Game 5 of Warfare 2019 would see my White Scars take on Rob's Death Guard in the final game of the tournament. The mission was Decapitating Strike with Search and Destroy deployment.
My army consisted of:
Battalion Detachment
Captain on Bike- Twin Bolter, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Chogorian Storm, Master of Snares, Wrath of the Heavens
Librarian- Jump Pack, Force Stave, Mantle of the Stormseer, Ride the Winds, Storm-wreathed
5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols
5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols
5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols
5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols
5 Scouts Bikers- Twin Bolters, Shotguns, Combat Knives
Battalion Detachment
Captain- Jump Pack, Master-crafted Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield
Lieutenant- Jump Pack, Power Axe, MC Bolter
5 Scouts- Bolters
5 Scouts- Bolters
5 Scouts- Bolt Pistol, Combat Knives
Spearhead Detachment
Chaplain- Jump Pack, Crozius Arcanum, Bolt Pistol, Litan of Hate
Spearhead Detachment
Chaplain- Jump Pack, Crozius Arcanum, Bolt Pistol, Litan of Hate
10 Vanguard Veterans- 5 with 2 Chainswords, 5 with two Lightning Claws
5 Vanguard Veterans- Chainswords and Plasma Pistols
5 Devastators- Bolters, 2 Missile Launchers, Heavy Bolter
5 Devastators- Bolters, 2 Missile Launchers
5 Devastators- Bolters, 2 Missile Launchers, Heavy Bolter
5 Devastators- Bolters, 2 Missile Launchers
Thunderfire Cannon- Techmarine Gunner with Flamer, Plasma Cutter, 2 Servo-arms
Rob's army consisted of:
Daemon Prince- Wings, Malefic Talons
Typhus
Lord of Contagion
Malefic Plaguecaster
20 Poxwalkers
15 Poxwalkers
10 Cultists
Plagueburst Crawler
3 Myphytic Blighthaulers
3 Deathshroud Terminators
Foetid Bloatdrone
Foetid Bloatdrone
I can't remember the formations or psychic powers for the army, as I didn't get a copy of the army list.
The Death Guard are generally a slow army, so getting to the objectives could be difficult for them. However, they had some decent firepower and good durability which my army might struggle to take out.
We set up the objectives as shown below:
I won the roll off for deployment zone and chose the side with the big ruins blocking the line of sight.
Rob then deployed his army. He put the Plagueburst Crawler at the back of his deployment zone, with the Cultists beside them. He put the rest of the army up front, with the Poxwalkers screening the characters and other vehicles. The Terminators went in reserve.
I then deployed my forces. I put the Thunderfire Cannon behind the ruins, with the Intercessors in front of them. The Scout Bikers and characters went to the south of the ruins, with the Devastators behind them. I put the Scout squads near the objectives on each flank, ready to move up on them. I used one CP to outflank the Intercessors, and put the Vanguard Veterans in reserve (combat squading the 10-man unit).
Rob took the first turn and I failed to seize the initiative.
TURN 1- DEATH GUARD
In his first turn, Rob drew Mission Critical Objective 1, Blood and Guts and Assassinate.
The Daemon Prince and two Blight Drones moved up towards the Scouts on the left flank, while the Blighthaulers moved to engage the Scouts on the right. The Poxwalkers and characters moved towards the Scouts to the south.
In the psychic phase, the Plaguecaster put Putrescent Vitality on the Poxwalkers, then Miasma of Pestillence on the Blighthaulers. Typhus then cast Smite, killing three Scouts.
The Blighthaulers fired at the Scouts and Scout Bikers, killing three Scouts and one Scout Biker with their Missiles. The Plagueburst Crawler fired at the Scouts in the centre, only hitting once and wounding once, but I made my armour save.
At the end of his turn, Rob scored Mission Critical objective for one point.
TURN 1- WHITE SCARS
At the start of my turn, I drew Hold the Line, Secure Objective 5 and Blood and Guts.
The Scouts on the left flank moved up on the objective, ready to sell their lives to secure it. The Scout Bikers moved up with the Captain, Librarian and Chaplain. The other Captain and Lieutenant stayed to give their auras to the firebase.
