This week's battle report sees my Deathwatch army take on Ben's Thousands Sons in the Contact Lost maelstrom of war mission.
Contact Lost is the mission where you get one card on turn 1, followed by a card for each objective you hold in the following turns, and we would be using Vanguard Strike deployment.
My army consisted of:
Battalion Detachment
Watch Master- Guardian Spear, Lord of Hidden Knowledge warlord trait (WM)
Watch Captain- Power Sword, Master Crafted Bolter, Tome of Ectoclades Relic (WC1)
Kill Team 1- 9 Veterans and 1 Terminator, Storm Bolters, Chainswords, Power Fist on Terminator (KT1)
10 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols
Kill Team 2- 5 Veterans with 5 Stalker Pattern Bolters (KT2)
Kill Team 3- 5 Veterans with Bolters and Chainswords (KT3)
Kill Team 3- 5 Veterans with Bolters and Chainswords (KT3)
3 Bikers- Twin Bolters (B1)
3 Bikers- Twin Bolters (B2)
3 Bikers- Twin Bolters (B2)
Battalion Detachment
Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Relic Blade, MC Bolter (WC2)
Watch Captain- Xenophase Blade, Combi-Melta (WC3)
Kill Team 4- 5 Veterans, 2 Missile Launchers, Bolters, Chainswords (KT4)
Kill Team 5- 5 Veterans, 2 Missile Launchers, Bolters, Chainswords (KT5)
Kill Team 6- 5 Veterans, 5 Shotguns, Storm Shield (KT6)
Kill Team 7- 5 Veterans, 2 Frag Cannons, Bolters, Chainswords, Storm Shield (KT7)
Rhino- 2 Storm Bolters (R1)
Rhino- 2 Storm Bolters (R2)
Razorback- Twin Lascannon, Storm Bolter (Rz)
Ben's army consisted of:
Battalion Detachment
Ahriman- Disc of Tzeentch, Death Hex, Doombolt, Warptime (A)
Exalted Sorcerer- Force Stave, Helm of the Third Eye, Inferno Bolt Pistol, Prescience, Temporal Manipulation (ES1)
5 Rubric Marines- Icon of Flame, Inferno Bolters, Force Stave, Tzeentch's Firestorm (RM1)
5 Rubric Marines- Icon of Flame, Inferno Bolters, Force Stave, Tzeentch's Firestorm, 3 Warpflamers, Warpflame Pistol (RM2)
15 Tzanngors- Brayhorn, Tzaangor Blades (T2)
Vanguard Detachment
Daemon Prince of Tzeentch- Malefic Talon, Warp Bolter, Wings, Prescience, Diabolic Strength, Gift of Chaos (DP)
Hellbrute- Twin Lascannon, Missile Launcher (H)
5 Scarab Occult Terminators- Combi-Bolters, Power Swords, Soulreaper Cannon, Hellfyre Missile Rack (T1)
Tzaangor Shaman- Force Stave, Weaver of Fates (S)
Spearhead Detachment
Enlightened Sorcerer- Force Stave, Warpflame Pistol, Boon of Mutation, Dark Matter Crystal, Temporal Manipulation (ES2)
Chaos Predator- Combi-Bolter, Havoc Launcher, Twin Lascannon, 2 Lascannons (P)
Defiler- Combi-Bolter, Defiler Scourge, Reaper Autocannon (D)
Mutalith Vortex Beast (VB)
A change up to the force I used the last time. The basis was the same, lots of Rubric Marines, Tzanngors and psykers. The Vortex Beast was a new addition to the army, I would be interested to see how it performed.
We set up the objectives as shown below:
We then deployed our forces.
I set up the two Kill Teams with Missile Launchers, the Watch Captain with the Tome and the Razorback on the left flank as my firebase. I put the plain Kill Team in front of them to block them off from enemy deep strikers, along with a unit of Bikers.
I put a Rhino and Bikers beside them on the right of the ruins. I put the Stalker Marines on the hill next to the objective, with another Rhino beside them. I put the big Kill Team, Intercessors and Watch Master in the Teleportarium, along with the Jump Pack Captain in reserve.
Ben deployed his Rubric Marines on each flank in cover. The Predator, Sorcerer and Defiler went to the left. The Tzaangors, Vortex Beast, Hellbrute and characters went to the right flank. The Occult Terminators went into reserve.
I won the roll off for first turn, and Ben failed to seize the initiative.
TURN 1- DEATHWATCH
In my first turn, I drew Psychological Warfare. For the Mission Tactics, I chose the Malleus Tactics (Heavy Support), while for the Tome I chose Dominatus Tactics (Elites).
On the right flank, the Rhino advanced into the cover of the ruins beside the objective. The Bikers in the centre moved up, accompanied by the other Rhino. The Kill Team on the left advanced towards the objective in the ruins, while the Biker squad moved back slightly to block enemy reserves.
In the shooting phase, the Rhino in the open used its Smoke Launchers. The Bikers on the left opened fire on the Rubric Marines, wounding four times, but failing to get past their armour.
The Bikers on the right fired at the Vortex Beast, wounding it twice with their Hellfire Shells. The Stalker Marines fired at the Beast with Hellfire Shells, wounding it three more times. The Kill Team on the left fired their Missiles at the Beast, wounding it twice, but it made both 5+ armour saves.
The second Kill Team fired their Missiles at the Defiler, one of the shots going through and doing 6 damage. The Razorback fired at the Defiler, getting two wounds with one command point. It took 7 damage, going down to only one wound. Close, but I had nothing left to try and take it out and get first blood.
At the end of my turn, I scored no points. However, I was in good position to be able to draw a number of cards in my following turn .
TURN 1- THOUSAND SONS
In his first turn, Ben drew Big Game Hunter.
The Daemon Prince and Tzaangors moved up on the Rhino. The Vortex Beast and Exalted Sorcerers moved up on the enemy Bikers.
The mammoth psychic phase of the Thousand Sons began. The Sorcerer cast Prescience on the Predator, then failed to cast Temporal Manipulation on the Defiler.
