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.
Angus' army consisted of:
Battalion Detachment (Astra Militarum, Catachan)
Company Commander- Laspistol, Chainsword
Company Commander- Laspistol, Chainsword
Infantry Squad- Lasguns, Sergeant with Laspistol and Chainsword
Infantry Squad- Lasguns, Sergeant with Laspistol and Chainsword
Infantry Squad- Lasguns, Sergeant with Laspistol and Chainsword
Spearhead Detachment (Adeptus Sororitas, Ebon Chalice)
Celestine- Ardent Blade
Exorcist- Exorcist Missile Launcher, Hunter-killer Missile
Exorcist- Exorcist Missile Launcher, Hunter-killer Missile
Exorcist- Exorcist Missile Launcher, Hunter-killer Missile
Battalion Detachment (Adeptus Sororitas, Ebon Chalice)
Canoness- Bolter, Chainsword, Brazier of Eternal Flame, Warlord, Indomitable Belief
Missionary
5 Battle Sisters- Bolters, 3 Storm Bolters, Chainsword
5 Battle Sisters- Bolters, 3 Storm Bolters, Chainsword
5 Battle Sisters- Bolters, 3 Storm Bolters, Chainsword
Dialogus
5 Dominions- Chainsword and Storm Bolter, 4 Meltaguns
5 Dominions- Chainsword and Storm Bolter, 4 Meltaguns
9 Arco Flagellants
Immolator- Immolation Flamer
Repressor- Heavy Flamer, Storm Bolter
Repressor- Heavy Flamer, 2 Storm Bolters
Rhino- Storm Bolter
Angus' army featured a lot of anti-infantry firepower that could pose a problem for my force. Hopefully my Cult Creed would help protect me against the worst of the firepower. This featured a lot of infantry and some tough vehicles to crack. The force also featured an Astra Militarum contingent, to give some objective holding units and board control. The rules to Vanquish means you can only use stratagems from your Warlord's detachment, so he could not use any Guard stratagems during the game.
His army also featured some really nice converted Astra Militarum to fit in with the Sisters of Battle army, looking like fanatics to the cause.
We placed the objectives as shown below, with one having to be placed in the centre of the board.
Angus deployed his forces first. He put a unit of Guardsmen on either flank in the ruins, with a Company Commander nearby. The Exorcists went at the back of the table, with Celestine, the Dialogus and Canoness in the ruins in the centre. The Repressors and Rhino went to the front of the deployment zone, with the Arco Flagellants and Missionary in the Rhino and Dominion squads in the Repressors. The other Sisters and Infantry Squad went behind the vehicles.
I then deployed my Ambush counters, covering much of the board in my deployment zone. I never used the stratagem to give me extra counters. I tend to find I don't get much use out of them. If I am using the stratagem that lets me put another 3 units in reserve, I have extra counters in good positions anyway.
For Refined Strategy, I removed Advance, Mission Critical Objective, Priority Orders Received, Scour the Skies, Domination and Witch Hunter. Angus removed Big Game Hunter, Domination, Behind Enemy Lines, Priority Orders Received, Advance and Scour the Skies. I also spent 1CP on Clandestine Goals to keep my maelstrom cards a secret until they are scored.
Angus elected to give me the first turn. This was a bit of a surprise, but I welcomed it. I think he was maybe thinking about the objective scoring at the end of the battle round, giving him a turn of firepower to try and clear my light infantry off of the objective. Before the game started, he used the Scout moves on his Repressors to move them up on the objectives on the centre and his left flank.
TURN 1- GENESTEALER CULTS
I rolled for the Eternal War objective and got 1, the central objective. I drew Secure Objective 1, Secure Objective 3, Secure Objective 5 and Big Game Hunter. A good set of cards, as I was on the two objectives.
I started deploying my forces. The Nexos went first in the ruins to the left, allowing me to move one token to my right flank to target the Repressor. I then used Meticulous Uprising to move three counters towards the central Repressor (but still in my deployment zone). I deployed the Sanctus on top of the central ruins, using A Perfect Ambush stratagem to fire at Celestine, hitting and wounding (but not a mortal wound), but failing get past her armour.
I put one Neophyte squad on the left hand ruins next to the Nexos. The Flamer Neophytes and Magus went on the left as well, with the Goliath Truck in the centre. I put the Mortar Team in the central ruins, with the Jackal Alphus behind them. On the right flank, I put the a Neophyte Squad on the right ruins, with the Magus and Acolytes beside them.
In the movement phase, the Acolytes and Magus moved up on the Repressor on the right flank. The Alphus moved beside the Neophytes on the right, using his ability to give +1 to hit on the Repressor. On the left flank, the Goliath Truck moved up on the central objective, the Genestealers disembarking to move up on the central Repressor. I couldn't move within 9" of it and had already specified they would be in the transport. The Neophyte Hybrids and Magus moved up on the Repressor as well.
In the psychic phase, the Magus on the right cast Mental Onslaught on the Repressor, doing a single mortal wound. The Magus in the centre cast Smite, doing one mortal wound on the central Repressor. He then used the Familiar to cast Psionic Blast, but only did a single mortal wound once more.
In the shooting phase, the Sanctus fired at Celestine, causing a single mortal wound on her. The Jackal Alphus fired at her, but failed to hit.