The Librarian cast Smite, but the power was blocked. I decided not to cast another power, as there was no need to use them at this stage.
The firebase opened up on the Poxwalkers, managing to kill one of the units with their massed firepower.
The Missile Launchers of the Devastators fired on a Bloat Drone, wounding it three times, but Rob made all three invulnerable saves.
At the end of my turn, I scored First Strike and Secure Objective 5.
VICTORY POINTS:
Death Guard- 1
White Scars- 2
A decent start for the White Scars. Rob's invulnerable saves and disgustingly resilient saves had been pretty strong in his turn, blocking a lot of my firepower, but I was able to take out one unit of Poxwalkers. I didn't rush ahead, waiting for the slower moving Death Guard to come towards me before striking.
TURN 2- DEATH GUARD
In his turn, Rob had Assassinate, Blood and Guts, No Prisoners, Defend Objective 3 and Secure Objective 3. As objective 3 was in his deployment zone, it would be difficult to get to.
The Blighthaulers moved up on the Scouts, while the Poxwalkers continued to move towards the enemy lines. The Daemon Prince and Drones moved up towards the other Scout unit.
In the psychic phase, the Daemon Prince cast Smite, killing three of the Scouts. The Plaguecaster cast Putrescent Vitality and Miasma of Pestilence on the Poxwalkers. He also used the Cloud of Flies stratagem on them. Typhus then cast Smite on a 12, killing the other unit of Scouts and taking one mortal wound.
The Blighthaulers fired at the Scouts and Scout Bikers, killing the two Scouts and one Biker. The Drones killed the two remaining Scouts. The Crawler fired at the Scout Bikers, only getting 1 shot with the mortar. Rob used a CP re-roll, getting two shots but only doing one wound on the Bikers.
At the end of his turn, Rob scored Secure Objective 3 and No Prisoners for 2 points.
TURN 2- WHITE SCARS
In my turn, I had Hold the Line, Blood and Guts, Secure Objective 2, No Prisoners and Assassinate. I switched to the Tactical Doctrine.
The Scouts Bikers, Captain, Chaplain and Librarian advanced on the Blighthaulers. At the end of the phase, I brought in a unit of Intercessors next to the Plagueburst Crawler.
The Librarian cast Storm-wreathed on the Biker Captain, then cast Ride the Winds on the Chaplain (his re-roll to hit canticle was in effect).
In the shooting phase, the Intercessors fired at the Cultists, killing three. The Thunderfire Cannon fired at the Cultists, killing all but one. I spent the 2CP to fire again to kill the last one, as I wanted to make sure he died for No Prisoners.
The backfield units fired at the Drones, they couldn't target the Poxwalkers due to Cloud of Flies. Both Squads of Intercessors managed to do 6 wounds and he made 3 disgustingly resilient saves. The Missiles did 5 more wounds, saving two more with DR. The second Devastator squad failed to hit them with their Missiles.
In the charge phase, the Captain, Chaplain and Scout Bikers charged the Blighthaulers. The Intercessors charged the Crawler, losing one to overwatch fire.
In the fight phase, the Captain struck at the Blighthaulers, doing five wounds on them only after some strong DR saves. Rob used 2CP to interrupt and attack the Chaplain, killing him and I lost the Blood and Guts card. The Intercessors did one wound on the Crawler for no damage in reply. The Scouts failed to harm the Blighthaulers.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 2, Hold the Line and No Prisoners. Rob scored Assassinate.
VICTORY POINTS:
Death Guard- 5
White Scars- 5
At the end of turn 2, things were still close. Rob had been making a lot of Disgustingly Resilient saves to keep his Drones and Blighthaulers alive, while blocking my army from targeting the Poxwalkers.
TURN 3- DEATH GUARD
In his turn, Rob had Blood and Guts, Defend Objective 1, Defend Objective 3, Spread Contagion(have Typhus alive at the end of the game), Kingslayer and Advance.
The Crawler fell back from combat against the Intercessors, while on the other flank, the Blight Drones and Daemon Prince moved up on the White Scars lines. The Poxwalkers and characters moved up on the Blighthaulers. At the end of the turn, the Terminators arrived near the Intercessors.
