Axe (C2)
Lieutenant- Jump Pack, Power Fist (L2)
5 Tactical Marines- Heavy Bolter (TM1)
5 Tactical Marines- Missile Launcher (TM2)
5 Tactical Marines- Missile Launcher (TM3)
5 Vanguard Veterans- 2 Pairs of Lightning Claws each (VV1)
5 Vanguard Veterans- 2 Chainswords each (VV2)
10 Sternguard Veterans- Special Issue Boltguns (SV)
Rhino- 2 Storm Bolters (R)
6 Scout Bikers- Twin Bolters, Shotguns (SB)
5 Devastators- 3 Heavy Bolters (D1)
5 Devastators- 2 Missile Launchers, Lascannon (D2)
The army is based around the Space Marine characters, who can hit hard in combat and can buff nearby units. The Jump Pack units also benefit from the White Scars Chapter Tactics, as they can fall back from combat and still shoot and assault.
Ben's army consisted of:
Spearhead Detachment
Big Mek- Kustom Force Field, Kombi-Scorcha, Tenacious Survivor (BM1)
Squiggoth- Gorin' Horns, Kannon (S1)
Squiggoth- Gorin' Horns, Kannon (S2)
4 Mek Guns- Kustom Mega Kannons, 20 Grot Gunners (MG for Mek Gun, G for Grots)
3 Mek Guns- Kustom Mega Kannons, 15 Grot Gunners
Vanguard Detachment
Big Mek- Kustom Force Field, Big Choppa (BM2)
Nob- Kombi-Scorcha, Waaagh Banner (N)
15 Tankbustas- Nob, 4 Bomb Squigs (T1)
10 Tankbustas- Nob (T2)
10 Tankbustas- Nob (T3)
Super Heavy Auxiliary Detachment
Gargantuan Squiggoth- Huge Tusks, 2 Supa Lobbas, 2 Twin Big Shootas, 3 Big Shootas (GS)
An unusual Ork army, containing a ton of Tankbustas, guns and three Squiggoths. They could take some cracking, but hopefully my Devastators and Tacticals could take care of them.
Ben was wanting to practice for an upcoming tournament, so we used the ETC missions. These consisted of an Eternal War and Maelstrom mission. The Eternal War mission was Resupply Drop, the maelstrom mission was Kill Confirmed.
We set up the objectives as shown below, the placement being fixed by the mission:
Ben won the roll to deploy first. We deployed as shown below:
I was able to force Ben to deploy his Sguiggoths first, as I put a number of my units in deep strike reserve. I put the bulk of my forces on the opposite side of them, hoping to keep them out of combat for longer. I put one unit of Scouts on the right to hold the objective. My plan was to rush the Big guns and try and take them out, then target the Sguiggoths and try to take them out. I put two units of Scouts in the ruins in front of the Big Guns. If I got the first turn, I could charge them and stop the bulk of their firepower.
Ben won the roll off for first turn. I rolled to seize and succeeded. However, I chose not to take the first turn. I wanted to see how the army would fare without the first turn.
TURN 1- ORKS
On his first turn, Ben drew Secure Objective 6, Defend Objective 4 and Behind Enemy Lines.
The Squiggoths moved up on the left flank, the Big Mek advancing to keep up with them. On the right flank, the Grots spread out on their lines.
In the shooting phase, one of the Sguiggoths targeted the Scouts in the ruins, but failed to hit with any of its shots. The second Squiggoth targeted a unit of Tactical Marines with the Missile Launcher killing one of the squad in the open. The Big Mek fired on the Scouts, but was unable to harm them with his Shoota.
The Big Guns then opened fire on the Scouts. Two of the Guns targeted the Scout squad in front of them, killing two with their combined firepower. The Tankbustas then targeted the Bolter Scouts in the ruins, wounding them 4 times, but I made three of my saves.
The Gargantuan Squiggoth then targeted a Scout unit with its firepower, killing two with its Kannon fire and massed Big Shoota fire.
Two more of the Big Guns targeted the Scouts and were finally able to wipe out the Squad. The sixth Big Gun fired on the second Scout unit, killing all but one of the squad.
The final two Big Guns targeted the Missile Launcher Devastators, killing three of the squad. In the morale phase, the Scouts and Devastators passed their morale tests.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored First Blood only.
TURN 1- WHITE SCARS
In my first turn, I drew Domination (hold all the objectives), Secure Objective 4 and Defend Objective 3.