The Neophytes on the right flank fired their Mining Lasers at the Repulsor, hitting twice with one CP re-roll. Both shots wounded and got through the armour, but I only scored 3 damage on 2D6. The Autoguns of the squad managed to put on another wound. The Acolyte Hybrids and Magus fired on the enemy vehicle, but failed to do any damage. The Goliath Truck added its firepower, but did no damage.
The Heavy Weapons Team fired at the Infantry Squad in the ruins on the left flank, killing two of the squad.
The middle Neophyte Squad fired at the other Repressor, managing to put three wounds on it with the Flamers and Autoguns.
In the charge phase, the Goliath Truck charged the Repressor to soak up the overwatch, the Neophytes rushing in to join it. The Genestealers failed their charge on the enemy vehicle, with a CP re-roll. On the right flank, the Acolyte Hybrids charged the other Repressor.
On the right, the Acolytes attacked the Repressor, taking it down to two wounds, but failing to finish it off. The squad were able to consolidate around the enemy vehicle to stop it from falling back in the following turn.
In the centre combat, the Neophytes managed to put a wound on the enemy vehicle for no damage in reply. Once more, the squad were able to wrap around the Repressor to block it from retreating.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 1, Secure Objective 3 and Secure Objective 5.
TURN 1- SISTERS OF BATTLE
In his first turn, Angus drew Mission Critical Objective 1, Secure Objective 2, Secure Objective 3 and Secure Objective 5. He spent the 2CP to discard Secure Objective 5 and drew Overwhelming Firepower instead.
On the left flank, the two Infantry Squads and Company Commander moved up towards the Acolyte Hybrids. In the centre, the three Exorcists moved up to get line of sight on the enemy army, while the Immolator advanced towards the Jackal Alphus.
Celestine and the Canoness moved up towards the Goliath Truck. One Sisters of Battle squad used the Hand of the Emperor Act of Faith to move 9" forward, the other Sisters squad moving towards the Neophytes in combat. The Rhino backed off towards the back of the deployment zone, while on the right flank, the Infantry Squad moved up.
At the start of the shooting phase, I used Strike from the Shadows on the Genestealers to protect them from the enemy firepower. With most of the closest units being locked in combat, this would keep them safe from the enemy firepower.
On the left flank, both Infantry Squads were given the order to First Rank Fire, Second Rank Fire, aiming their Lasguns at the Neophyte Hybrids in the ruins in front of them. The combined fire of both squads caused 11 wounds in total, but I made all my armour saves. The Neophytes got a 3+ armour save thanks to the ruins and Cult Creed, helping to keep them protected from the enemy firepower.
The Repressors both used their smoke launchers. The squads in each Repressor fired their Bolt Pistols at the Genestealer Cults arrayed against them, killing two of the Neophytes only.
The Immolator fired on the Neophytes in the ruins, killing two of the squad. The first Exorcist added its firepower, killing two more. A second Exorcist fired at the squad, killing one of the squad. The third vehicle only got a single shot, missing the squad. No other units were in range of a target other than the Genestealers, so their firepower was wasted.
In the charge phase, the Infantry Squad on the right charged the Neophytes, but failed to make the distance. The Sisters of Battle Squad charge the Neophytes, while Battle Sisters, Celestine and the Canoness charged the Goliath Truck. On the left flank, both Infantry squads charged the Neophyte Hybrids, the Company Commander failing the charge.
The Infantry Squad on the left attacked the Acolytes, only hitting three times and failing to wound. I decided not to interrupt, so the second Infantry Squad attacked, this time doing 6 wounds and killing three.
Angus used The Passion Act of Faith on Celestine to allow her to fight twice. Her first set of attacks did four wounds on the Truck and it took 6 damage. Her second round of attacks did another two wounds. If I could make one of my Rugged Construction saves, the vehicle had a chance of surviving. Unfortunately, all wounds got through and the Cult vehicle was wrecked.
The Battle Sisters squad managed to take out one of the Neophytes in the centre of the battlefield.
The Acolytes on my right flank then attacked, the Rock Cutter destroying the vehicle and killing one of the Dominion as they emerged. The rest of the Squad struck at the Guardsmen, killing three of each squad. The Neophytes did no damage to the Battle Sisters or Repressor in reply.
In the morale phase, three of the Neophytes in the ruins on my right flank left the field, obviously retreating in order to plan another glorious uprising.
At the end of the turn, Angus scored Mission Critical Objective for 2 points and Secure Objective 2, choosing to discard Secure Objective 3. I scored Big Game Hunter as well and we both scored First Strike. For the Eternal War mission, Angus scored four points for holding three objectives (including the activated objective) and I scored two points for holding two objectives.
VICTORY POINTS:
Genestealer Cults- 7
Sisters of Battle- 8
A pretty even first turn for both of us. Angus was ahead by one point and in good position to grab the objectives, but I had a lot of reserves to come in. I had got fortunate in tying up both Repressors, stopping their firepower and keeping my units safe from the enemy firepower.
TURN 2- GENESTEALER CULTS
In my second turn, I drew Behind Enemy Lines, Master the Warp, Secure Objective 1 and Secure Objective 5. A great set of cards for me this turn. I rolled for the activated objective and got objective 2, deep in the enemy deployment zone.
On the right flank, the two remaining Neophytes moved down to the objective, while the Magus moved up on the Infantry Squad. The Genestealers advanced towards the Battle Sisters on objective 1, the Magus following them.
