Battle Report 65- 1850 pts White Scars vs Mechanicus/Skitarii

For this week's battle report, my White Scars take on Raymond's Mechanicus and Skitarii in one of the special missions from the Angels of Death supplement.

 

I've been wanting to try some of the new scenarios from the Angels of Death and Death from the Skies books, and hope to try most of these interesting new scenarios over the next few months. These missions provide some very different ways to play for both armies and should hopefully provide some unusual games.

For my White Scars, this was one of my last games before Caledonian Revolution, so I took a modified version of my army list. My army for the game consisted of:

Scarblade Strike Force

Hunting Force

Khan- Moondrakken (with CS)

Command Squad- Bikes, Apothecary, 4 grav guns, 4 storm shields, Banner of the Eagle (CS)

6 Bikers- 2 grav guns, sergeant with power axe and meltabombs (BS1)

6 Bikers- 2 grav guns, sergeant with meltabombs (BS2)

Attack Bike- Multimelta (AB)

6 Scout Bikers- 2 Grenades launchers, sergeant with meltabombs and homing beacon (SB)

Stormbringer Squadron

5 Scouts- bolt pistols, combat weapons, sergeant with meltabombs (S1)

Landspeeder Storm- Heavy Bolter, Cerberus Launcher (LS1)

Landspeeder- Multimelta, Typhoon Missile Launcher (L)

 

Combined Arms Detachment

Chaplian- Bike, Hunter's Eye, Meltabombs (with CS or L2)

5 Scouts- Bolters, sergeant with meltabombs (S2)

Landspeeder Storm- Heavy Bolter, Cerberus Launcher (LS2)

3 Bikers- 2 meltaguns, sergeant with meltabombs (BS3)

3 Centurions- Grav cannons and grav amps, hurricane bolters (C)

Drop Pod (DP)

Stormhawk Interceptor- TL assault cannon, Skyhammer missile launcher, Las-talon (SI)

I dropped the Librarian from my last list and added a bike-mounted Chaplain. This would hopefully give the Command Squad a bit more punch in combat and add an additional character with an invulnerable save.
I also added the Banner of the Eagle to the Command Squad to give my White Scars units fleet and furious charge to help them further in combat. I also added a power axe to one of my bike units to add some much needed AP2 in combat.

Finally, I decided to test the Stormhawk Interceptor to see how it performed in this game.

My warlord trait was fixed with Khan, giving me a morale check re-roll bubble (as well as allowing Scout).

Raymond's army consisted of:
War Convocation
Battle Maniple
Sydonian Dragoon- Broad spectrum data-tether (D)
Onager Dunecrawler- Broad spectrum data-tether, Emanatus force field (DC)
5 Sicarian Infiltrators- Infiltrator Princeps, stubcarbines and power swords (I)
5 Sicarian Ruststalkers- Ruststalker Princeps, transonic razor, chordclaw, mindscrambler grenades (R1)
5 Skitarii Rangers- Ranger Alpha, 2 Plasma Caliver, Galvanic rifles (R2)
10 Skitarii Vanguard- 2 Plasma Calivers, radium carbine (V)

Knight Warden- Stormshear rocket pod, Reaper Chainsword, heavy stubber, Avenger Gatling Cannon (IK)

Battle Congregation
Tech Priest Dominus- Artificer armour, conversion field, Erradication ray, infoslave skull, Macrostubber, Mechadendrite harness, power axe, Raiment of the Technomartyr, Scryerskull (with D1)
3 Kataphron Destroyers- Heavy grav-cannon, phosphor blaster (D1)
3 Kataphron Destroyers- Heavy grav-cannon, phosphor blaster (D2)

Imperial Bunker

Librarius Conclave (LC)
Tigirius
Librarian 1- force sword
Librarian 2- force sword

His warlord trait gave the Tech Priest eternal warrior. His psychic powers were:
Tigirius- Terrify, Hallucination, Invisibility, Psychic Shriek
Librarian 1- Chasm, Earth Blood, Shifting Worldscape
Librarian 2- Chasm, Warp Quake, Shifting Worldscape

Raymond's army looked pretty solid. The Destroyers can put out a huge number of grav shots that could shred my bikers, while a Knight is always a tricky opponent.