The Scout Bikers advanced on the Big Guns, using the Born in the Saddle stratagem to keep their combat effectiveness. The lone Scout moved up to support them, joined by the White Scars Characters and one of the Assault Squads. The Rhino moved to secure the objective.
One of the Vanguard Veteran units arrived from reserve, landing beside one of the Squiggoths.
In the psychic phase, the Librarian cast Smite, killing two of the Grots. He then attempted to cast Might of Heroes, but failed in the attempt.
In the shooting phase, the Sternguard fired at one of the Big Guns, causing three wounds thanks to their Masterful Marksmanship stratagem. The two Devastators fired their Missile Launcher and Lascannon at the damaged Big Gun, destroying it with the use of one command point in the process.
The Scouts on the right flank fired their Bolters at the Squiggoth and managed to take a wound from it.
Two of the Tactical Squads fired their Missile Launchers at another Big Gun, wounding it four times with one of the Missiles. The White Scars characters added their firepower to the damaged gun, but failed to harm it.
The Scout Bikers split their fire between two of the Big Guns. Their Bolter fire destroyed one of the units, while the Shotguns did two wounds on another.
In the charge phase, the Vanguard Veterans assaulted the Sguiggoth. On the other flank, the Scout and Scout Bikers assaulted the Grots.
The Vanguard Veterans struck at the Squiggoth with their Lightning Claws and managed to do a great 7 wounds on it! The Scout Bikers were able to kill two of the Grot units.
In reply, the Squiggoth was able to kill one of the Vanguard Veterans.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 4 and discarded Domination.
VICTORY POINTS:
Orks- 0 maelstrom points, First Blood = 1
White Scars- 1 maelstrom point = 1
TURN 2- ORKS
In his second turn, Ben still had Behind Enemy Lines, Defend Objective 4 and Secure Objective 6.
The Grots dragged their Big Guns out of combat, away from the White Scars assault. One of the Squiggoths moved up to support its brethren against the Vanguard Veterans.
The Gargantuan Squiggoth moved towards the attackers on the right flank.
In the shooting phase, the Big Mek fired at the lone Scout, but failed to do any damage. The nearby Grot gunners fired on the lone Scout and were able to kill him.
One Squiggoth fired on a Tactical Squad, killing one with its Kannon. The second Squiggoth fired at the same squad, but was unable to do any damage. One of the Tankbusta squads in the Squiggoth fired on the Tactical Squad, wounding them four times. I was able to make three of my saves and only one more Marine perished.
The Tankbustas on the Gargantuan Squiggoth fired on the Rhino, wounding it 7 times. I made four of my saves, and the Rhino was left on one wound. A Big Gun fired on the transport vehicle and was able to destroy it. The adjacent Big Gun fired at the two Devastators in the ruins and was able to wipe out the squad.
The Gargantuan Squiggoth fired on the Devastators and Assault Marines, killing one in each squad.
In the charge phase, the Gargantuan Squiggoth charged the Scout Bikers, killing one on the charge. On the other flank, the Squiggoth charged the Vanguard Veterans, killing two with its charging hits.
The Gargantuan Squiggoth was able to kill three of the Scout Bikers, while the other Squiggoths were able to wipe out the Vanguard Veterans. The rest of the Scout Bikers passed their morale test.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored no maelstrom points and discarded Secure Objective 6.
TURN 2- WHITE SCARS
In my turn, I drew Overwhelming Firepower, No Prisoners and had Defend Objective 3.
The Assault Marines jumped over the ruins to target the Big Gun, joined by the Biker Captain, who moved around the ruins. The rest of the White Scars characters moved up to the ruins.
The Sternguard Veterans moved over to the objective. A unit of Assault Marines arrived from reserve, landing in the enemy deployment zone next to the Big Mek.
In the psychic phase, the Librarian was able to Smite and take three wounds from a Mek Gun. He then cast Might of Heroes on the Biker Captain.
The Assault Squad on the left flank fired on the wounded Mek Gun, destroying it. The Biker Captain fired on another Mek Gun, wounding it once. The Sternguard Veterans added their firepower, taking another wound from it.
The two Tactical Squads fired on a Squiggoth with their Missile Launchers, but both shots missed, despite using a command point re-roll. The Heavy Bolter Devastators fired at one of the Big Guns, destroying it.
The Assault Marines fired their Pistols at the Big Mek, but failed to do any damage.