The Plaguecaster cast Smite, but was blocked by the Librarian. He then cast Blades of Putrefaction and Putrescent Vitality on the Poxwalkers, one of the psykers failing to cast Miasma of Pestilence. The Daemon Prince failed to cast Smite.
The Blight Drone fired on the Devastators, killing two of the squad. The second drone fired at the Intercessors, killing one.
In the charge phase, the Terminators assaulted the Intercessors, while Typhus and the Poxwalkers charged the Biker Captain. Typhus needed an 11" charge, Rob rolled a 10, then used a CP re-roll to get in. All three charges had rolled over 10 for the distance this turn!
Typhus attacked the Biker Captain, using Veterans of the Long War to increase his chances of wounding. He did four wounds on the Captain, I failed one invulnerable save and he took three damage. The Poxwalkers were able to do one more wound. The Blighthaulers attacked the Captain, doing 6 wounds and I failed one to leave the Captain on one wound. The Terminators were able to slay the Intercessors with ease.
The Captain struck back, doing two wounds on Typhus. Rob then made 4 out of 6 DR saves to keep Typhus alive. The Scout Bikers did no damage on the Blighthaulers.
At the end of his turn, Rob scored Blood and Guts.
TURN 3- WHITE SCARS
In my turn, I had Supremacy, Secure Objective 1, Assassinate and Overwhelming Firepower. I switched to the Assault Doctrine.
The Scout Bikers fell back to grab the nearby objective, while the Biker Captain fell back towards the Malignant Plaguecaster, the Librarian moving up to support him. On the other side, the Captain, Lieutenant and Intercessors moved up on the Drones and Daemon Prince.
At the end of the phase, I brought in my reserves. The Plasma Pistol Veterans landed behind the Daemon Prince, on the objective. The Lightning Claw Veterans landed near the Drones, while the Chainsword Veterans landed near the enemy psyker.
The Librarian cast Smite, doing one wound on the Plaguecaster. He then failed to cast Ride the Winds on the Claw Veterans.
The Devastators fired at the wounded Drone, doing one wound but he made his invulnerable save. The other squad got one Missile through, but only did one damage. The Intercessors then fired on the Drone. One squad did two wounds, both of which were saved. The second squad did four wounds, of which he made 2 saves and 2 DR rolls. This was getting ridiculous!
The Thunderfire Cannon did one wound on a Drone, while the Lieutenant's damage was saved by the invulnerable save again. Rob was rolling his 5+ saves (invun and DR) like they were 2+ for most of the game. The Plasma Pistol Veterans overcharged and fired at the Daemon Prince. One of the wounds got through, taking 2 damage from him.
In the charge phase, the Intercessors charged a Drone, losing two of the squad to the overwatch fire. The other squad charged in as well, while the Captain and Lieutenant charged the Daemon Prince. The Lightning Claw Veterans failed their charge on the Drones with a CP re-roll, while the Chainsword Veterans, Captain and Librarian charged the Plaguecaster.
The Biker Captain struck down the Plaguecaster. Rob lost Defend Objective 3. One squad of Intercessors attacked the Plague Drone, doing four wounds and Rob made 3 DR saves. The other squad did 8 wounds and he made 5 DR saves.
The Jump Pack Captain did three wounds on the Daemon Prince, doing 15 damage and killing him, losing Defend Objective 1 and Spread Contagion in the process. The Lieutenant attacked one of the Drones, doing five wounds. The Drones did no damage in reply.
At the end of my turn, I scored Slay the Warlord, Asssassinate, Supremacy (2 pts) and Secure Objective 1. I discarded Overwhelming Firepower.
VICTORY POINTS:
Death Guard- 6
White Scars- 10
A great turn for the objectives, but Rob's Disgustingly resilient saves were getting beyond a joke at this point. He was making about 70% of his 5+ saves, really reducing the damage that I could do to him in my turn.
TURN 4- DEATH GUARD
In his turn, Rob had Secure Objective 2, Area Denial, Death March and Kingslayer.
The Drones fell back from combat, while Typhus, the Poxwalkers and the Blighthaulers moved up on the White Scars. The Terminators moved towards the Biker Captain.