The Daemon Prince cast Diabolic Strength on itself, then cast Smite on the Rhino and doing 2 mortal wounds on it. The Shaman then cast Weaver of Fates on the Tzaangors. Ahriman cast Warp Time on the Tzaangors, moving them up towards the Bikers and Rhino. He then cast Smite on the Bikes, killing one, followed by Doombolt to kill one more.
The other Sorcerer cast Temporal Manipulation, but failed to heal the Vortex Beast. He then cast Boon of Mutation on himself, getting +1 to casting rolls. The Rubric Sorcerer then cast Glamour of Tzeentch.
The Vortex Beast then manifest two powers, Warpflame killing the last Biker and Chaotic Infusion failing to manifest.
In the shooting phase, the Rubric Marines fired their Warpflamers at the Rhino, hitting 11 times and managing to wound it three times. The Daemon Prince fired at the closest Kill Team, but failed to do any damage.
The Hellbrute used the Fire Frenzy stratagem to fire on the Rhino, hitting three times with the Lascannon, but failing to wound! Ben used a command point to wound and the Rhino took 2 damage. The Missiles only scored one hit, but also failed to wound! Not a great round from the Hellbrute.
The Defiler fired at the Rhino, managing to hit and wound once despite its weakened state, taking two more wounds from it and leaving it on one wound. The Predator fired at the Razorback (it couldn't see the Rhino), easily destroying it.
The Tzaangors charged the Rhino, only managing a 4" charge, but enough to get in. The Daemon Prince also charged.
The Daemon Prince attacked the Rhino, ripping apart the damaged vehicle. I rolled for the 6 passengers inside and rolled four 1's! I had to use a command point re-roll to save the two Frag Cannons and Captain. I deployed the survivors away from the Chaos units, so that they could not be consolidated.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored first blood and Big Game Hunter.
VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 0
Thousand Sons- 2
A pretty even first turn for both of us. I was behind in points at the moment, but was in a good position for getting more cards in my next turn.
TURN 2- DEATHWATCH
In my second turn, I drew Behind Enemy Lines, Domination, Secure Objective 2 and had Psychological Warfare. I changed the Mission Tactics to Furor (Troops) and changed the Tome of Ectoclades to Purgatus Tactics (HQ).
The Bikers on the left flank moved around beside the Daemon Prince and Tzaangors, while the Kill Team and Captain moved into the ruins towards the Tzaangors. On the left flank, the Kill Team moved into the ruins to secure the objective.
At the end of the phase, I brought in my reserves on the right flank, the Kill Team, Intercessors, Captain and Watch Master landing behind the Predator.
In the shooting phase, the Kill Team in the ruins turned their Frag Cannons on the Tzaangors, killing 7 of them. The Bikers fired at the Tzaangors with their Hellfire shells, killing four of the squad. The Captain killed two more of the Daemons, leaving two remaining.
The Stalker Marines fired at the Vortex Beast, wounding it four times. The Kill Team fired its Missiles at the Beast, wounding it twice. Ben managed to save both with a command point re-roll. The other Kill Team fired at the Daemon Prince. Their Bolters took one wound from the Daemon, the Missile Launchers wounding once and taking 6 wounds from it, leaving it on a single wound.
The Kill Team on the left targeted the Rubric Marines with their Vengeance shells, managing to kill one in cover.
On the right flank, the Intecessors used the Malleus Doctrine and fired at the Predator. They managed to put 7 wounds on the enemy vehicle with their Vengeance shell fire. The Captain was able to put another two wounds on the enemy vehicle, the Watch Master finally able to kill it off with his Guardian Spear.
The other Kill Team fired at the Rubric Marines with their Hellfire Shells, managing a great 33 wounds thanks to all their re-rolls. Ben made some fantastic saves and only three Rubric Marines fell. This was annoying, as I should have finished off the whole unit with that volley!
In the charge phase, the Storm Bolter Kill Team attempted a charge on the surviving Rubric Marines. I needed a 12" charge, but if I made it, I would have held all the objectives and scored Domination. As it was, I failed the charge, even with a command point re-roll.
The Jump Pack Watch Captain charged the Sorcerer, while the other Watch Captain assaulted the Daemon Prince. The Frag Cannon Kill Team and Bikers charged the remaining Tzaangors.
In the fight phase, the Captain struck at the Daemon Prince. He hit and wounded three times. The Prince passed his saves, but the Xenophase Blade forced him to re-roll and he failed a single save, slaying the enemy warlord.
Ben used two command points to interrupt with the Exalted Sorcerer, hitting and wounding the Captain four times. I saved three of the wounds and the Captain took 2 damage. The Captain struck back, but only managed to hit twice with two of his four attacks after I rolled four 1's in a row. The Relic Blade did a single wound, but the Sorcerer blocked it.
The Kill Team and Bikers attacked the Tzaangors, killing the unit.
In the morale phase, the Tzeentch forces passed their morale tests. At the end of my turn, I scored 1 point for Behind Enemy Lines, Secure Objective 2 and Slay the Warlord. I discarded Psychological Warfare.
TURN 2- THOUSAND SONS
In his second turn, Ben drew Secure Objective 3.
Ahriman and a Sorcerer moved up on the newly arrived Deathwatch reserves. The Shaman and Vortex Beast moved up on the Kill Team and Bikers in the ruins. The Defiler moved round towards the Jump Pack Captain. At the end of the phase, the Occult Terminators arrived, landing behind the Missile Launcher Kill Team. I was more concerned with blocking the Tzaangors, and didn't think the Terminators would arrive behind them.
In the psychic phase, the Sorcerer cast Temporal Manipulation on the Defiler, healing two wounds. He then cast Prescience on it.
The other psykers cast Icon of Flame and Tzeentch's Firestorm on the Storm Bolter Veterans, killing three of the squad. The Sorcerer then cast Boon of Mutation on himself. He failed to manifest the power, using a command point re-roll to pass the test. He rolled a 12 of the table and the Sorcerer was ripped apart as a Daemon Prince emerged from the warp.
I used Auspex Scan on the Storm Bolter Veterans to fire on the Daemon Prince. This was an interesting case. I assumed that as summoned units counted as arriving from reserve, the newly arrived Daemon Prince was also a valid target for the stratagem.