In the charge phase, the two Scout Bikers charged one of the Mek Guns, but were wiped out by the overwatch fire. The Assault Marines in the centre charged the Grots, losing one of the squad in overwatch. I rolled a 6 and a 2 for the charge, re-rolling the 2 with a command point and getting a 1! On the left flank, the Captain and Assault Marines charged the Grots and Mek Gun.
The Assault Marines struck, killing 5 of the Grots. The Captain was able to kill one of the Mek Guns.
At the end of my turn, I scored No Prisoners for two points and Overwhelming Firepower. Ben also scored Defend Objective 4.
VICTORY POINTS:
Orks- 2 maelstrom points, First Blood = 3
White Scars- 4 maelstrom points = 4
TURN 3- ORKS
In his third turn, Ben drew Domination and secure Objective 2 to go with Behind Enemy Lines. Ben also rolled for the Eternal War objective and rolled Objective 1.
The Mek Gun and Grots fell back from combat with the White Scars, while the Big Mek moved into the Squiggoth.
The Gargantuan Squiggoth moved up on the Librarian, Captain and Lieutenant. On the left flank, one Squiggoth moved up on the Scouts, while the other moved back towards the Assault Marines.
The Tankbustas fired at the Tactical Squad in the ruins, killing one. Both Squiggoths fired their Kannons at the Tactical Squad, killing only one with their combined firepower. The second squad of Tankbustas fired at the same squad, killing one more.
The Nob fired at the Assault Marines, killing one of the squad. The Big Mek fired at the assault Marines, killing one with his Kombi-Scorcha.
The Tankbustas in the Gargantuan Squiggoth targeted the Sternguard, using the Dakka, Dakka, Dakka stratagem. They released their Bomb Squigs, killing two of the squad. The rest of the squad fired, hitting and wounding five times. I failed all 5 saves and the Veterans perished. The Gargantuan Squiggoth fired at the Sternguard, wiping out the unit.
To the north, two units of Grots fired on the Assault Marines, killing one of the squad. The nearby Mek Gun fired at the unit, wiping them out.
In the charge phase, the Gargantuan Squiggoth charged the Captain, Librarian and Lieutenant, using a command point to charge 9". The hammer of wrath attacks managed to kill the Captain and put three wounds on the Lieutenant.
The other Squiggoth tried to charge the Assault Marines, but failed. The other Squiggoth also failed to charge the Scouts.
In the fight phase, the Squiggoth managed to kill the Lieutenant and Librarian.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored Secure Objective 2.
TURN 3- WHITE SCARS
In my third turn, I drew Secure Objective 1, Secure Objective 2 and had Defend Objective 3. I rolled for my Eternal War mission and got Objective 3.
The Biker Captain moved up on the Squiggoth, using the Born in the Saddle stratagem to advance, while the Assault Marines moved up on the Grots. On the right flank, the Scouts moved up on the other Squiggoth, while the Assault Marines and Vanguard Veterans arrived beside them.
The Tactical Squad fired at the Squiggoth, using the Hellfire stratagem to do three mortal wounds on the beast. The Devastators fired their Heavy Bolters at it, doing a single wound.
On the right flank, the Scouts, Assault Marines and Vanguard Veterans fired on the Squiggoth, doing four wounds.
The Assault Marines fired on the Grots, killing two of the squad, while the Captain took a single wound from the Squiggoth in front of him.
In the charge phase, the Captain charged the Squiggoth. The Scouts and Vanguard Veterans charged the other Squiggoth, while the Assault Marines charged the Grots.
The Captain struck at the Squiggoth, but only managed to do three wounds with his attacks. In reply, the Squiggoth did a single wound that was saved by the Shield Eternal.
The Scouts and Vanguard Veterans struck at the other Squiggoth, taking four wounds from it and leaving it on 5 wounds. The Squiggoth was able to kill one Vanguard Veteran in reply.
The Assault Marines killed four of the Grots, the final Grot fleeing thanks to a failed morale test.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 1 and discarded Defend Objective 3.
VICTORY POINTS:
Orks- 3 maelstrom points, First Blood = 4
White Scars- 5 maelstrom points = 5
TURN 4- ORKS
In his fourth turn, Ben drew Hold the Line to go with Behind Enemy Lines and Domination.
The Tankbustas disembarked from the Squiggoth in combat with the Captain. The Tankbustas in the Gargantuan Squiggoth disembarked and advanced on the White Scars lines.
In the shooting phase, one of the Squiggoths fired at the Tactical Squad in the ruins, but failed to wound. The other fired at the Heavy Bolter Tactical Squad, but also failed to do any damage.