In the psychic phase, Typhus cast Miasma on himself, but the Librarian was able to deny Putrescent Vitality on the Poxwalkers.
The Lord of Contagion fired at the Librarian, killing him (I had no maelstrom cards to lose). The Blighthaulers fired at the Scout Bikers and Chainsword Veterans, killing 2 Bikers and 3 Veterans. The Crawler fired its mortar at the Lightning Claw Veterans, but failed to do any damage. He killed one more Chainsword Veteran with its other firepower.
One Bloat Drone fired at the Lieutenant, doing four wounds. Despite having a 4+ save, he took three wounds. The second Drone fired at the Devastators, doing 4 wounds. I failed to make a single 3+ save and all but one of the unit perished. This really was an opposite game in terms of saving throws.
In the charge phase, Typhus and the Poxwalkers charged the Biker Captain and last of the Vanguard Veterans. The Terminators failed a 10" charge, rolling a 9.
Typhus struck at the Captain, killing him. I spent 2CP on Only in Death to fight again, but only managed a single wound. The Poxwalkers failed to kill the Veteran, who took down one in reply.
At the end of his turn, Rob scored Kingslayer (2 pts) and Slay the Warlord.
TURN 4- WHITE SCARS
In my turn, I drew Secure Objective 4, Secure Objective 5 and Defend Objective 2.
The lone Veteran fell back from combat, while the Lightning Claw Veterans moved up on the Poxwalkers. The rest of the White Scars moved up on the two Drones. The Lieutenant moved to secure objective 5. The lone Scout Biker advanced onto Objective 4.
The Veterans overcharged their Plasma Pistols at the Drone on one wound. I got three wounds. Rob made two invulnerable saves and one DR save, so the Drone was slain (but only just!). The Devastators fired at the second Drone, destroying it.
The Intercessors fired at the Poxwalkers, killing two. The Thunderfire Cannon was able to kill one more.
The Vanguard Veterans charged the Poxwalkers, killing 10 of the squad. They wrapped the Lord of Contagion in combat, to stop the firepower from targeting them.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 4 and Secure Objective 5.
VICTORY POINTS:
Death Guard- 9
White Scars- 12
The White Scars were currently winning, but Rob had some good cards in his hands to score in his next turn if he could take out the central units.
TURN 5- DEATH GUARD
In his turn, Rob had Master the Warp, Area Denial, Death March, Secure Objective 2, Defend Objective 2, Defend Objective 5 and Area Denial.
Typhus, the Terminators and the Blighthaulers moved up on the Vanguard Veterans. Typhus cast Smite, killing one Veteran, then cast Misama on the Blighthaulers.
The Blighthaulers fired on the Vanguard Veterans and Scout Biker, killing both.
Typhus charged the Vanguard Veterans, killing three, while the Lord of Contagion killed the last one.
At the end of his turn, Rob scored Master the Warp and Area Denial (2 pts), while I scored Defend Objective 5.
TURN 5- WHITE SCARS
We were running low on time at this stage. I drew Defend Objective 3, Big Game Hunter and Area Denial. I spent 2CP to discard Area Denial and drew Defend Objective 4.
I couldn't score any of my cards and didn't want to advance my units towards the enemy army.
The game ended there.
VICTORY POINTS:
Death Guard- 12
White Scars- 14
A win for the White Scars.
AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to Rob for a fun game. Those saves were getting really frustrating!
Overall, that was a close game. The slow pace of most of the Death Guard army stopped them from getting far into the White Scars deployment zone. Only the Drones and Daemon Prince were able to move around with any real pace, going after the Scouts, then the main bulk of the army.
The cards drawn were fairly even during the game, with the scores being pretty even at the end of the game.
I thought I was in trouble on turn 2. The Blighthaulers were able to take a lot of punishment from the Biker Captain. When the Poxwalkers and Typhus made their charges on the Captain, I thought that was the end for him, but some lucky save rolls meant that the Captain survived on one wound. It might have been better to go after the Poxwalkers to try and take them out, but I thought that the Death Guard characters would take out my units with ease in the following turn. As it was, Rob was lucky to get the charges in on the Captain, getting a successful 11" charge with Typhus.