The mission we decided to play was Hammer Blow. In this, the defender sets up in one half of the board with all 3 objectives in their deployment zone. The Space Marine player moves on the board in their first turn and has to advance on the enemy guns to claim the objectives. The Marine player automatically gets the first turn.

We set up the objectives as shown below:

 

Due to the scenario rules, Raymond deployed first. He set up most of his army in a castle on his left flank. The bunker went near the middle, with one unit of Destroyers, his Tech Priest and the Librarius Conclave embarked in it. The Rangers, Vanguard and Dunecrawler went behind the Aegis line, while a second unit of destroyers went in the ruins to his left. The Knight and Dragoon went on the extreme left flank.

With that, there was no set up for me. All my units would enter play on the first turn of the game and I would get the first turn automatically.

For my hunting force, I chose the following targets:
Primary- Tech Priest Dominus
Secondary- Librarius Conclave
Tertiary- Unit of Destroyers

TURN 1- WHITE SCARS

The Khan issued the order for attack, the White Scars units surging forward to break the enemy defences.

The drop pod carrying the Centurions crashed to the ground in front of the ruins, scattering slightly off the objective where they were aiming. The attack bike outflanked on the right flank, hoping to get in melta range of the Knight. A Landspeeder Storm and the unit of meltagun bikers outflanked on the left, using the cover of the ruins to stay out of range.

The rest of the army moved on opposite the Mechanicus forces, the three bike squads turbo-boosting to advance as far as possible to combat the enemy.

The attack bike fired its multimelta at the Imperial Knight, penetrating the enemy walker and taking 4 hull points from it. The nearby Centurions fired at the Destroyers taking shelter in the ruins beside them. The grav-cannons and hurricane bolters tore into the unit, obliterating them from the battlefield.

The Scout Bikers opened fire on the Rangers, wounding them 5 times, but the cover of the Aegis line saved all but one of the wounds. The Landspeeder fired at the Vanguard unit, killing two of the squad. Both Landspeeder Storms added their firepower against the Vanguard, killing one more of the squad.

The White Scars had moved in fast and hit hard, it was now up to the Mechanicus forces to reply.

TURN 1- MECHANICUS/SKITARII

Raymond used his Canticles to give the army Stealth and Shrouded, as well as increase the ballistic skill of his Skitarii units.

The Rangers and Vanguard units manned the defence line, readying themselves for the assault of the astartes. The Infiltrators and Dragoon advanced on the Centruions, while the Ruststalkers moved into the ruins.

In the psychic phase, Tigirius cast Invisibility on the Knight, making the mighty walker even harder to kill. He then cast Hallucination on the Command Squad (which I failed to block), hindering the elite unit. Finally, he opened a Chasm beneath the Centurions, wounding one of the lumbering warriors.

The Destroyers opened fire at the Command Squad, their grav fire killing one of the unit. The Magos fired at the unit, wounding them once, but their storm shields blocked the damage. The Dunecrawler and Vanguard fired at the Command Squad, wounding them 9 times, but were unable to get past their considerable protection. Finally, the Rangers were able to bring down two of the Veterans, wounding the Chaplain in the process.

The Infiltrators fired at the Centurions, killing one of the squad with their weapons. The Knight turned its attention to the attack bike, easily obliterating the jinking riders with his gatling cannon.

The Infiltrators and Dragoons assaulted the Centurions, the combined attacks of both units finishing off the two Centurions (it didn't help that I failed five of my nine 2+ saves).

TURN 2- WHITE SCARS

The Stormhawk arrived, moving up the right flank to support the Scout Bikers and Bike squad advancing on the Infiltrators. The Command Squad moved to engage the Rangers, the other bike squad advanced on the Vanguard, while the Meltagun bike squad moved up on the Dunecrawler.

The three-man bike squad fired at the Dunecrawler, but missed with both their meltaguns (doesn't this always happen?). The Bike squad in front of the Vanguard fired their bolters at the unit, but were unable to kill any of the squad, thanks to the 2+ cover save granted by the Aegis line and Canticles. Both Landspeeder Storms fired at the Vanguard, but their 2+ cover save was too powerful and none fell. The Command Squad fired their bolters at the Rangers, killing two of the squad. The Landspeeder fired at the Dunecrawler, the multi-melta glancing the vehicle once.

On the right flank, the Stormhawk fired at the Dragoon, the las-talon penetrating the walker and immobilising it. The assault cannon and skyhammer missiles were unable to finish off the walker.