At the end of the phase, I brought in my reserves. I deployed the Primus and Clamavus on the left flank, followed by the Aberrants. I used A Perfect Ambush to move them up. I rolled a 1, using a CP re-roll, but only got a 2, giving them a 6" charge to get to the Commander. I also decided to bring in the Patriarch, 20 Acolytes, Primus and Clamavus on the right.
I then used Lying in Wait to bring the Acolytes with Demolition Charges in the centre, next to an Exorcist.
In the psychic phase, the Patriarch attempted to cast Might From Beyond on the Aberrants, but failed in the attempt. He then used the Crouchling to cast Mental Onslaught on the Exorcist, taking four mortal wounds from it.
The other Magus cast Mass Hypnosis on the Battle Sisters. The squad failed to deny the power, so Angus used the Purity of Faith stratagem to block the power. On the other flank, the Magus cast Smite, killing one of the Dominion Squad.
In the shooting phase, the Acolytes used Extra Demolitons to fire at the nearby enemy. I put the four Demolition Charges into the Exorcist, two Blasting Charges into the Battle Sisters and four into the Company Commander. After some horrendous rolling, I only did two wounds on the Exorcist (14 shots, 6 hits and two wounds), two on the Company Commander and killed one Battle Sister.
The Alphus fired his sniper rifle at the company commander, hitting and wounding, but he made his invulnerable save. The Sanctus missed his shot on the Commander.
The Mortar teams turned their firepower on the Sisters beside the Demolition Acolyte Hybrids. The squad got 7 hits, but only a single wound on a 3+. One Sister did fall though.
The Alphus targeted the Immolator with his marksman ability, allowing the two Mining Lasers to fire on it, taking 6 wounds from the vehicle. The Acolytes fired their pistols at the Guardsmen, but failed to do any damage.
In the charge phase, the Aberrants declared a charge on the Company Commander and Exorcist, rolling just enough to get in on the Commander. The Patriarch followed them in, making it to the Company Commander.
On the left flank, the unit of Acolytes charged the Battle Sisters and Infantry Squads, making it in. The Primus and Clamavus also charged the Infantry Squad. In the centre of the battlefield, the Genestealers and Magus charged the Battle Sisters on the objective, the Genestealers losing one to overwatch fire. On the right, the Magus assaulted the Dominion Squad. A great round for me, as I made every single charge without having to spend a CP re-roll. Celestine then used her heroic intervention to engage the nearby Neophytes.
I activated the Genestealers first. My plan was to kill the Battle Sisters and consolidate into the Immolator, to at least stop it from firing the following turn. However, only four Battle Sisters fell, leaving the Sergeant alive and preventing me from doing so. Instead, I wrapped round the survivor to prevent her from falling back.
Angus spent 2CP to interrupt and fight with the Infantry squad on his left flank, but only managed to slay one of the Acolytes.
On the other flank, the Patriarch slew the Company Commander. This allowed the Aberrants to pile in to the Exorcist. They struck at the enemy vehicle, easily obliterating it. The vehicle exploded, causing devastation all around. One Battle Sister fell, along with three Guardsmen. My units were hit hard, killing three Acolytes and putting three wounds on the Aberrants. The Crouchling was slain, and the Primus and Clamavus took a wound each, which they passed on to the Acolytes, thanks to Unquestioning Loyalty.
The Acolyte Squad on the left tore into the Guardsmen and Battle Sisters, wiping out both squads.
On the other flank, the Magus killed one Dominion. The Acolytes struck at the Infantry Squads, killing all but the Sergeant in one squad and three from the other squad. The Sergeant struck back, but did no damage. The Battle Sisters failed to harm the Magus.
Celestine only managed to kill a single Neophyte after some terrible rolling, while the Repressor killed one as well.
In the morale phase, the lone Sister in combat with the Genestealers fled, ruining my plan to keep them safe from enemy firepower.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 1, Secure Objective 5, Master the Warp and Behind Enemy Lines for 2 points.
TURN 2- SISTERS OF BATTLE
In his second turn, Angus drew Defend Objective 1, Secure Objective 1 and Supremacy and had Overwhelming Firepower.
The Dominion Squad finally disembarked from the Repressor, moving towards the Aberrants, while the Repressor fell back, the Canoness taking cover behind it. Celestine fell back from combat into the ruins beside the Genestealers. The Arco Flagellants and Missionary disembarked from the Rhino, moving up on the Demolition Acolytes. On the left flank, the wounded Company Commander moved towards the Acolytes. The Immolator moved up on the objective. The surviving Dominion fell back from combat with the Magus.
At the start of the shooting phase, I used my last CP to play Strike From the Shadows on the large unit of Acolytes on my left flank. The Company Commander ordered both Infantry Squad to fight the Acolytes, killing four of the squad with their combined attacks.
The Dominion Squad turned their Meltaguns on the Aberrants, killing three of the squad. The Exorcist fired at the last Aberrant, killing him.
The other Exorcist fired at the Neophytes with Mining Lasers, killing the last two members of the squad. The Immolator fired at the Jackal Alphus, doing five wounds on the enemy character. I made one save, leaving him on a single wound.
The Battle Sisters fired at the Genestealers, killing five of the squad. Celestine fired her Heavy Flamer shot at the squad, wiping them out.
In the charge phase, the Battle Sisters assaulted the Magus in the centre of the field. The Exorcist charged the Demolition Acolytes. The Arco Flagellants declared a multi-charge on both units of Acolytes and the Neophytes, losing one to overwatch. Angus was hoping to roll high to get to the big unit of Acolytes, but failed to roll the 11 required, so went into the smaller unit beside him. The Immolator assaulted the Jackal Alphus.