The Kill Team fired with their Hellfire Shells, only managing 13 wounds and taking four from the Daemon Prince.
The Daemon Prince tried to cast Gift of Chaos on the Watch Master, but failed. He was then able to cast Diabolic Strength on himself. The Shaman tried to cast Smite, but failed. The Rubrics cast Smite, putting a mortal wound on the Bikers. Ahriman cast Smite, killing three of the Veterans. He then used the Great Sorcerer stratagem to cast Doombolt on the Watch Master. Ahriman periled, taking two mortal wounds, but doing three on the Watch Master.
Ahriman then used Warptime to move himself up on the Watch Master.
In the shooting phase, the Rubric Marines turned their Flamers on the Bikers, killing two of the squad. The Terminators fired at the Missile Launcher Kill Team, killing three of the squad. The Hellfyre Rocket targeted the other Kill Team, killing one of the squad in the ruins.
The Daemon Prince, Ahriman and the Rubrics targeted the Storm Bolter Kill Team, killing one with their combined firepower.
The Hellbrute fired at the Intercessors, killing one of the squad. The Defiler added its firepower, but failed to do any damage.
In the charge phase, the Defiler assaulted the Watch Captain. Ahriman charged the Watch Master, while the Daemon Prince assaulted the Watch Master and Kill Team. On the other flank, the Vortex Beast and Shaman charged the Kill Team and Bikers, the Frag Cannons doing two wounds to the Beast with their overwatch fire.
Finally, the Terminators assaulted the Kill Team in the tank ruins. One of the Missile Launchers hit in overwatch, but rolled a 1 to wound. The Terminators failed the charge, even with a command point re-roll.
In the fight phase, the Defiler attacked the Captain, wounding him four times. I failed one save, using my last command point to try and keep the Captain alive, but also failed the save, killing the Captain.
Ahriman struck at the Watch Master, hitting and wounding twice. I failed one save, using my free re-roll, but rolled another 1 on my save. The Disc did a single wound on the Watch Master. I failed my third 2+ save on him and the Watch Master perished! Ahriman then consolidated into the Intercessors.
The Daemon Prince struck at the Kill Team, wiping them out in a fury of gore, then also consolidated into the Intercessors.
On the other side of the battlefield, the Beast struck at the Kill Team, killing one of the squad. The Shaman attacked the last Biker, killing him.
The Deathwatch struck back. The Intercessors attacked Ahriman, putting two wounds on him and one on the Daemon Prince. The lone Frag Cannon Marine attacked the Shaman, wounding him once.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored Slay the Warlord and discarded Secure Objective 3.
VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 3
Thousand Sons- 3
At the end of turn 2, things were pretty even, with three points a piece. Both armies had taken a decent hit in the first two turns, but still had a fair amount left. I felt pretty confident with my left flank, but the right flank was in trouble.
TURN 3- DEATHWATCH
In my third turn, I drew Secure Objective 2, Secure Objective 4, Defend Objective 5, Big Game Hunter and Advance, as well as having Domination. For my Tome Mission Tactics, I changed to the Malleus Tactics (Heavy Support).
The Intercessors remained in combat, hoping to take out Ahriman and the Prince with their attacks. The Frag Cannon Veteran also fell back, while the Captain moved up to support them. The Shotgun Veterans disembarked from the Rhino and moved up on the enemy units.
In the shooting phase, the Stalker Bolter Marines fired on the Vortex Beast, killing it. The Captain fired on the Shaman with his Combi-Melta, killing him as well.
The Kill Team in the ruins fired on the Rubric Marines, wounding them 5 times and killing two. Ben used a command point to pass another save, so only one perished.
The Missile Launcher Kill Team fired at the Defiler, wounding it once, but the Defiler made its save. The Shotgun Kill Team fired at the Sorcerer, wounding him twice, but failed to get past his armour save.
The Intercessors fired their Pistols at Ahriman, wounding him three times and killing him.
In the fight phase, the Intercessors attacked the Daemon Prince, wounding him twice. The Daemon attacked back, killing four of the Primaris Marines.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 3, Secure Objective 4 and Big Game Hunter. I discarded Defend Objective 5.
TURN 3- THOUSAND SONS
In his turn, Ben drew Hold the Line. This was quite achievable if he took out the Intercessors.
The Defiler and Sorcerer moved up on the Primaris Marines. The Rubric Marines on the right moved up on the Captain, while the Terminators moved up on the Kill Team. The Hellbrute moved around the rocks to target the Kill Team in the ruins.
In the psychic phase, the Sorcerer cast Temporal Manipulation on the Daemon Prince, healing three wounds. He then cast Prescience on the Hellbrute. The Daemon Prince then cast Diabolic Strength on himself and Gift of Chaos on the Intercessors. The power passed, but Ben failed to roll high enough on the toughness test.
The Sorcerer cast Smite, putting one wound on the Intercessors. The Rubric Marines cast Smite on the Captain, wounding him once. The Terminators also cast Smite, putting one wound on the Missile Launcher Kill Team.
The Daemon Prince then used the Great Sorcerer stratagem to cast Smite on the Intercessors. He rolled an 11 for the power, but only rolled one mortal wound (fortunate for me).
In the shooting phase, the Terminators opened fire on the Kill Team in front of them, wounding twice, but I made both 5+ saves. The Soul Reaper Cannon targeted the Stalker Marines, killing two.
The Rubrics on the left opened fire on the Shotgun Kill Team, but failed to do any damage. The Defiler added its firepower, killing one.
The other Rubric Marines fired their Flamers at the Captain, getting 11 hits and 7 wounds. The Captain took four wounds, leaving him on one. The Hellbrute split fire between two kill teams, killing one of the Stalker Marines and another from the Kill Team in the ruins.
In the charge phase, the Defiler assaulted the Intercessors. The Rubric Marines charged the Captain. The Terminators attempted to charge the Kill Team in front of them, but failed to make the distance.
The Rubrics struck at the Captain, wounding him once but failing to get past his armour. The Defiler killed one of the Intercessors. The Daemon Prince then struck at the Intercessors, wiping out the remaining survivors.