The Bike Squad and Scout Bikers fired at the Infiltrators, but a combination of their cover save and feel no pain rolls meant they emerged from the hail of fire unscathed.

In the assault phase, the Bike Squad and Scout Bikers assaulted the Infiltrators. Raymond managed an impressive 8 overwatch hits, but failed to kill any of the bikers as they charged. Thanks to the hunting force rules, I scored 15 hammer of wrath wounds, but only caused 5 wounds as Raymond made 4 saves and 6 feel no pain rolls. The Infiltrators struck at the Bike squad, killing one of the unit. Both units of White Scars struck back, wiping out the Infiltrators.

The Command Squad assaulted the Rangers, easily killing the unit in combat.

The other 6-man bike squad assaulted the Vanguard, their hammer of wrath wounds killing 5 of the unit. The Bikers struck at the Vanguard, killing the rest of the unit before they could attack.

The three-man bike squad assaulted the Dunecrawler. The walker was unable to kill any bikers and the Sergeant's meltabombs penetrated the walker, shaking it.

TURN 2- MECHANICUS/SKITARII

The Imperial Knight moved up to combat the bike squad in front of it, while the Ruststalkers advanced on the enemy forces.

The Librarius Conclave cast Invisibility on the Imperial Knight once more. They then cast Hallucination on the White Scars bikers in front of them, but they passed their pinning test. Finally, they cast Scorched Earth on the White Scars units in front of them, but failed to cause any harm.

In the shooting phase, the Knight opened fire at the Stormhawk, penetrating it once, but the jinking flyer saved itself from harm. He then opened fire on the bikers with his gatling cannon and heavy flamer, but only managed to kill one of the jinking bikers. The Dragoon fired at the same squad, but could not harm the jinking bikers.

The Destroyers opened fire on the bike squad in front of the bunker, killing 5 of the squad in a hail of grav fire. The lone survivor broke and fell back 15".

The Knight charged the bikers, their grav overwatch fire bouncing off its Ion shield and leaving it unharmed. The Knight killed three bikers in total (one with hammer of wrath and two with its chainsword). The sergeant's meltabombs failed to hit the Knight, while the superheavy walker's Stomp attacks failed to damage the bikers. The lone Sergeant hit and ran out of combat, moving 14" away towards the centre of the battlefield.

In the other combat, the biker sergeant's meltabombs finally took down the Dunecrawler.

TURN 3- WHITE SCARS

The Command Squad moved up to target the Ruststalkers, while the rest of the White Scars forces moved to engage the Bunker (to get to the soft, gooey insides!).

The Scouts, the landspeeder storm, lone grav biker and Command Squad opened fire on the Ruststalkers, killing four of the unit with their combined firepower.

The Scout Bikers fired on the Dragoon, destroying it with their grenade launchers.

The meltagun bikers fired at the bunker, penetrating it twice and causing it to detonate. The resulting explosion killed one of the Librarians from the Conclave, but left the Destroyers unharmed.

The Landspeeder fired its multimelta and missiles at the Destroyers, killing one of the unit.

The Stormhawk fired at the Librarius conclave. Despite snap firing, it managed to kill off a Librarian and take two wounds off of Tigirius (I rolled a lot of 6's!).

In the assault phase, the Command Squad and lone Sergeant assaulted the Ruststalker, Khan killing the last member of the squad with his power weapon.

The 3-man bike squad, lone grav marine and scouts charged the Tech Priest and Destroyers. Their hammer of wrath attacks wounded the Tech Priest once. The three squads struck, wounding the Destroyers three times. The Tech Priest and Destroyers struck back, but failed to wound the White Scars units. The Mechanicus forces tried to flee, but were caught and cut down by the pursuing White Scars.

TURN 3- MECHANICUS/SKITARII

The Imperial Knight advanced on the Command Squad, while Tigirius advanced on the lone biker sergeant.

In the psychic phase, Tigirius cast Invisibility on the Knight once more.

The Knight fired its missiles at the Scouts, killing one of the squad, while its heavy stubber accounted for 2 more of the White Scars warriors. It then fired its Gatling Cannon at the Command Squad, but all four wounds were saved.

Tigirius fired his bolt pistol at the lone Biker, but failed to wound him. He then launched himself into the assault, but was cut down by the overwatch fire of the sergeant's bolters.