The Flagellants tore into the Acolytes, easily shredding them with their massed attacks. The Immolator attacked the Alphus, but failed to do any damage. The Battle Sisters in the centre killed the Familiar and put a wound on the Magus.
The Company Commander struck at the Acolytes, killing one. The Infantry squads struck at the surviving Acolyte, but failed to kill him. In reply, he attacked the Company Commander, cutting him down with his Rock Cutter.
The Magus struck back at the Battle Sisters, killing one. In the morale phase, the lone Acolyte held firm on the right flank.
At the end of his turn, Angus scored Overwhelming Firepower and Supremacy for 2 points each, as well as Secure Objective 1. For the primary objectives, we each scored three points.
VICTORY POINTS:
Genestealer Cults- 15
Sisters of Battle- 16
I was still one point behind, but things were looking up for the Cult. I had a few big units left to try and do some damage to the enemy army, who were quickly falling in combat to the Cult.
TURN 3- GENESTEALER CULTS
At the start of the turn, the activated objective was objective 2 once more, which was fully under my control. For maelstrom, I drew Psychological Warfare, Defend Objective 2, Secure Objective 3 and Supremacy. A pretty good draw once more.
The Primus and Clamavus moved up on Celestine, while the Patriarch advanced towards the enemy army, the Acolytes and Neophytes moving up to support him. The Clamavus moved to secure the objecitve, while the Primus moved up on the dominions.
In the centre, the Mortar teams advanced to grab the objective to their right, while the Jackal Alphus fell back from combat.
In the psychic phase, the central Magus cast Smite, killing one Battle Sister. The second Magus failed to cast Smite on the Dominion squad. The Patriarch cast Mental Onslaught on the Repressor, but the psychic power was blocked using the stratagem.
In the shooting phase, the Sanctus fired on Celestine, putting one mortal wound on her. The Primus and Clamavus added their firepower, the Primus taking two wounds from her with his Needle Pistol.
The Neophytes turned their Flamers on the Dominion squad, killing two, another falling to the squad's Autoguns. The Primus fired his pistol at the squad, killing one more.
In the charge phase, the Acolytes charged the Dominion squad, the Repressor and the Sister in combat with the Magus in the centre, losing four of the squad to the overwatch fire of the Repressor. The Neophyte Hybrids charge in to the Dominion squad. The Patriarch made a long charge on the Arco Flagellants.
The Primus and Clamavus charged Celestine, the Primus taking two wounds from her flamer in overwatch. I was hoping that one of the characters would survive to keep her tied up in combat and prevent her from charging in Angus' turn. If she could charge, she could threaten my backline and steal an objective from me. On the right flank, the Magus charged the Infantry Squad.
In the fight phase, the Patriarch killed three of the Arco Flagellants. The Magus on the left flank struck at the Infantry Squad, killing two.
On the left flank, the Primus finished off the Dominion squad. The nearby Acolytes were able to take out the Repressor with their Drills, as well as killing the Battle Sister in the centre. The lone Acolyte on the right was able to kill off one of the Guardsmen.
In reply, the Arco Flagellants managed to put 16 wounds on the Patriarch using the Flagellant stratagem, losing two of their squad in reply. The Patriarch was cut down by the fanatics, giving Angus Slay the Warlord.
Celestine struck at the Primus, after the Genestealer Cults characters failed to harm her, the living Saint easily slaying the Primus. On the right flank, the Guardsmen wounded the Magus.
In the morale phase, one more Arco Flagellant fled. I scored Psychological warfare, Supremacy (for 2 points) and Secure Objective 3.
TURN 3- SISTERS OF BATTLE
In his turn, Angus had Secure Objective 2, Defend Objective 3, Defend Objective 5 and Blood and Guts.
The Canoness moved up on the central objective. The Arco Flagellants and Missionary moved up on the Acolyte Hybrids. The Immolator moved round to target the Jackal Alphus. Celestine used an Act of Faith to heal two wounds on herself.
In the shooting phase, the remaining Imperial Forces all turned their guns on the Acolyte Hybrids, killing only two. The Immolator fired on the Jackal Alphus, slaying him.
In the charge phase, the Rhino failed a charge on the Neophytes and Acolytes. The Missionary then failed a charge on both squads. The Arco Flagellants charged the Acolytes, taking one wound in overwatch. The Canoness charged the Magus and Acolytes.
The Arco Flagellants struck at the Acolytes, killing four of the squad. The Canoness was able to slay another two. Celestine then activated, killing the Clamavus with ease, consolidating into the Magus. Angus used the Act of Faith to allow her to fight again, using her additional attacks to slay the enemy psyker.
The Acolytes in the centre struck back, only doing a single hit on the Flagellants with their Rock Drill and failing to wound. Another Acolyte put a wound on the Canoness.
On the right flank, the Acolyte with the Rock Cutter slew one Guardsman, before he was finally taken down. The Magus did no wounds to the Infantry Squad and took no damage in reply.
In the morale phase, one of the surviving Acolytes fled, but I still had enough left to claim the objective in the centre. At the end of his turn, Angus scored Blood and Guts for 2 points, and I scored Defend Objective 2.
For the Eternal War mission, I scored four points and Angus scored two.