The Watch Captain then attacked the Rubric Marines, wiping out the squad.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored Hold the Line.
VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 6
Thousand Sons- 4
TURN 4- DEATHWATCH
In my fourth turn, I drew Area Denial, Witch Hunter, Mission Critical Objective (objective 5) and Assassinate. I also had Domination and Advance.
One Captain moved up on the Hellbrute, while the other moved up on the Terminators. The Frag Cannon Marine moved to the objective.
The Veteran fired the Frag Cannon solid shells at the Hellbrute, wounding it four times. The Captain fired his Combi-Melta at the enemy walker, killing it.
The Stalker Marines fired at the Terminators, but did no damage. The Captain fired at them, wounding once but failing to get past their armour.
The Missile Launcher Kill Team fired, killing one of the Terminators. The other squad added their firepower, but failed to do any damage.
The Captain attempted to charge the Terminators, rolling a double 1 on the charge range. To make matters worse, he took two wounds in overwatch.
At the end of my turn, I scored Area Denial for 3 points and Mission Critical Objective. I discarded Domination.
TURN 4- THOUSAND SONS
In Ben's turn, he drew Kingslayer. Easy enough, as he had already achieved it!
The Terminators moved up on the Kill Team and Captain, while the Daemon Prince moved up on the Deathwatch forces.
The Prince cast Smite, killing the Captain with the Xenophase Blade. The Sorcerer then cast Temporal Manipulation, healing two wounds on the Prince. Another Smite attack killed the Frag Cannon Marine. Another cast Prescience on the Defiler.
In the shooting phase, the Defiler fired on the Stalker Marines, only wounding once, but I made my armour save.
The Terminators fired at the Missile Launcher Kill Team in the ruins and the Captain, killing the squad and taking the Captain down to one wound.
In the charge phase, the Terminators assaulted the Kill Team and Captain. The Scarab Terminators were able to slay both units in combat.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored one point for Kingslayer.
VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 10
Thousand Sons- 5
I was ahead in victory points by a good margin, but had very few units left on the board to enforce my lead.
TURN 5- DEATHWATCH
In my fifth turn, I drew Secure Objective 2, Secure Objective 4 and Kingslayer. I also had Witch Hunter, Assassinate and Advance.
With so few units left, this was going to be a quick turn. The Shotgun Veterans moved back into the Rhino.
The Stalker Bolter Veterans fired at the Terminators, but failed to do any damage.
At the end of my turn, I scored Kingslayer for 2 points and discarded Secure Objective 4.
TURN 5- THOUSAND SONS
In his fifth turn, Ben drew Arcane Rite and Domination.
The Daemon Prince moved up on the Deathwatch Veterans, while the Terminators advanced on the Stalker Marines.
The Sorcerer cast Prescience on the Defiler, periling and taking a wound. He then cast Firestorm on the Stalker Marines, killing one.
He then cast Temporal Manipulation on the Defiler, healing it with three wounds. I had taken the Defiler to one wound on turn 1, it was now back up to 11 wounds thanks to the psychic powers of the Sorcerers.
In the shooting phase, Ben used the Daemonforged stratagem on the Defiler. It fired at the Stalker Marines, killing two of them with the Reaper Autocannon. The Battle Cannon got 6 shots, hitting and wounding 3 times, but I made all my saves.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored no points and discarded Domination.
VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 12
Thousand Sons- 5
I still maintained my lead, but had very few units left on the table. We rolled to see if the game would continue and it did.
TURN 6- DEATHWATCH
In my sixth turn, I drew Defend Objective 2, Defend Objective 2, Secure Objective 6 and had Witch Hunter, Assassinate and Advance.
The Shotgun Veterans disembarked from the Rhino, moving up on the Sorcerer. They opened fire on the enemy psyker, but failed to do any damage.
The Kill Team in the ruins fired at the Daemon Prince, wounding it once. The Rhino used its Smoke Launchers to save it from the Terminators.
At the end of my turn, I scored Advance and Secure Objective 6. I discarded Assassinate.
TURN 6- THOUSAND SONS
In his turn, Ben drew Master the Warp and had Arcane Rite.
The Defiler and Sorcerer moved up on the Shotgun Kill Team, the Terminators moved up on the Rhino and the Daemon Prince moved up on the Kill Team in the ruins.
The Daemon Prince cast Smite, causing two mortal wounds on the Veterans. He then cast Temporal Manipulation, healing a wound on himself.
The Sorcerer cast Smite, getting D6 mortal wounds and wiping out the Shotgun Kill Team.
In the shooting phase, the Defiler fired at the Kill Team on the right flank, wounding him once, but the wound was saved.
At the end of the turn, Ben scored Master the Warp for 2 points and discarded Arcane Rite.
We rolled to see if the game would end and it did. The final scores were:
VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 14
Thousand Sons- 8
A win for the Deathwatch.
AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to Ben for a great game.
Man, those Rubric Marines are tough to kill, especially when in cover. They get +1 to their save for any weapons that are damage 1, so in cover you need to be at least -3AP in order to even modify their save. That makes them a tough prospect for many armies. Fortunately, at close range, the Deathwatch have the tools to at least cause them some problems.
I think the game went pretty well overall. My army had a decent level of firepower to deal with the enemy forces, though some of the Chaos units proved to be very resilient.
The Storm Bolter Kill Team should have dealt with the Rubric Marines. However, Ben had some great saves, only losing half the number of Marines he should have done statistically on the volley.
The Intercessors were a new unit to the army. They have some potent firepower with the extra range on their Bolt Rifles and extra -1AP. They managed to pretty much kill the Predator on the turn they arrived, a good threat to neutralise. They also pack a bit of a punch in combat, being able to take out Ahriman through a combination of close combat attacks and pistol shots. I will probably try them in a few more lists before I make any judgements on them.
Overall, I was happy with the army. They have smaller numbers, but can put out a lot of firepower. The Shotgun Marines were a bit wasted, as I wanted them to grab more objectives for me.