The Bloat Drones also proved a real problem to get rid of. They had some great durability against my firepower and attacks, taking several turns of half my army going after them to take them out. Fortunately, my Jump Pack Captain was able to take out the Daemon Prince in combat. Had he been allowed to survive and jump around my back lines, I would have been in big trouble!
At the end of the two days, I was on four wins and one loss. A great result for my White Scars army. Thanks to my results, I was able to get second place overall in the tournament, which I was very pleased with!
I'll be doing a review of the army I used for the tournament. The White Scars are quite powerful, and I look forward to taking them to a few more events in the new year.
Rob's army consisted of:
Daemon Prince- Wings, Malefic Talons
Typhus
Lord of Contagion
Malefic Plaguecaster
20 Poxwalkers
15 Poxwalkers
10 Cultists
Plagueburst Crawler
3 Myphytic Blighthaulers
3 Deathshroud Terminators
Foetid Bloatdrone
Foetid Bloatdrone
I can't remember the formations or psychic powers for the army, as I didn't get a copy of the army list.
The Death Guard are generally a slow army, so getting to the objectives could be difficult for them. However, they had some decent firepower and good durability which my army might struggle to take out.
We set up the objectives as shown below:
I won the roll off for deployment zone and chose the side with the big ruins blocking the line of sight.
Rob then deployed his army. He put the Plagueburst Crawler at the back of his deployment zone, with the Cultists beside them. He put the rest of the army up front, with the Poxwalkers screening the characters and other vehicles. The Terminators went in reserve.
I then deployed my forces. I put the Thunderfire Cannon behind the ruins, with the Intercessors in front of them. The Scout Bikers and characters went to the south of the ruins, with the Devastators behind them. I put the Scout squads near the objectives on each flank, ready to move up on them. I used one CP to outflank the Intercessors, and put the Vanguard Veterans in reserve (combat squading the 10-man unit).
Rob took the first turn and I failed to seize the initiative.
TURN 1- DEATH GUARD
In his first turn, Rob drew Mission Critical Objective 1, Blood and Guts and Assassinate.
The Daemon Prince and two Blight Drones moved up towards the Scouts on the left flank, while the Blighthaulers moved to engage the Scouts on the right. The Poxwalkers and characters moved towards the Scouts to the south.
In the psychic phase, the Plaguecaster put Putrescent Vitality on the Poxwalkers, then Miasma of Pestillence on the Blighthaulers. Typhus then cast Smite, killing three Scouts.
The Blighthaulers fired at the Scouts and Scout Bikers, killing three Scouts and one Scout Biker with their Missiles. The Plagueburst Crawler fired at the Scouts in the centre, only hitting once and wounding once, but I made my armour save.
At the end of his turn, Rob scored Mission Critical objective for one point.
TURN 1- WHITE SCARS
At the start of my turn, I drew Hold the Line, Secure Objective 5 and Blood and Guts.
The Scouts on the left flank moved up on the objective, ready to sell their lives to secure it. The Scout Bikers moved up with the Captain, Librarian and Chaplain. The other Captain and Lieutenant stayed to give their auras to the firebase.
The Librarian cast Smite, but the power was blocked. I decided not to cast another power, as there was no need to use them at this stage.
The firebase opened up on the Poxwalkers, managing to kill one of the units with their massed firepower.
The Missile Launchers of the Devastators fired on a Bloat Drone, wounding it three times, but Rob made all three invulnerable saves.
At the end of my turn, I scored First Strike and Secure Objective 5.
VICTORY POINTS:
Death Guard- 1
White Scars- 2
A decent start for the White Scars. Rob's invulnerable saves and disgustingly resilient saves had been pretty strong in his turn, blocking a lot of my firepower, but I was able to take out one unit of Poxwalkers. I didn't rush ahead, waiting for the slower moving Death Guard to come towards me before striking.
TURN 2- DEATH GUARD
In his turn, Rob had Assassinate, Blood and Guts, No Prisoners, Defend Objective 3 and Secure Objective 3. As objective 3 was in his deployment zone, it would be difficult to get to.