The Knight charged the Command Squad, their overwatch fire managing to take a hull point from the enemy vehicle. The Knight struck at the unit, killing one of the squad. The Chaplain failed to hit the Knight with his meltabombs. The Knight stomped at the unit 3 times, but some poor rolling saw the squad come to no harm. Khan led his unit out of combat, hit and running away from the threat.

TURN 4- WHITE SCARS

The White Scars advanced on the Knight, surrounding him to hopefully negate the advantage of the Ion Shield.

The Landspeeder and meltagun bikes fired at the mighty walker, but were unable to hit the Invisible target. The biker at the rear arc managed to hit with his krak grenade, but was unable to glance the walker.

The units then charged the Knight. The Imperial Knight struck down two of the scouts, wiping out the unit. I struck with four meltabombs from the 4 different units, but failed to roll any 6's to hit. The Stomp attacks again caused no damage (Raymond was not having a lot of luck with these). I lost the combat, but only the lone biker fled from the combat.

TURN 4- MECHANICUS/SKITARII

With his only model on the table being locked in combat, this was a very quick turn indeed.

The Imperial Knight struck at the enemy facing him, killing one of the bikers. In reply, all three squads hit with their meltabombs, with all three penetrating the superheavy walker. The Knight exploded, killing the Chaplain and immobilising the Speeder.

With that, the game was over. The White Scars had wiped out the enemy with their Hammer Blow and seized all the objectives.

End of the Game.

VICTORY POINTS:
White Scars- 10 (3 objectives and most kill points)
Mechanicus/Skitarii- 0

AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Mike:
Thanks to Raymond for finally getting a game together, sorry it was such a blowout in the end.

Firstly, I'll focus on my army selection. I liked the modifications that I made to the army. Dropping the Librarian for the Chaplain was a good decision. Coming up against a Librarius Conclave once more meant that my own Librarian would likely have done very little during the game. The Chaplain on the other hand was able to boost my combat ability and give me another invulnerable save to help me in combat.
I also really liked the Banner of the Eagle. It gives a big boost to my units in range, improving their chances of making a charge and allowing them to hit harder in the first turn of combat.

This was one of the first games where I was able to make use of the double hammer of wrath hits that the Hunting Force provides. It is an incredibly powerful ability and a guaranteed 12, S5 hits in the first turn of combat (assuming everyone can get to base contact) makes a huge difference against most opponents. I never used the bonus re-rolls granted by the Scarblade strike force- I would much rather ensure that my charge makes it in than risk the chance of failing an 8" charge (even with fleet) just to get the bonus. I hadn't planned to turbo-boost all my bike units in the first turn, but after taking out the Destroyer unit and half killing the Knight, I figured that I best not shoot with my bike units or the game would effectively be over after the first turn.

I also liked the Stormhawk Interceptor. We did not use the Death From the Skies rules, so I was firing with it as full ballistic skill. The extra weapon was great, providing some increased firepower over the Stormtalon.

Once again, the Command Squad were able to tank a lot of firepower that would have wiped out a lesser unit. Raymond focused a lot of firepower on them in the first turn to very little effect, thanks to some well above average rolling from me.

As for the scenario Hammer Blow, I think it is a decent new scenario, but really did not work with the armies we had chosen.

I wanted to try my White Scars tournament list once more before Caledonian Revolution, so it was a strong list (at least, in my opinion). This made it far too powerful for this scenario, where I was able to outflank many of my units and get to the enemy very quickly. I actually chose not to outflank with most of my army, as I thought it would be far too powerful and pretty much ensure a first turn victory.

Getting automatic first turn is also very powerful for the Space Marine forces in the scenario, ensuring an alpha strike against your opponent (they cannot roll to seize).

I think if I was to play this scenario again, I would take a more thematic army, maybe more tactical squads in rhinos and some assault squads. This would hopefully make for a more interesting and closer game.

Raymond:
So I knew this would be a tough game, there was little I could do but tough it out in the first turn. Going first was a major advantage, but Michael was kind enough to not pop my Imperial Knight in the first round.

My main areas of weakness:
Lack of knowledge in using psychic powers (never used them before), not recognising the full potential of psychic shriek, and how White Scars play and how they are fielded. Especially the biker squads with the double HoWs!
I hope you enjoyed the battle report. I think next time I play one of the scenarios, I might try one of the ones that puts the marine player at a disadvantage.