My gameplan worked pretty well. In this mission, it is important to try and hold the objectives for as long as possible. I was able to spread out and grab four of the objectives at an early stage. This allowed me to draw more cards each turn and gave me a better chance of getting more maelstrom points each turn. Meanwhile, Ben was stuck with one objective and drawing one card each turn to score.
Another win for the Deathwatch. The army is going strong at the moment. I am in the process of getting my own Primaris Marines painted up for them, so will be able to add them to the force soon enough.
Razorback- Twin Lascannon, Storm Bolter (Rz)
Ben's army consisted of:
Battalion Detachment
Ahriman- Disc of Tzeentch, Death Hex, Doombolt, Warptime (A)
Exalted Sorcerer- Force Stave, Helm of the Third Eye, Inferno Bolt Pistol, Prescience, Temporal Manipulation (ES1)
5 Rubric Marines- Icon of Flame, Inferno Bolters, Force Stave, Tzeentch's Firestorm (RM1)
5 Rubric Marines- Icon of Flame, Inferno Bolters, Force Stave, Tzeentch's Firestorm, 3 Warpflamers, Warpflame Pistol (RM2)
15 Tzanngors- Brayhorn, Tzaangor Blades (T2)
Vanguard Detachment
Daemon Prince of Tzeentch- Malefic Talon, Warp Bolter, Wings, Prescience, Diabolic Strength, Gift of Chaos (DP)
Hellbrute- Twin Lascannon, Missile Launcher (H)
5 Scarab Occult Terminators- Combi-Bolters, Power Swords, Soulreaper Cannon, Hellfyre Missile Rack (T1)
Tzaangor Shaman- Force Stave, Weaver of Fates (S)
Spearhead Detachment
Enlightened Sorcerer- Force Stave, Warpflame Pistol, Boon of Mutation, Dark Matter Crystal, Temporal Manipulation (ES2)
Chaos Predator- Combi-Bolter, Havoc Launcher, Twin Lascannon, 2 Lascannons (P)
Defiler- Combi-Bolter, Defiler Scourge, Reaper Autocannon (D)
Mutalith Vortex Beast (VB)
A change up to the force I used the last time. The basis was the same, lots of Rubric Marines, Tzanngors and psykers. The Vortex Beast was a new addition to the army, I would be interested to see how it performed.
We set up the objectives as shown below:
We then deployed our forces.
I set up the two Kill Teams with Missile Launchers, the Watch Captain with the Tome and the Razorback on the left flank as my firebase. I put the plain Kill Team in front of them to block them off from enemy deep strikers, along with a unit of Bikers.
I put a Rhino and Bikers beside them on the right of the ruins. I put the Stalker Marines on the hill next to the objective, with another Rhino beside them. I put the big Kill Team, Intercessors and Watch Master in the Teleportarium, along with the Jump Pack Captain in reserve.
Ben deployed his Rubric Marines on each flank in cover. The Predator, Sorcerer and Defiler went to the left. The Tzaangors, Vortex Beast, Hellbrute and characters went to the right flank. The Occult Terminators went into reserve.
I won the roll off for first turn, and Ben failed to seize the initiative.
TURN 1- DEATHWATCH
In my first turn, I drew Psychological Warfare. For the Mission Tactics, I chose the Malleus Tactics (Heavy Support), while for the Tome I chose Dominatus Tactics (Elites).
On the right flank, the Rhino advanced into the cover of the ruins beside the objective. The Bikers in the centre moved up, accompanied by the other Rhino. The Kill Team on the left advanced towards the objective in the ruins, while the Biker squad moved back slightly to block enemy reserves.
In the shooting phase, the Rhino in the open used its Smoke Launchers. The Bikers on the left opened fire on the Rubric Marines, wounding four times, but failing to get past their armour.
The Bikers on the right fired at the Vortex Beast, wounding it twice with their Hellfire Shells. The Stalker Marines fired at the Beast with Hellfire Shells, wounding it three more times. The Kill Team on the left fired their Missiles at the Beast, wounding it twice, but it made both 5+ armour saves.
The second Kill Team fired their Missiles at the Defiler, one of the shots going through and doing 6 damage. The Razorback fired at the Defiler, getting two wounds with one command point. It took 7 damage, going down to only one wound. Close, but I had nothing left to try and take it out and get first blood.
At the end of my turn, I scored no points. However, I was in good position to be able to draw a number of cards in my following turn .
TURN 1- THOUSAND SONS
In his first turn, Ben drew Big Game Hunter.
The Daemon Prince and Tzaangors moved up on the Rhino. The Vortex Beast and Exalted Sorcerers moved up on the enemy Bikers.
The mammoth psychic phase of the Thousand Sons began. The Sorcerer cast Prescience on the Predator, then failed to cast Temporal Manipulation on the Defiler.
The Daemon Prince cast Diabolic Strength on itself, then cast Smite on the Rhino and doing 2 mortal wounds on it. The Shaman then cast Weaver of Fates on the Tzaangors. Ahriman cast Warp Time on the Tzaangors, moving them up towards the Bikers and Rhino. He then cast Smite on the Bikes, killing one, followed by Doombolt to kill one more.
The other Sorcerer cast Temporal Manipulation, but failed to heal the Vortex Beast. He then cast Boon of Mutation on himself, getting +1 to casting rolls. The Rubric Sorcerer then cast Glamour of Tzeentch.
The Vortex Beast then manifest two powers, Warpflame killing the last Biker and Chaotic Infusion failing to manifest.
In the shooting phase, the Rubric Marines fired their Warpflamers at the Rhino, hitting 11 times and managing to wound it three times. The Daemon Prince fired at the closest Kill Team, but failed to do any damage.
The Hellbrute used the Fire Frenzy stratagem to fire on the Rhino, hitting three times with the Lascannon, but failing to wound! Ben used a command point to wound and the Rhino took 2 damage. The Missiles only scored one hit, but also failed to wound! Not a great round from the Hellbrute.
The Defiler fired at the Rhino, managing to hit and wound once despite its weakened state, taking two more wounds from it and leaving it on one wound. The Predator fired at the Razorback (it couldn't see the Rhino), easily destroying it.