VICTORY POINTS:
Genestealer Cults- 25
Sisters of Battle- 20
Unfortunately, we ran out of time to finish the game, so the Genestealer Cults took the victory.
AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to Angus for a fantastic game. I was annoyed we never got to finish this game, as I really had no idea who would have won overall. Both armies had taken significant casualties, but Angus definitely had the firepower superiority, whereas I had some combat ability remaining.
The addition of the new characters to the Cult were a big boost for the army, giving some valuable buffs to nearby units.
The Nexos was a bit of a waste in this game, only regaining a single command point over the three turns. I think this was surely due to poor rolling on my part. For only 50 pts, I think he is well worth the addition to the army, giving you chances to get more CP back over the game.
The Sanctus and Jackal Alphus were also good as Snipers in the army, doing a number of mortal wounds on Celestine. Their regular shots did little damage, but again, I think this was simply due to lack of targets. With a 2+ save, Celestine is hard to take out with only AP-1 or AP-2. Angus was able to keep the other characters out of sight to stop me from targeting them.
The Clamavus was fantastic in this game. The +1 to charges is key for the army, allowing me to make several charges that would have failed otherwise. I had a fantastic round of Ambushes on turn 2, making every single one of my charges in my turn, dealing a heavy blow to the enemy army when all my troops got in to combat.
One lacklustre part of the army so far has been the Demolition Charge Acolytes. Using Lying in Wait and Extra Demolitions costs 3CP in total, allowing me to throw all four Demolition Charges in my shooting phase. I have used this unit in three games so far, and they really haven't achieved much. Maybe it is just poor choice of targets for me, but it doesn't seem to be worth the 3CP to use. I might just put them in a truck and hope they make it into range to throw the charges.
The FAQ changes to the Lurk in the Shadows stratagem is great. This can be used on an infantry squad and means they cannot be targeted by enemy shooting unless they are the closest models. This was brilliant in Angus' first turn. I was able to use this on the Genestealers to effectively shut down a lot of his firepower.
I think Angus made an error in scouting the two Repressors forward, especially as he gave me the first turn. This allowed me to get my units into combat, as well as allowing me to lock the vehicles in combat to stop the Dominion squads from deploying and keeping my units safe from the enemy firepower.
I also had a lot of luck with the maelstrom cards, being able to score ever card I drew over the course of the three turns.
Overall, a great game and the first win for my Cult with the new codex. I hope to get a few more units painted up and continue to see if I can pull in the wins with my army.
The Neophytes on the right flank fired their Mining Lasers at the Repulsor, hitting twice with one CP re-roll. Both shots wounded and got through the armour, but I only scored 3 damage on 2D6. The Autoguns of the squad managed to put on another wound. The Acolyte Hybrids and Magus fired on the enemy vehicle, but failed to do any damage. The Goliath Truck added its firepower, but did no damage.
The Heavy Weapons Team fired at the Infantry Squad in the ruins on the left flank, killing two of the squad.
The middle Neophyte Squad fired at the other Repressor, managing to put three wounds on it with the Flamers and Autoguns.
In the charge phase, the Goliath Truck charged the Repressor to soak up the overwatch, the Neophytes rushing in to join it. The Genestealers failed their charge on the enemy vehicle, with a CP re-roll. On the right flank, the Acolyte Hybrids charged the other Repressor.
On the right, the Acolytes attacked the Repressor, taking it down to two wounds, but failing to finish it off. The squad were able to consolidate around the enemy vehicle to stop it from falling back in the following turn.
In the centre combat, the Neophytes managed to put a wound on the enemy vehicle for no damage in reply. Once more, the squad were able to wrap around the Repressor to block it from retreating.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 1, Secure Objective 3 and Secure Objective 5.
TURN 1- SISTERS OF BATTLE
In his first turn, Angus drew Mission Critical Objective 1, Secure Objective 2, Secure Objective 3 and Secure Objective 5. He spent the 2CP to discard Secure Objective 5 and drew Overwhelming Firepower instead.
On the left flank, the two Infantry Squads and Company Commander moved up towards the Acolyte Hybrids. In the centre, the three Exorcists moved up to get line of sight on the enemy army, while the Immolator advanced towards the Jackal Alphus.
Celestine and the Canoness moved up towards the Goliath Truck. One Sisters of Battle squad used the Hand of the Emperor Act of Faith to move 9" forward, the other Sisters squad moving towards the Neophytes in combat. The Rhino backed off towards the back of the deployment zone, while on the right flank, the Infantry Squad moved up.
At the start of the shooting phase, I used Strike from the Shadows on the Genestealers to protect them from the enemy firepower. With most of the closest units being locked in combat, this would keep them safe from the enemy firepower.
On the left flank, both Infantry Squads were given the order to First Rank Fire, Second Rank Fire, aiming their Lasguns at the Neophyte Hybrids in the ruins in front of them. The combined fire of both squads caused 11 wounds in total, but I made all my armour saves. The Neophytes got a 3+ armour save thanks to the ruins and Cult Creed, helping to keep them protected from the enemy firepower.
The Repressors both used their smoke launchers. The squads in each Repressor fired their Bolt Pistols at the Genestealer Cults arrayed against them, killing two of the Neophytes only.
The Immolator fired on the Neophytes in the ruins, killing two of the squad. The first Exorcist added its firepower, killing two more. A second Exorcist fired at the squad, killing one of the squad. The third vehicle only got a single shot, missing the squad. No other units were in range of a target other than the Genestealers, so their firepower was wasted.