The Blighthaulers moved up on the Scouts, while the Poxwalkers continued to move towards the enemy lines. The Daemon Prince and Drones moved up towards the other Scout unit.
In the psychic phase, the Daemon Prince cast Smite, killing three of the Scouts. The Plaguecaster cast Putrescent Vitality and Miasma of Pestilence on the Poxwalkers. He also used the Cloud of Flies stratagem on them. Typhus then cast Smite on a 12, killing the other unit of Scouts and taking one mortal wound.
The Blighthaulers fired at the Scouts and Scout Bikers, killing the two Scouts and one Biker. The Drones killed the two remaining Scouts. The Crawler fired at the Scout Bikers, only getting 1 shot with the mortar. Rob used a CP re-roll, getting two shots but only doing one wound on the Bikers.
At the end of his turn, Rob scored Secure Objective 3 and No Prisoners for 2 points.
TURN 2- WHITE SCARS
In my turn, I had Hold the Line, Blood and Guts, Secure Objective 2, No Prisoners and Assassinate. I switched to the Tactical Doctrine.
The Scouts Bikers, Captain, Chaplain and Librarian advanced on the Blighthaulers. At the end of the phase, I brought in a unit of Intercessors next to the Plagueburst Crawler.
The Librarian cast Storm-wreathed on the Biker Captain, then cast Ride the Winds on the Chaplain (his re-roll to hit canticle was in effect).
In the shooting phase, the Intercessors fired at the Cultists, killing three. The Thunderfire Cannon fired at the Cultists, killing all but one. I spent the 2CP to fire again to kill the last one, as I wanted to make sure he died for No Prisoners.
The backfield units fired at the Drones, they couldn't target the Poxwalkers due to Cloud of Flies. Both Squads of Intercessors managed to do 6 wounds and he made 3 disgustingly resilient saves. The Missiles did 5 more wounds, saving two more with DR. The second Devastator squad failed to hit them with their Missiles.
In the charge phase, the Captain, Chaplain and Scout Bikers charged the Blighthaulers. The Intercessors charged the Crawler, losing one to overwatch fire.
In the fight phase, the Captain struck at the Blighthaulers, doing five wounds on them only after some strong DR saves. Rob used 2CP to interrupt and attack the Chaplain, killing him and I lost the Blood and Guts card. The Intercessors did one wound on the Crawler for no damage in reply. The Scouts failed to harm the Blighthaulers.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 2, Hold the Line and No Prisoners. Rob scored Assassinate.
VICTORY POINTS:
Death Guard- 5
White Scars- 5
At the end of turn 2, things were still close. Rob had been making a lot of Disgustingly Resilient saves to keep his Drones and Blighthaulers alive, while blocking my army from targeting the Poxwalkers.
TURN 3- DEATH GUARD
In his turn, Rob had Blood and Guts, Defend Objective 1, Defend Objective 3, Spread Contagion(have Typhus alive at the end of the game), Kingslayer and Advance.
The Crawler fell back from combat against the Intercessors, while on the other flank, the Blight Drones and Daemon Prince moved up on the White Scars lines. The Poxwalkers and characters moved up on the Blighthaulers. At the end of the turn, the Terminators arrived near the Intercessors.
The Plaguecaster cast Smite, but was blocked by the Librarian. He then cast Blades of Putrefaction and Putrescent Vitality on the Poxwalkers, one of the psykers failing to cast Miasma of Pestilence. The Daemon Prince failed to cast Smite.
The Blight Drone fired on the Devastators, killing two of the squad. The second drone fired at the Intercessors, killing one.
In the charge phase, the Terminators assaulted the Intercessors, while Typhus and the Poxwalkers charged the Biker Captain. Typhus needed an 11" charge, Rob rolled a 10, then used a CP re-roll to get in. All three charges had rolled over 10 for the distance this turn!
Typhus attacked the Biker Captain, using Veterans of the Long War to increase his chances of wounding. He did four wounds on the Captain, I failed one invulnerable save and he took three damage. The Poxwalkers were able to do one more wound. The Blighthaulers attacked the Captain, doing 6 wounds and I failed one to leave the Captain on one wound. The Terminators were able to slay the Intercessors with ease.
