Battle Report 178- Genestealer Cults vs Sisters of Battle

This week's battle report sees my Genestealer Cults take to the field once more to take on Angus' Sisters of Battle and Astra Militarum force. This was a 1750 pts battle, as Angus wanted to practice for Vanquish, a tournament held in Bristol last weekend. 

We randomly rolled for each mission. For the Eternal War mission, we got Vital Intelligence. In this mission, there are 5 objectives. At the start of each battle round, roll a D6. The corresponding number is the active objective (on a 6, all objectives are active). At the end of each battle round, players scored a point for each objective held, getting 2 points for the active objective. In this game, I think we forgot about only having 5 objectives, so scored for objective 6 as well. We also varied the objective placement, different from the places specified in the scenario. 

The maelstrom mission was Disruptive Signals. In this mission, you draw up to four cards per turn. This mission features the Signal Intercept stratagem. For 1CP, you can select a card in your opponent's hand and they cannot score it for that turn. We were also using Dawn of War deployment. 

My army consisted of:

Battalion (Rusted Claw)

Patriarch- Monstrous Rending Claws, Warlord, The Crouchling, Shadow Stalker, Might From Beyond, Mental Onslaught, Mass Hypnosis

Primus- Alien Majesty

Magus- Familiar, Mass Hypnosis, Psionic Blast, Biomorph Adaptation

20 Acolyte Hybrids- 4 Heavy Rock Drills

10 Acolyte Hybrids- 2 Heavy Rock Cutters, 2 Heavy Rock Saws

10 Acolyte Hybrids- 4 Demolition Charges

Clamavus

Nexos

Battalion (Rusted Claw)

Primus

Magus- Mental Onslaught, Might From Beyond

10 Neophyte Hybrids- 2 Mining Lasers, Autoguns

10 Neophyte Hybrids- Heavy Stubber, Grenade Launcher

10 Neophyte Hybrids- Shotguns, 2 Flamers

Goliath Truck- Twin Autocannon, Heavy Stubber

Heavy Weapons Team- Mortars

Vanguard Detachment (Rusted Claw)

Jackal Alphus- Sniper Rifle

8 Genestealers

5 Aberrants- Power Hammers

Clamavus

Nexos

Sanctus- Sniper Rifle, A Gift From Beyond

For my Cult Creed, I tried Rusted Claw for the first time. This gives my infantry +1 save against AP0 and AP-1 weapons. This gives me a 4+ armour save against Bolters and against most infantry in combat. 

I decided to mix up the army now that I have the new characters to add to the army. I went with double Battalion and Vanguard detachment to give me 14 CP to start with. I took the Broodcoven stratagem to give my three characters warlord traits. The Patriarch took -1 to hit, the Primus took the +3" to aura abilities and the Magus took +1 strength and attacks. I also took an extra Relic, taking the sniper rifle relic on the Sanctus and the Crouchling on the Patriarch. 

The new characters were the two Clamavus, the Nexos, Jackal Alphus and Sanctus. These should hopefully provide some nice buffs and abilities to the army. I decided to take a big unit of Aberrants to take on any vehicle threats in the enemy army, along with trying out a big unit of Acolyte Hybrids. 

Battle Report 172- New Chapter Approved Deathwatch vs Sisters of Battle/Astra Militarum

This week's battle report features my Deathwatch taking on the new Sisters of Battle Beta Codex in one of the new Maelstrom missions from Chapter Approved. 

Chapter Approved 2018 saw many of the Deathwatch units get a reduction in points. I was keen to see how the army would perform with the addition of some new units to my force. The mission we were playing was Decapitation Strike, with Angus taking his Sisters of Battle to the field against my Deathwatch. 

My army consisted of:

Battalion Detachment

Watch Master- Guardian Spear, Castellan of the Black Vault warlord trait (D)

Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Bolt Pistol (WC1)

Kill Team 1- 9 Veterans with Storm Bolters, 2 Storm Shields, Chainswords, Vanguard Veteran with Storm Shield and Bolt Pistol. (FT1)

Kill Team 2- 10 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Rifles (KT2)

Kill Team 3- 5 Veterans with Meltagun, 3 Combi-Meltas, Storm Shield, Chainswords (KT3)

5 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Sergeant with Storm Bolter and Storm Shield (B)

Razorback- Twin Lascannon, Storm Bolter (Rz)