In the charge phase, the Infantry Squad on the right charged the Neophytes, but failed to make the distance. The Sisters of Battle Squad charge the Neophytes, while Battle Sisters, Celestine and the Canoness charged the Goliath Truck. On the left flank, both Infantry squads charged the Neophyte Hybrids, the Company Commander failing the charge.
The Infantry Squad on the left attacked the Acolytes, only hitting three times and failing to wound. I decided not to interrupt, so the second Infantry Squad attacked, this time doing 6 wounds and killing three.
Angus used The Passion Act of Faith on Celestine to allow her to fight twice. Her first set of attacks did four wounds on the Truck and it took 6 damage. Her second round of attacks did another two wounds. If I could make one of my Rugged Construction saves, the vehicle had a chance of surviving. Unfortunately, all wounds got through and the Cult vehicle was wrecked.
The Battle Sisters squad managed to take out one of the Neophytes in the centre of the battlefield.
The Acolytes on my right flank then attacked, the Rock Cutter destroying the vehicle and killing one of the Dominion as they emerged. The rest of the Squad struck at the Guardsmen, killing three of each squad. The Neophytes did no damage to the Battle Sisters or Repressor in reply.
In the morale phase, three of the Neophytes in the ruins on my right flank left the field, obviously retreating in order to plan another glorious uprising.
At the end of the turn, Angus scored Mission Critical Objective for 2 points and Secure Objective 2, choosing to discard Secure Objective 3. I scored Big Game Hunter as well and we both scored First Strike. For the Eternal War mission, Angus scored four points for holding three objectives (including the activated objective) and I scored two points for holding two objectives.
VICTORY POINTS:
Genestealer Cults- 7
Sisters of Battle- 8
A pretty even first turn for both of us. Angus was ahead by one point and in good position to grab the objectives, but I had a lot of reserves to come in. I had got fortunate in tying up both Repressors, stopping their firepower and keeping my units safe from the enemy firepower.
TURN 2- GENESTEALER CULTS
In my second turn, I drew Behind Enemy Lines, Master the Warp, Secure Objective 1 and Secure Objective 5. A great set of cards for me this turn. I rolled for the activated objective and got objective 2, deep in the enemy deployment zone.
On the right flank, the two remaining Neophytes moved down to the objective, while the Magus moved up on the Infantry Squad. The Genestealers advanced towards the Battle Sisters on objective 1, the Magus following them.
At the end of the phase, I brought in my reserves. I deployed the Primus and Clamavus on the left flank, followed by the Aberrants. I used A Perfect Ambush to move them up. I rolled a 1, using a CP re-roll, but only got a 2, giving them a 6" charge to get to the Commander. I also decided to bring in the Patriarch, 20 Acolytes, Primus and Clamavus on the right.
I then used Lying in Wait to bring the Acolytes with Demolition Charges in the centre, next to an Exorcist.
In the psychic phase, the Patriarch attempted to cast Might From Beyond on the Aberrants, but failed in the attempt. He then used the Crouchling to cast Mental Onslaught on the Exorcist, taking four mortal wounds from it.
The other Magus cast Mass Hypnosis on the Battle Sisters. The squad failed to deny the power, so Angus used the Purity of Faith stratagem to block the power. On the other flank, the Magus cast Smite, killing one of the Dominion Squad.
In the shooting phase, the Acolytes used Extra Demolitons to fire at the nearby enemy. I put the four Demolition Charges into the Exorcist, two Blasting Charges into the Battle Sisters and four into the Company Commander. After some horrendous rolling, I only did two wounds on the Exorcist (14 shots, 6 hits and two wounds), two on the Company Commander and killed one Battle Sister.
The Alphus fired his sniper rifle at the company commander, hitting and wounding, but he made his invulnerable save. The Sanctus missed his shot on the Commander.
The Mortar teams turned their firepower on the Sisters beside the Demolition Acolyte Hybrids. The squad got 7 hits, but only a single wound on a 3+. One Sister did fall though.
The Alphus targeted the Immolator with his marksman ability, allowing the two Mining Lasers to fire on it, taking 6 wounds from the vehicle. The Acolytes fired their pistols at the Guardsmen, but failed to do any damage.
In the charge phase, the Aberrants declared a charge on the Company Commander and Exorcist, rolling just enough to get in on the Commander. The Patriarch followed them in, making it to the Company Commander.
On the left flank, the unit of Acolytes charged the Battle Sisters and Infantry Squads, making it in. The Primus and Clamavus also charged the Infantry Squad. In the centre of the battlefield, the Genestealers and Magus charged the Battle Sisters on the objective, the Genestealers losing one to overwatch fire. On the right, the Magus assaulted the Dominion Squad. A great round for me, as I made every single charge without having to spend a CP re-roll. Celestine then used her heroic intervention to engage the nearby Neophytes.
I activated the Genestealers first. My plan was to kill the Battle Sisters and consolidate into the Immolator, to at least stop it from firing the following turn. However, only four Battle Sisters fell, leaving the Sergeant alive and preventing me from doing so. Instead, I wrapped round the survivor to prevent her from falling back.
Angus spent 2CP to interrupt and fight with the Infantry squad on his left flank, but only managed to slay one of the Acolytes.