The Captain struck back, doing two wounds on Typhus. Rob then made 4 out of 6 DR saves to keep Typhus alive. The Scout Bikers did no damage on the Blighthaulers.
At the end of his turn, Rob scored Blood and Guts.
TURN 3- WHITE SCARS
In my turn, I had Supremacy, Secure Objective 1, Assassinate and Overwhelming Firepower. I switched to the Assault Doctrine.
The Scout Bikers fell back to grab the nearby objective, while the Biker Captain fell back towards the Malignant Plaguecaster, the Librarian moving up to support him. On the other side, the Captain, Lieutenant and Intercessors moved up on the Drones and Daemon Prince.
At the end of the phase, I brought in my reserves. The Plasma Pistol Veterans landed behind the Daemon Prince, on the objective. The Lightning Claw Veterans landed near the Drones, while the Chainsword Veterans landed near the enemy psyker.
The Librarian cast Smite, doing one wound on the Plaguecaster. He then failed to cast Ride the Winds on the Claw Veterans.
The Devastators fired at the wounded Drone, doing one wound but he made his invulnerable save. The other squad got one Missile through, but only did one damage. The Intercessors then fired on the Drone. One squad did two wounds, both of which were saved. The second squad did four wounds, of which he made 2 saves and 2 DR rolls. This was getting ridiculous!
The Thunderfire Cannon did one wound on a Drone, while the Lieutenant's damage was saved by the invulnerable save again. Rob was rolling his 5+ saves (invun and DR) like they were 2+ for most of the game. The Plasma Pistol Veterans overcharged and fired at the Daemon Prince. One of the wounds got through, taking 2 damage from him.
In the charge phase, the Intercessors charged a Drone, losing two of the squad to the overwatch fire. The other squad charged in as well, while the Captain and Lieutenant charged the Daemon Prince. The Lightning Claw Veterans failed their charge on the Drones with a CP re-roll, while the Chainsword Veterans, Captain and Librarian charged the Plaguecaster.
The Biker Captain struck down the Plaguecaster. Rob lost Defend Objective 3. One squad of Intercessors attacked the Plague Drone, doing four wounds and Rob made 3 DR saves. The other squad did 8 wounds and he made 5 DR saves.
The Jump Pack Captain did three wounds on the Daemon Prince, doing 15 damage and killing him, losing Defend Objective 1 and Spread Contagion in the process. The Lieutenant attacked one of the Drones, doing five wounds. The Drones did no damage in reply.
At the end of my turn, I scored Slay the Warlord, Asssassinate, Supremacy (2 pts) and Secure Objective 1. I discarded Overwhelming Firepower.
VICTORY POINTS:
Death Guard- 6
White Scars- 10
A great turn for the objectives, but Rob's Disgustingly resilient saves were getting beyond a joke at this point. He was making about 70% of his 5+ saves, really reducing the damage that I could do to him in my turn.
TURN 4- DEATH GUARD
In his turn, Rob had Secure Objective 2, Area Denial, Death March and Kingslayer.
The Drones fell back from combat, while Typhus, the Poxwalkers and the Blighthaulers moved up on the White Scars. The Terminators moved towards the Biker Captain.
In the psychic phase, Typhus cast Miasma on himself, but the Librarian was able to deny Putrescent Vitality on the Poxwalkers.
The Lord of Contagion fired at the Librarian, killing him (I had no maelstrom cards to lose). The Blighthaulers fired at the Scout Bikers and Chainsword Veterans, killing 2 Bikers and 3 Veterans. The Crawler fired its mortar at the Lightning Claw Veterans, but failed to do any damage. He killed one more Chainsword Veteran with its other firepower.
One Bloat Drone fired at the Lieutenant, doing four wounds. Despite having a 4+ save, he took three wounds. The second Drone fired at the Devastators, doing 4 wounds. I failed to make a single 3+ save and all but one of the unit perished. This really was an opposite game in terms of saving throws.
In the charge phase, Typhus and the Poxwalkers charged the Biker Captain and last of the Vanguard Veterans. The Terminators failed a 10" charge, rolling a 9.