The Tzaangors charged the Rhino, only managing a 4" charge, but enough to get in. The Daemon Prince also charged.
The Daemon Prince attacked the Rhino, ripping apart the damaged vehicle. I rolled for the 6 passengers inside and rolled four 1's! I had to use a command point re-roll to save the two Frag Cannons and Captain. I deployed the survivors away from the Chaos units, so that they could not be consolidated.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored first blood and Big Game Hunter.
VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 0
Thousand Sons- 2
A pretty even first turn for both of us. I was behind in points at the moment, but was in a good position for getting more cards in my next turn.
TURN 2- DEATHWATCH
In my second turn, I drew Behind Enemy Lines, Domination, Secure Objective 2 and had Psychological Warfare. I changed the Mission Tactics to Furor (Troops) and changed the Tome of Ectoclades to Purgatus Tactics (HQ).
The Bikers on the left flank moved around beside the Daemon Prince and Tzaangors, while the Kill Team and Captain moved into the ruins towards the Tzaangors. On the left flank, the Kill Team moved into the ruins to secure the objective.
At the end of the phase, I brought in my reserves on the right flank, the Kill Team, Intercessors, Captain and Watch Master landing behind the Predator.
In the shooting phase, the Kill Team in the ruins turned their Frag Cannons on the Tzaangors, killing 7 of them. The Bikers fired at the Tzaangors with their Hellfire shells, killing four of the squad. The Captain killed two more of the Daemons, leaving two remaining.
The Stalker Marines fired at the Vortex Beast, wounding it four times. The Kill Team fired its Missiles at the Beast, wounding it twice. Ben managed to save both with a command point re-roll. The other Kill Team fired at the Daemon Prince. Their Bolters took one wound from the Daemon, the Missile Launchers wounding once and taking 6 wounds from it, leaving it on a single wound.
The Kill Team on the left targeted the Rubric Marines with their Vengeance shells, managing to kill one in cover.
On the right flank, the Intecessors used the Malleus Doctrine and fired at the Predator. They managed to put 7 wounds on the enemy vehicle with their Vengeance shell fire. The Captain was able to put another two wounds on the enemy vehicle, the Watch Master finally able to kill it off with his Guardian Spear.
The other Kill Team fired at the Rubric Marines with their Hellfire Shells, managing a great 33 wounds thanks to all their re-rolls. Ben made some fantastic saves and only three Rubric Marines fell. This was annoying, as I should have finished off the whole unit with that volley!
In the charge phase, the Storm Bolter Kill Team attempted a charge on the surviving Rubric Marines. I needed a 12" charge, but if I made it, I would have held all the objectives and scored Domination. As it was, I failed the charge, even with a command point re-roll.
The Jump Pack Watch Captain charged the Sorcerer, while the other Watch Captain assaulted the Daemon Prince. The Frag Cannon Kill Team and Bikers charged the remaining Tzaangors.
In the fight phase, the Captain struck at the Daemon Prince. He hit and wounded three times. The Prince passed his saves, but the Xenophase Blade forced him to re-roll and he failed a single save, slaying the enemy warlord.
Ben used two command points to interrupt with the Exalted Sorcerer, hitting and wounding the Captain four times. I saved three of the wounds and the Captain took 2 damage. The Captain struck back, but only managed to hit twice with two of his four attacks after I rolled four 1's in a row. The Relic Blade did a single wound, but the Sorcerer blocked it.
The Kill Team and Bikers attacked the Tzaangors, killing the unit.
In the morale phase, the Tzeentch forces passed their morale tests. At the end of my turn, I scored 1 point for Behind Enemy Lines, Secure Objective 2 and Slay the Warlord. I discarded Psychological Warfare.
TURN 2- THOUSAND SONS
In his second turn, Ben drew Secure Objective 3.
Ahriman and a Sorcerer moved up on the newly arrived Deathwatch reserves. The Shaman and Vortex Beast moved up on the Kill Team and Bikers in the ruins. The Defiler moved round towards the Jump Pack Captain. At the end of the phase, the Occult Terminators arrived, landing behind the Missile Launcher Kill Team. I was more concerned with blocking the Tzaangors, and didn't think the Terminators would arrive behind them.
In the psychic phase, the Sorcerer cast Temporal Manipulation on the Defiler, healing two wounds. He then cast Prescience on it.
The other psykers cast Icon of Flame and Tzeentch's Firestorm on the Storm Bolter Veterans, killing three of the squad. The Sorcerer then cast Boon of Mutation on himself. He failed to manifest the power, using a command point re-roll to pass the test. He rolled a 12 of the table and the Sorcerer was ripped apart as a Daemon Prince emerged from the warp.
I used Auspex Scan on the Storm Bolter Veterans to fire on the Daemon Prince. This was an interesting case. I assumed that as summoned units counted as arriving from reserve, the newly arrived Daemon Prince was also a valid target for the stratagem.
The Kill Team fired with their Hellfire Shells, only managing 13 wounds and taking four from the Daemon Prince.
The Daemon Prince tried to cast Gift of Chaos on the Watch Master, but failed. He was then able to cast Diabolic Strength on himself. The Shaman tried to cast Smite, but failed. The Rubrics cast Smite, putting a mortal wound on the Bikers. Ahriman cast Smite, killing three of the Veterans. He then used the Great Sorcerer stratagem to cast Doombolt on the Watch Master. Ahriman periled, taking two mortal wounds, but doing three on the Watch Master.
Ahriman then used Warptime to move himself up on the Watch Master.
In the shooting phase, the Rubric Marines turned their Flamers on the Bikers, killing two of the squad. The Terminators fired at the Missile Launcher Kill Team, killing three of the squad. The Hellfyre Rocket targeted the other Kill Team, killing one of the squad in the ruins.
The Daemon Prince, Ahriman and the Rubrics targeted the Storm Bolter Kill Team, killing one with their combined firepower.
The Hellbrute fired at the Intercessors, killing one of the squad. The Defiler added its firepower, but failed to do any damage.