On the other flank, the Patriarch slew the Company Commander. This allowed the Aberrants to pile in to the Exorcist. They struck at the enemy vehicle, easily obliterating it. The vehicle exploded, causing devastation all around. One Battle Sister fell, along with three Guardsmen. My units were hit hard, killing three Acolytes and putting three wounds on the Aberrants. The Crouchling was slain, and the Primus and Clamavus took a wound each, which they passed on to the Acolytes, thanks to Unquestioning Loyalty.
The Acolyte Squad on the left tore into the Guardsmen and Battle Sisters, wiping out both squads.
On the other flank, the Magus killed one Dominion. The Acolytes struck at the Infantry Squads, killing all but the Sergeant in one squad and three from the other squad. The Sergeant struck back, but did no damage. The Battle Sisters failed to harm the Magus.
Celestine only managed to kill a single Neophyte after some terrible rolling, while the Repressor killed one as well.
In the morale phase, the lone Sister in combat with the Genestealers fled, ruining my plan to keep them safe from enemy firepower.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 1, Secure Objective 5, Master the Warp and Behind Enemy Lines for 2 points.
TURN 2- SISTERS OF BATTLE
In his second turn, Angus drew Defend Objective 1, Secure Objective 1 and Supremacy and had Overwhelming Firepower.
The Dominion Squad finally disembarked from the Repressor, moving towards the Aberrants, while the Repressor fell back, the Canoness taking cover behind it. Celestine fell back from combat into the ruins beside the Genestealers. The Arco Flagellants and Missionary disembarked from the Rhino, moving up on the Demolition Acolytes. On the left flank, the wounded Company Commander moved towards the Acolytes. The Immolator moved up on the objective. The surviving Dominion fell back from combat with the Magus.
At the start of the shooting phase, I used my last CP to play Strike From the Shadows on the large unit of Acolytes on my left flank. The Company Commander ordered both Infantry Squad to fight the Acolytes, killing four of the squad with their combined attacks.
The Dominion Squad turned their Meltaguns on the Aberrants, killing three of the squad. The Exorcist fired at the last Aberrant, killing him.
The other Exorcist fired at the Neophytes with Mining Lasers, killing the last two members of the squad. The Immolator fired at the Jackal Alphus, doing five wounds on the enemy character. I made one save, leaving him on a single wound.
The Battle Sisters fired at the Genestealers, killing five of the squad. Celestine fired her Heavy Flamer shot at the squad, wiping them out.
In the charge phase, the Battle Sisters assaulted the Magus in the centre of the field. The Exorcist charged the Demolition Acolytes. The Arco Flagellants declared a multi-charge on both units of Acolytes and the Neophytes, losing one to overwatch. Angus was hoping to roll high to get to the big unit of Acolytes, but failed to roll the 11 required, so went into the smaller unit beside him. The Immolator assaulted the Jackal Alphus.
The Flagellants tore into the Acolytes, easily shredding them with their massed attacks. The Immolator attacked the Alphus, but failed to do any damage. The Battle Sisters in the centre killed the Familiar and put a wound on the Magus.
The Company Commander struck at the Acolytes, killing one. The Infantry squads struck at the surviving Acolyte, but failed to kill him. In reply, he attacked the Company Commander, cutting him down with his Rock Cutter.
The Magus struck back at the Battle Sisters, killing one. In the morale phase, the lone Acolyte held firm on the right flank.
At the end of his turn, Angus scored Overwhelming Firepower and Supremacy for 2 points each, as well as Secure Objective 1. For the primary objectives, we each scored three points.
VICTORY POINTS:
Genestealer Cults- 15
Sisters of Battle- 16
I was still one point behind, but things were looking up for the Cult. I had a few big units left to try and do some damage to the enemy army, who were quickly falling in combat to the Cult.
TURN 3- GENESTEALER CULTS
At the start of the turn, the activated objective was objective 2 once more, which was fully under my control. For maelstrom, I drew Psychological Warfare, Defend Objective 2, Secure Objective 3 and Supremacy. A pretty good draw once more.
The Primus and Clamavus moved up on Celestine, while the Patriarch advanced towards the enemy army, the Acolytes and Neophytes moving up to support him. The Clamavus moved to secure the objecitve, while the Primus moved up on the dominions.
In the centre, the Mortar teams advanced to grab the objective to their right, while the Jackal Alphus fell back from combat.
In the psychic phase, the central Magus cast Smite, killing one Battle Sister. The second Magus failed to cast Smite on the Dominion squad. The Patriarch cast Mental Onslaught on the Repressor, but the psychic power was blocked using the stratagem.
In the shooting phase, the Sanctus fired on Celestine, putting one mortal wound on her. The Primus and Clamavus added their firepower, the Primus taking two wounds from her with his Needle Pistol.
The Neophytes turned their Flamers on the Dominion squad, killing two, another falling to the squad's Autoguns. The Primus fired his pistol at the squad, killing one more.
In the charge phase, the Acolytes charged the Dominion squad, the Repressor and the Sister in combat with the Magus in the centre, losing four of the squad to the overwatch fire of the Repressor. The Neophyte Hybrids charge in to the Dominion squad. The Patriarch made a long charge on the Arco Flagellants.
The Primus and Clamavus charged Celestine, the Primus taking two wounds from her flamer in overwatch. I was hoping that one of the characters would survive to keep her tied up in combat and prevent her from charging in Angus' turn. If she could charge, she could threaten my backline and steal an objective from me. On the right flank, the Magus charged the Infantry Squad.