Battalion Detachment 

Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Relic Blade, Bolt Pistol, The Tome of Ectoclades. (WC2)

Watch Captain- Combi-Melta, Xenophase Blade, Bolt Pistol (WC3)

Kill Team 4- 5 Veterans with 2 Frag Cannons, 3 Shotguns, Storm Shield (KT4)

Kill Team 5- 5 Veterans with 2 Missile Launchers, 3 Stalker Bolters, Chainswords, Terminator with Cyclone Missile Launcher, Power Fist and Storm Bolter (KT5)

Kill Team 6- 5 Veterans with 2 Missile Launchers, 3 Stalker Bolters, Chainswords, Storm Shield (KT6)

Rhino- Storm Bolter (R1)

Rhino- Storm Bolter (R2)

Venerable Dreadnought- Twin Lascannon, Missile Launcher (VD)

Primaris Apothecary (A)

I decided to mix things up a bit with my Kill Teams, adding some mixed squads to the force. The first one was to add a Vanguard Veteran to my Storm Bolter Kill Team. I would lose some Storm Bolter shots, but the ability to fall back and shoot would be a big boost for the unit. 

I also added a Terminator with Cyclone Missile Launcher to one of my Missile Launcher Kill Teams. This would give me two extra missile shots, as well as make the unit immune to morale. 

With the points drops, I also decided to try out a Venerable Dreadnought to add more anti-tank firepower, as well as a unit of Bikers to see if the points reductions made them more worthwhile. 

I kept with my standard characters, but decided to change up the warlord trait for the Castellan of the Black Vault on the Watch Master. This would make his Guardian Spear 3 damage from shooting and D3+1 from combat. This should allow him to cause a lot of damage with his attacks. 

Chapter Approved 2018: Part 2- Eternal War Missions

Part 2 of my Chapter Approved review will take a look at the new Eternal War missions. The book features 6 new missions to use in your games of 40k. 

Eternal War Missions

Acceptable Casualties

Sudden Death no longer applies in the new Eternal war missions. What this means is that tabling your opponent does not automatically win you the game. 

You can check out my thoughts on this for the maelstrom of war mission in yesterday's post. I think this rule would have a much greater effect in Maelstrom of War missions than in most Eternal War missions, if we were using the standard ones. You could simply table your opponent, then hopefully use the remaining turns to grab the objectives and win the game.

However, the new Eternal War missions feature a lot of progressive scoring (scoring as the game goes on, rather than at the end game), so it could be possible to gain a good lead as the game goes on to prevent your opponent from snatching victory on the final turn.

I prefer progressive scoring in most games. End of game scoring can tend to turn into a bloodbath, with the objectives being a consideration for the final turn, pouncing on them in the end game, rather than a focus from the start of the game.

Chapter Approved 2018 Review: Part 1- Maelstrom Missions

Chapter Approved 2018 is now upon us, with a whole host of new missions to try out in our games of 40k. The first part of my review will take a look at the new Maelstrom of War missions. These are my favourite way to play 40k, so I was keen to see what was in store. 

Maelstrom of War Missions

As well as 6 new missions, there are a number of special rules added to the maelstrom games that are a big improvement over how the game will be played. 

Acceptable Casualties

Sudden Death no longer applies in the new maelstrom of war missions. What this means is that tabling your opponent does not automatically win you the game. 

Finally! In my opinion, this is how the game should have been played from the start. In so many casual games and tournament games, I have had opponents go for wiping out my army, as opposed to actually even attempting to play the mission. This will now hopefully force players to actually consider going after the maelstrom cards/objectives for a hope of winning the game. 

A gunline army can still sit back and pound the enemy force with their superior firepower, but this will probably punish them in the long run, as they are not collecting maelstrom points. This new rule change will probably not affect me at all, as in all maelstrom missions, the cards were always deciding how I was playing. Hopefully, we'll see a lot more players making greater tactical decisions in games; sacrificing a units' shooting to advance onto an objective, thinking about unit placement to best go after objectives in later turns. 

If one opponent gets tabled, I think the game still continues, giving your opponent the chance to score more maelstrom points in their turn. This is one way they can try and win the game after tabling their opponent, but does not guarantee victory if your opponent has been focusing on scoring big in the maelstrom mission and has a significant lead. 

I would hope more tournaments would adopt maelstrom only missions and get rid of kill points in an effort to encourage better playing of the mission, rather than just crushing your opponent. 