In the charge phase, the Defiler assaulted the Watch Captain. Ahriman charged the Watch Master, while the Daemon Prince assaulted the Watch Master and Kill Team. On the other flank, the Vortex Beast and Shaman charged the Kill Team and Bikers, the Frag Cannons doing two wounds to the Beast with their overwatch fire.
Finally, the Terminators assaulted the Kill Team in the tank ruins. One of the Missile Launchers hit in overwatch, but rolled a 1 to wound. The Terminators failed the charge, even with a command point re-roll.
In the fight phase, the Defiler attacked the Captain, wounding him four times. I failed one save, using my last command point to try and keep the Captain alive, but also failed the save, killing the Captain.
Ahriman struck at the Watch Master, hitting and wounding twice. I failed one save, using my free re-roll, but rolled another 1 on my save. The Disc did a single wound on the Watch Master. I failed my third 2+ save on him and the Watch Master perished! Ahriman then consolidated into the Intercessors.
The Daemon Prince struck at the Kill Team, wiping them out in a fury of gore, then also consolidated into the Intercessors.
On the other side of the battlefield, the Beast struck at the Kill Team, killing one of the squad. The Shaman attacked the last Biker, killing him.
The Deathwatch struck back. The Intercessors attacked Ahriman, putting two wounds on him and one on the Daemon Prince. The lone Frag Cannon Marine attacked the Shaman, wounding him once.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored Slay the Warlord and discarded Secure Objective 3.
VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 3
Thousand Sons- 3
At the end of turn 2, things were pretty even, with three points a piece. Both armies had taken a decent hit in the first two turns, but still had a fair amount left. I felt pretty confident with my left flank, but the right flank was in trouble.
TURN 3- DEATHWATCH
In my third turn, I drew Secure Objective 2, Secure Objective 4, Defend Objective 5, Big Game Hunter and Advance, as well as having Domination. For my Tome Mission Tactics, I changed to the Malleus Tactics (Heavy Support).
The Intercessors remained in combat, hoping to take out Ahriman and the Prince with their attacks. The Frag Cannon Veteran also fell back, while the Captain moved up to support them. The Shotgun Veterans disembarked from the Rhino and moved up on the enemy units.
In the shooting phase, the Stalker Bolter Marines fired on the Vortex Beast, killing it. The Captain fired on the Shaman with his Combi-Melta, killing him as well.
The Kill Team in the ruins fired on the Rubric Marines, wounding them 5 times and killing two. Ben used a command point to pass another save, so only one perished.
The Missile Launcher Kill Team fired at the Defiler, wounding it once, but the Defiler made its save. The Shotgun Kill Team fired at the Sorcerer, wounding him twice, but failed to get past his armour save.
The Intercessors fired their Pistols at Ahriman, wounding him three times and killing him.
In the fight phase, the Intercessors attacked the Daemon Prince, wounding him twice. The Daemon attacked back, killing four of the Primaris Marines.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 3, Secure Objective 4 and Big Game Hunter. I discarded Defend Objective 5.
TURN 3- THOUSAND SONS
In his turn, Ben drew Hold the Line. This was quite achievable if he took out the Intercessors.
The Defiler and Sorcerer moved up on the Primaris Marines. The Rubric Marines on the right moved up on the Captain, while the Terminators moved up on the Kill Team. The Hellbrute moved around the rocks to target the Kill Team in the ruins.
In the psychic phase, the Sorcerer cast Temporal Manipulation on the Daemon Prince, healing three wounds. He then cast Prescience on the Hellbrute. The Daemon Prince then cast Diabolic Strength on himself and Gift of Chaos on the Intercessors. The power passed, but Ben failed to roll high enough on the toughness test.
The Sorcerer cast Smite, putting one wound on the Intercessors. The Rubric Marines cast Smite on the Captain, wounding him once. The Terminators also cast Smite, putting one wound on the Missile Launcher Kill Team.
The Daemon Prince then used the Great Sorcerer stratagem to cast Smite on the Intercessors. He rolled an 11 for the power, but only rolled one mortal wound (fortunate for me).
In the shooting phase, the Terminators opened fire on the Kill Team in front of them, wounding twice, but I made both 5+ saves. The Soul Reaper Cannon targeted the Stalker Marines, killing two.
The Rubrics on the left opened fire on the Shotgun Kill Team, but failed to do any damage. The Defiler added its firepower, killing one.
The other Rubric Marines fired their Flamers at the Captain, getting 11 hits and 7 wounds. The Captain took four wounds, leaving him on one. The Hellbrute split fire between two kill teams, killing one of the Stalker Marines and another from the Kill Team in the ruins.
In the charge phase, the Defiler assaulted the Intercessors. The Rubric Marines charged the Captain. The Terminators attempted to charge the Kill Team in front of them, but failed to make the distance.
The Rubrics struck at the Captain, wounding him once but failing to get past his armour. The Defiler killed one of the Intercessors. The Daemon Prince then struck at the Intercessors, wiping out the remaining survivors.
The Watch Captain then attacked the Rubric Marines, wiping out the squad.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored Hold the Line.
VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 6
Thousand Sons- 4
TURN 4- DEATHWATCH
In my fourth turn, I drew Area Denial, Witch Hunter, Mission Critical Objective (objective 5) and Assassinate. I also had Domination and Advance.
One Captain moved up on the Hellbrute, while the other moved up on the Terminators. The Frag Cannon Marine moved to the objective.
The Veteran fired the Frag Cannon solid shells at the Hellbrute, wounding it four times. The Captain fired his Combi-Melta at the enemy walker, killing it.
The Stalker Marines fired at the Terminators, but did no damage. The Captain fired at them, wounding once but failing to get past their armour.
The Missile Launcher Kill Team fired, killing one of the Terminators. The other squad added their firepower, but failed to do any damage.
The Captain attempted to charge the Terminators, rolling a double 1 on the charge range. To make matters worse, he took two wounds in overwatch.
At the end of my turn, I scored Area Denial for 3 points and Mission Critical Objective. I discarded Domination.
TURN 4- THOUSAND SONS
In Ben's turn, he drew Kingslayer. Easy enough, as he had already achieved it!
The Terminators moved up on the Kill Team and Captain, while the Daemon Prince moved up on the Deathwatch forces.