Typhus struck at the Captain, killing him. I spent 2CP on Only in Death to fight again, but only managed a single wound. The Poxwalkers failed to kill the Veteran, who took down one in reply.
At the end of his turn, Rob scored Kingslayer (2 pts) and Slay the Warlord.
TURN 4- WHITE SCARS
In my turn, I drew Secure Objective 4, Secure Objective 5 and Defend Objective 2.
The lone Veteran fell back from combat, while the Lightning Claw Veterans moved up on the Poxwalkers. The rest of the White Scars moved up on the two Drones. The Lieutenant moved to secure objective 5. The lone Scout Biker advanced onto Objective 4.
The Veterans overcharged their Plasma Pistols at the Drone on one wound. I got three wounds. Rob made two invulnerable saves and one DR save, so the Drone was slain (but only just!). The Devastators fired at the second Drone, destroying it.
The Intercessors fired at the Poxwalkers, killing two. The Thunderfire Cannon was able to kill one more.
The Vanguard Veterans charged the Poxwalkers, killing 10 of the squad. They wrapped the Lord of Contagion in combat, to stop the firepower from targeting them.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 4 and Secure Objective 5.
VICTORY POINTS:
Death Guard- 9
White Scars- 12
The White Scars were currently winning, but Rob had some good cards in his hands to score in his next turn if he could take out the central units.
TURN 5- DEATH GUARD
In his turn, Rob had Master the Warp, Area Denial, Death March, Secure Objective 2, Defend Objective 2, Defend Objective 5 and Area Denial.
Typhus, the Terminators and the Blighthaulers moved up on the Vanguard Veterans. Typhus cast Smite, killing one Veteran, then cast Misama on the Blighthaulers.
The Blighthaulers fired on the Vanguard Veterans and Scout Biker, killing both.
Typhus charged the Vanguard Veterans, killing three, while the Lord of Contagion killed the last one.
At the end of his turn, Rob scored Master the Warp and Area Denial (2 pts), while I scored Defend Objective 5.
TURN 5- WHITE SCARS
We were running low on time at this stage. I drew Defend Objective 3, Big Game Hunter and Area Denial. I spent 2CP to discard Area Denial and drew Defend Objective 4.
I couldn't score any of my cards and didn't want to advance my units towards the enemy army.
The game ended there.
VICTORY POINTS:
Death Guard- 12
White Scars- 14
A win for the White Scars.
AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to Rob for a fun game. Those saves were getting really frustrating!
Overall, that was a close game. The slow pace of most of the Death Guard army stopped them from getting far into the White Scars deployment zone. Only the Drones and Daemon Prince were able to move around with any real pace, going after the Scouts, then the main bulk of the army.
The cards drawn were fairly even during the game, with the scores being pretty even at the end of the game.
I thought I was in trouble on turn 2. The Blighthaulers were able to take a lot of punishment from the Biker Captain. When the Poxwalkers and Typhus made their charges on the Captain, I thought that was the end for him, but some lucky save rolls meant that the Captain survived on one wound. It might have been better to go after the Poxwalkers to try and take them out, but I thought that the Death Guard characters would take out my units with ease in the following turn. As it was, Rob was lucky to get the charges in on the Captain, getting a successful 11" charge with Typhus.
The Bloat Drones also proved a real problem to get rid of. They had some great durability against my firepower and attacks, taking several turns of half my army going after them to take them out. Fortunately, my Jump Pack Captain was able to take out the Daemon Prince in combat. Had he been allowed to survive and jump around my back lines, I would have been in big trouble!
At the end of the two days, I was on four wins and one loss. A great result for my White Scars army. Thanks to my results, I was able to get second place overall in the tournament, which I was very pleased with!
I'll be doing a review of the army I used for the tournament. The White Scars are quite powerful, and I look forward to taking them to a few more events in the new year.
Well done mate! Those DR saves I really think should be nerfed to sixes only like FNP, DR is a 33% save on top of whatever save, normally another 33% at least soo frustrating. I see WintersSEO making an insane number of his DR too, I feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteYeah, they get really frustrating when your opponent never seems to fail one!
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