Warhammer World GT: Game 2- Deathwatch/Astra Militarum vs Imperial Knights

My second game of the Warhammer World Grand Tournament (Heat 1) saw my Deathwatch take on Steve's Imperial Knights army. 

With the release of the strong new codex for Imperial Knights, there were quite a few present at the tournament. In game 2, I would be facing a whole army of them. The randomly determined mission for game 2 was Ascension. In this mission, three objectives are placed centrally on the battlefield. You get a point for each objective you hold at the end of your turn. In addition, Characters get a a super "objective secured", able to hold an objective on their own and getting additional points for holding it for subsequent turns. 

My army consisted of:

Battalion Detachment (Deathwatch)

Watch Master- Guardian Spear (WM)

Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield (WC)

Kill Team 1: Watch Sergeant and 9 Veterans- 10 Storm Bolters, 2 Storm Shields, 8 Chainswords (KT1)

Kill Team 2: Intercessor Sergeant and 9 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols, Auxiliary Grenade Launcher (KT2)

Kill Team 3: Watch Sergeant and 4 Veterans- 2 Frag Cannons, Storm Shield, 3 Shotguns, 2 Chainswords (KT3). 5 Vanguard Veterans- 4 Bolt Pistols, 3 Chainswords, Storm Shield, Pair of Lightning Claws (VV)

Rhino- 2 Storm Bolters (R)

Kill Team 4: Watch Sergeant and 4 Veterans- 3 Combi-Meltas, 2 Bolters, Storm Shield, 4 Chainswords (KT4)

Razorback- Twin Lascannons, Storm Bolter (Rz)

Battalion Detachment (Astra Militarum, Cadian)

Company Commander- Plasma Pistol, Chainsword, Grand Strategist Warlord Trait, Kurov's Aquila (CC1)

Company Commander- Laspistol, Chainsword (CC2)

Infantry Squad- Lascannon, Grenade Launcher (IS1)

Infantry Squad- Lascannon, Grenade Launcher (IS2)

Infantry Squad- Lascannon (IS3)

30 Conscripts- Lasguns (C)

Auxiliary Detachment (Assassins)

Culexus Assassin (A)

Warhammer World GT: Game 1- Deathwatch/Astra Militarum vs Astra Militarum/Adeptus Mechanicus/Imperial Knights

Welcome to the first battle report from my recent trip to the Warhammer World Grand Tournament (Heat 1). I was taking a mixed Deathwatch and Astra Militarum list. You can find the army list and my thoughts on it in a previous post. 

The tournament consisted of 5 Eternal War missions from Chapter Approved 2018, straight out of the rulebook. 

The first mission of the day saw me square off against Rob and his mixed force of Astra Militarum, Adeptus Mechanicus and Imperial Knights. Rob runs the Honest Wargamer, so check it out. For game 1, the randomly determined mission was Dominate and Destroy. In this mission, you get one victory point for each objective you hold at the end of your turn, as well as a victory point for each enemy unit destroyed. 

My army consisted of:
Battalion Detachment (Deathwatch)
Watch Master- Guardian Spear (WM)
Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield (WC)
Kill Team 1: Watch Sergeant and 9 Veterans- 10 Storm Bolters, 2 Storm Shields, 8 Chainswords (KT1)
Kill Team 2: Intercessor Sergeant and 9 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols, Auxiliary Grenade Launcher (KT2)
Kill Team 3: Watch Sergeant and 4 Veterans- 2 Frag Cannons, Storm Shield, 3 Shotguns, 2 Chainswords (KT3). 5 Vanguard Veterans- 4 Bolt Pistols, 3 Chainswords, Storm Shield, Pair of Lightning Claws (VV)
Rhino- 2 Storm Bolters (R)
Kill Team 4: Watch Sergeant and 4 Veterans- 3 Combi-Meltas, 2 Bolters, Storm Shield, 4 Chainswords (KT4)
Razorback- Twin Lascannons, Storm Bolter (Rz)

Battalion Detachment (Astra Militarum, Cadian)
Company Commander- Plasma Pistol, Chainsword, Grand Strategist Warlord Trait, Kurov's Aquila (CC1)
Company Commander- Laspistol, Chainsword (CC2)
Infantry Squad- Lascannon, Grenade Launcher (IS1)
Infantry Squad- Lascannon, Grenade Launcher (IS2)
Infantry Squad- Lascannon (IS3)
30 Conscripts- Lasguns (C)

Auxiliary Detachment (Assassins)
Culexus Assassin (A)

Chapter Approved 2017 Review: Part 4- Maelstrom of War Missions

Chapter Approved 2017 features six new Maelstrom of War missions to use in your games of 40k. Maelstrom missions are one of my favourite ways to play 40k and have been since they were introduced, so I was excited to see what the new missions would have in store for me. 