The Prince cast Smite, killing the Captain with the Xenophase Blade. The Sorcerer then cast Temporal Manipulation, healing two wounds on the Prince. Another Smite attack killed the Frag Cannon Marine. Another cast Prescience on the Defiler.
In the shooting phase, the Defiler fired on the Stalker Marines, only wounding once, but I made my armour save.
The Terminators fired at the Missile Launcher Kill Team in the ruins and the Captain, killing the squad and taking the Captain down to one wound.
In the charge phase, the Terminators assaulted the Kill Team and Captain. The Scarab Terminators were able to slay both units in combat.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored one point for Kingslayer.
VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 10
Thousand Sons- 5
I was ahead in victory points by a good margin, but had very few units left on the board to enforce my lead.
TURN 5- DEATHWATCH
In my fifth turn, I drew Secure Objective 2, Secure Objective 4 and Kingslayer. I also had Witch Hunter, Assassinate and Advance.
With so few units left, this was going to be a quick turn. The Shotgun Veterans moved back into the Rhino.
The Stalker Bolter Veterans fired at the Terminators, but failed to do any damage.
At the end of my turn, I scored Kingslayer for 2 points and discarded Secure Objective 4.
TURN 5- THOUSAND SONS
In his fifth turn, Ben drew Arcane Rite and Domination.
The Daemon Prince moved up on the Deathwatch Veterans, while the Terminators advanced on the Stalker Marines.
The Sorcerer cast Prescience on the Defiler, periling and taking a wound. He then cast Firestorm on the Stalker Marines, killing one.
He then cast Temporal Manipulation on the Defiler, healing it with three wounds. I had taken the Defiler to one wound on turn 1, it was now back up to 11 wounds thanks to the psychic powers of the Sorcerers.
In the shooting phase, Ben used the Daemonforged stratagem on the Defiler. It fired at the Stalker Marines, killing two of them with the Reaper Autocannon. The Battle Cannon got 6 shots, hitting and wounding 3 times, but I made all my saves.
At the end of his turn, Ben scored no points and discarded Domination.
VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 12
Thousand Sons- 5
I still maintained my lead, but had very few units left on the table. We rolled to see if the game would continue and it did.
TURN 6- DEATHWATCH
In my sixth turn, I drew Defend Objective 2, Defend Objective 2, Secure Objective 6 and had Witch Hunter, Assassinate and Advance.
The Shotgun Veterans disembarked from the Rhino, moving up on the Sorcerer. They opened fire on the enemy psyker, but failed to do any damage.
The Kill Team in the ruins fired at the Daemon Prince, wounding it once. The Rhino used its Smoke Launchers to save it from the Terminators.
At the end of my turn, I scored Advance and Secure Objective 6. I discarded Assassinate.
TURN 6- THOUSAND SONS
In his turn, Ben drew Master the Warp and had Arcane Rite.
The Defiler and Sorcerer moved up on the Shotgun Kill Team, the Terminators moved up on the Rhino and the Daemon Prince moved up on the Kill Team in the ruins.
The Daemon Prince cast Smite, causing two mortal wounds on the Veterans. He then cast Temporal Manipulation, healing a wound on himself.
The Sorcerer cast Smite, getting D6 mortal wounds and wiping out the Shotgun Kill Team.
In the shooting phase, the Defiler fired at the Kill Team on the right flank, wounding him once, but the wound was saved.
At the end of the turn, Ben scored Master the Warp for 2 points and discarded Arcane Rite.
We rolled to see if the game would end and it did. The final scores were:
VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 14
Thousand Sons- 8
A win for the Deathwatch.
AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to Ben for a great game.
Man, those Rubric Marines are tough to kill, especially when in cover. They get +1 to their save for any weapons that are damage 1, so in cover you need to be at least -3AP in order to even modify their save. That makes them a tough prospect for many armies. Fortunately, at close range, the Deathwatch have the tools to at least cause them some problems.
I think the game went pretty well overall. My army had a decent level of firepower to deal with the enemy forces, though some of the Chaos units proved to be very resilient.
The Storm Bolter Kill Team should have dealt with the Rubric Marines. However, Ben had some great saves, only losing half the number of Marines he should have done statistically on the volley.
The Intercessors were a new unit to the army. They have some potent firepower with the extra range on their Bolt Rifles and extra -1AP. They managed to pretty much kill the Predator on the turn they arrived, a good threat to neutralise. They also pack a bit of a punch in combat, being able to take out Ahriman through a combination of close combat attacks and pistol shots. I will probably try them in a few more lists before I make any judgements on them.
Overall, I was happy with the army. They have smaller numbers, but can put out a lot of firepower. The Shotgun Marines were a bit wasted, as I wanted them to grab more objectives for me.
My gameplan worked pretty well. In this mission, it is important to try and hold the objectives for as long as possible. I was able to spread out and grab four of the objectives at an early stage. This allowed me to draw more cards each turn and gave me a better chance of getting more maelstrom points each turn. Meanwhile, Ben was stuck with one objective and drawing one card each turn to score.
Another win for the Deathwatch. The army is going strong at the moment. I am in the process of getting my own Primaris Marines painted up for them, so will be able to add them to the force soon enough.
Nice win, Mike. I'm playing against the Thousand Sons using Grey Knights soon. I will use you experience here to inform my own strategies!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dave.
DeleteThe Thousand Sons Marines are incredibly durable to small arms fire, going up to a 2+ save if they shot is only 1 damage. This makes them incredibly durable in cover, needing high AP or multi-damage weaponry to shift them.
The Tzaangors are also pretty strong in combat when buffed with psychic powers or nearby characters, but do die pretty easily to massed fire. Watch out for the Relic that allows them to teleport, as it gets them in to combat very quickly.
I get the feeling from the last couple turns that there was clearly something very important under objective 2...
ReplyDeleteHaha! Got to love a good fight over the central objective.
DeleteGreat write up. Just a shame the Sons of Magnus lost.
ReplyDeleteCheers Padman!
DeleteWhat program do you use for showing the position of objectives and deployment?
ReplyDeleteIt's called Battle Chronicler.
Delete