The Big Mek fired on the Assault Marines in the Ork deployment zone, killing one. The Grots fired a the same squad, killing another one.
One of the Mek Guns fired at the Heavy Bolter Devastators, slaying the unit. The second Big Gun fired at the Tactical Squad, killing one of them.
The Tankbustas in the centre fired at the Tactical Squad in the ruins, killing one. The other Tankbusta unit fired at the Assault Marines, killing two of the squad. The third squad of Tankbustas fired at a unit of Tactical Marines, wiping them out.
The Gargantuan Squiggoth fired on the Tactical Marines, killing one more.
In the charge phase, the Tankbustas assaulted the Captain in combat with the Squiggoth. The Big Mek charged the lone Assault Marine in the Ork deployment zone.
The Tankbustas struck at the Captain, wounding him once, but failing to get past his armour. The Big Mek struck at the Sergeant, hitting twice, but failing to wound.
The Squiggoth targeted the Captain, wounding him twice, but the Shield Eternal saved him from harm. The Captain hit the Squiggoth three times, but only managed a single wound on a 3+ for the second turn in a row. His power first did only a single wound.
The other Squiggoth killed one Vanguard Veteran, while the Veterans struck back and took three wounds from the beast (leaving it on 2).
At the end of the turn, Ben scored no maelstrom points.
TURN 4- WHITE SCARS
In my fourth turn, I had Defend Objective 4, Defend Objective 1 and Secure Objective 2.
The Vanguard Veterans fell back from combat, moving to aid the Captain, while the Assault Squad beside the objective moved up on the other Squiggoth. The Captain and Scouts fell back from combat.
The two Tactical Squads targeted the Squiggoth in combat with the Scouts. One hit and wounded, but Ben made his 6+ save and the Squiggoth survived!
The Assault Squad fired on the Squiggoth, but failed to do any damage.
In the charge phase, the Captain and Vanguard Veterans assaulted the Squiggoth, while the Scouts and Assault Marines charged the other Squiggoth.
The Captain struck at the Squiggoth, finally killing it. The Scouts and Assault Marines did three wounds on the other Squiggoth, but only one got through, leaving it on a single wound. The Squiggoth attacked back, but failed to do any damage.
At the end of the turn, I scored no maelstrom points .
We ran out of time, so called the game there.
VICTORY POINTS:
Orks- 3 maelstrom points, First Blood, 14 Kill Points = 18
White Scars- 5 maelstrom points, 9 kill points = 14
A victory for the Orks.
 |
| End of the game. |
AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to Ben for a fun game. Man those Squiggoths were tough! The Gargantuan has toughness 8 and 35 wounds! There was little point in going for it, but I was glad I was able to take at least one of them out (the other was only on a single wound! Aaaargh!).
Despite the loss, I actually quite liked how the army performed. It's been a while since I played an MSU-type army, so it was a nice change of pace for the White Scars. The Jump Pack troops can be pretty powerful, getting to fall back and still shoot and assault. I think I'll be adding a few Plasma Pistols to the squads to give them a bit more of a punch in the shooting phase. A few more Plasma Pistol shots at those Squiggoths may have taken them out a bit sooner. Glad I saved a bunch of them in my bits box, who would have thought I would need Plasma Pistols again!
The Squiggoths and Mek Guns were a mean combo. The Squiggoths were decent in combat, but the big boost came from the charge mortal wounds they caused. Had I known that, I probably would have charged them with more of my units to help keep them protected. Annoyingly, charging them did not stop them or the Tankbustas inside from shooting, so there was little way to take them on without destroying the Squiggoths. I think if I was to play again, I would not go after them piecemeal. I would have sent all my Jump Pack reserves after them and tried to take one out. I then could have engaged the Tankbustas to stop them from shooting and maybe taken them out in the shooting phase and assault phase in the following turn.
The Mek Guns were also pretty powerful and I managed to take a few of them out with my shooting and assault, but there were too many to take out. It also didn't help that the Grot crew cannot be targeted unless they were the closest unit.
I like the army and will probably field something similar to test out their strategies. I am planning to add a Thunderfire Cannon, as the Tremor shells stratagem is pretty powerful. Halving the movement of one of the Squiggoths would have been great in this game, stopping them from getting into assault sooner. I also liked the Hellfire Stratagem, it is a great way to put unstoppable wounds on a big target each turn and slowly whittle it down.
I look forward to trying out more games with the White Scars in this sort of configuration.