Maelstrom of War

As with all maelstrom games, these missions use 6 numbered objectives for you to fight over.

Kill Confirmed

In this mission, each player has three maelstrom cards in their turn. If a maelstrom card involves destroying an enemy unit, it cannot be discarded until it is achieved (any impossible cards can be discarded and re-drawn). In addition, you score one victory point for each enemy unit that is destroyed. 

This seems like a pretty standard maelstrom mission with 3 cards a turn. The bonuses for killing enemy units would favour an army that can hit pretty hard. Some of these may be difficult to achieve. For example, if you draw Big Game Hunter but don't have the tools to easily take down an enemy vehicle or your tools are all dead.

Chapter Approved 2017 Review: Part 3- Eternal War Missions

The 2017 edition of Chapter Approved also sees the introduction of 6 new Eternal War and Maelstrom of War missions to add to the 12 in the rulebook. 

Eternal War Missions
There are six new Eternal war missions presented in the book. A couple of these introduce a new progressive scoring system, which is a nice addition to the rules and I think will encourage more objective holding or taking during the game, rather than just pouncing on them in the final turns.

Most of the missions are set up in the same way as the rulebook Eternal war missions. You set up the terrain, place objectives, determine deployment zone and the player that placed the final objective chooses the deployment zone. You alternate deploying units. In these missions, you roll off for first turn (the player that finishes deploying first gets +1 to the roll). All missions score a point for First Blood, Slay the Warlord and Linebreaker.

Front-line Warfare
This mission is slightly different in that objectives are placed after choosing deployment zones. This mission uses four objectives. The first objective marker for each player must be placed at least 12" from the centre of the board and at least 12" from each players' deployment zone. This means that for the standard Dawn of War deployment, two objectives must be placed on the central line. The second objective for each player must be placed in their own deployment zone.

At the end of the game, the central objective markers are worth 2 points each, the marker in your deployment zone is worth 1 point and the one in your opponent's deployment zone is worth 4 points.

This is a mission that encourages players not to sit in their own deployment zone and to go after the objectives in the centre and your opponent's deployment zone. I like this style of mission, as I think the game should be about going after objectives and not just sitting back and just shooting one another.

Chapter Approved 2017 Review: Part 2- Orks and Imperial Knights Faction Rules

Part 2 of my Chapter Approved 2017 review will look at the new Faction rules for the Orks and Imperial Knights. 

Orks

Warlord Trait

An Ork warlord can take the Might is Right warlord trait, giving him +1 strength. On a warboss, this will take them up to S7 base, so they will be able to wound most vehicles on a 4+ without any additional weapon. With a Big Choppa, this will take them up to S9, with a Power Klaw, up to S14. This is great, allowing you to wound most vehicles on a 2+ with a warboss with a Power Klaw. This would allow your warlord to tear through most enemy vehicles or units with ease. I can see this being a great warlord trait for an Ork warboss to take. 

Chapter Approved 2017 Review: Part 1- Deathwatch and Genestealer Cults

Chapter Approved 2017 was released this weekend, bringing new Relics and Stratagems to many armies in the game, several of which I own. It also expanded the rules on various game modes, such as Apocalypse and Planetstrike. 

Part 1 of my review will take a look at the new rules for my two most recent armies; Deathwatch and Genestealer Cults. 

Deathwatch Faction Rules

Warlord Trait

A Deathwatch Character can take the Bane of Monstrosities warlord trait, giving him re-rolls to wound when attacking Vehicles or Monsters. This could be useful on a Watch Master. His re-rolls to hit means he will probably be hitting with all four of his attacks. At S5, he is going to be wounding on a 5+ against most vehicles and monsters, so this could help him gain an extra wound or two if you are rolling well. With D3 wounds with the Guardian Spear, this could be useful for taking a few wounds off any enemy vehicle or monster. 

Not great for me. I would probably stick with the +1 attack warlord trait or the 6+ FNP one, as I tend to send my Watch Master after infantry targets most of the time.