In the fight phase, the Patriarch killed three of the Arco Flagellants. The Magus on the left flank struck at the Infantry Squad, killing two.
On the left flank, the Primus finished off the Dominion squad. The nearby Acolytes were able to take out the Repressor with their Drills, as well as killing the Battle Sister in the centre. The lone Acolyte on the right was able to kill off one of the Guardsmen.
In reply, the Arco Flagellants managed to put 16 wounds on the Patriarch using the Flagellant stratagem, losing two of their squad in reply. The Patriarch was cut down by the fanatics, giving Angus Slay the Warlord.
Celestine struck at the Primus, after the Genestealer Cults characters failed to harm her, the living Saint easily slaying the Primus. On the right flank, the Guardsmen wounded the Magus.
In the morale phase, one more Arco Flagellant fled. I scored Psychological warfare, Supremacy (for 2 points) and Secure Objective 3.
TURN 3- SISTERS OF BATTLE
In his turn, Angus had Secure Objective 2, Defend Objective 3, Defend Objective 5 and Blood and Guts.
The Canoness moved up on the central objective. The Arco Flagellants and Missionary moved up on the Acolyte Hybrids. The Immolator moved round to target the Jackal Alphus. Celestine used an Act of Faith to heal two wounds on herself.
In the shooting phase, the remaining Imperial Forces all turned their guns on the Acolyte Hybrids, killing only two. The Immolator fired on the Jackal Alphus, slaying him.
In the charge phase, the Rhino failed a charge on the Neophytes and Acolytes. The Missionary then failed a charge on both squads. The Arco Flagellants charged the Acolytes, taking one wound in overwatch. The Canoness charged the Magus and Acolytes.
The Arco Flagellants struck at the Acolytes, killing four of the squad. The Canoness was able to slay another two. Celestine then activated, killing the Clamavus with ease, consolidating into the Magus. Angus used the Act of Faith to allow her to fight again, using her additional attacks to slay the enemy psyker.
The Acolytes in the centre struck back, only doing a single hit on the Flagellants with their Rock Drill and failing to wound. Another Acolyte put a wound on the Canoness.
On the right flank, the Acolyte with the Rock Cutter slew one Guardsman, before he was finally taken down. The Magus did no wounds to the Infantry Squad and took no damage in reply.
In the morale phase, one of the surviving Acolytes fled, but I still had enough left to claim the objective in the centre. At the end of his turn, Angus scored Blood and Guts for 2 points, and I scored Defend Objective 2.
For the Eternal War mission, I scored four points and Angus scored two.
VICTORY POINTS:
Genestealer Cults- 25
Sisters of Battle- 20
Unfortunately, we ran out of time to finish the game, so the Genestealer Cults took the victory.
AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to Angus for a fantastic game. I was annoyed we never got to finish this game, as I really had no idea who would have won overall. Both armies had taken significant casualties, but Angus definitely had the firepower superiority, whereas I had some combat ability remaining.
The addition of the new characters to the Cult were a big boost for the army, giving some valuable buffs to nearby units.
The Nexos was a bit of a waste in this game, only regaining a single command point over the three turns. I think this was surely due to poor rolling on my part. For only 50 pts, I think he is well worth the addition to the army, giving you chances to get more CP back over the game.
The Sanctus and Jackal Alphus were also good as Snipers in the army, doing a number of mortal wounds on Celestine. Their regular shots did little damage, but again, I think this was simply due to lack of targets. With a 2+ save, Celestine is hard to take out with only AP-1 or AP-2. Angus was able to keep the other characters out of sight to stop me from targeting them.
The Clamavus was fantastic in this game. The +1 to charges is key for the army, allowing me to make several charges that would have failed otherwise. I had a fantastic round of Ambushes on turn 2, making every single one of my charges in my turn, dealing a heavy blow to the enemy army when all my troops got in to combat.
One lacklustre part of the army so far has been the Demolition Charge Acolytes. Using Lying in Wait and Extra Demolitions costs 3CP in total, allowing me to throw all four Demolition Charges in my shooting phase. I have used this unit in three games so far, and they really haven't achieved much. Maybe it is just poor choice of targets for me, but it doesn't seem to be worth the 3CP to use. I might just put them in a truck and hope they make it into range to throw the charges.
The FAQ changes to the Lurk in the Shadows stratagem is great. This can be used on an infantry squad and means they cannot be targeted by enemy shooting unless they are the closest models. This was brilliant in Angus' first turn. I was able to use this on the Genestealers to effectively shut down a lot of his firepower.
I think Angus made an error in scouting the two Repressors forward, especially as he gave me the first turn. This allowed me to get my units into combat, as well as allowing me to lock the vehicles in combat to stop the Dominion squads from deploying and keeping my units safe from the enemy firepower.
I also had a lot of luck with the maelstrom cards, being able to score ever card I drew over the course of the three turns.
Overall, a great game and the first win for my Cult with the new codex. I hope to get a few more units painted up and continue to see if I can pull in the wins with my army.
Great report, and a tough test for the Cult in Angus's Sisters. Your dice seems to hate at the start of battle.
ReplyDeleteCan the guys with the demo charges come in large squads ? I remember hearing reviews of the codex discussing the tactic you used, but they were saying it was amost a guaranteed knight kill. Maybe it was another unit shooting another type of grenade ?
They can come in squads of up to 20, but you can only throw up to 5 Demo charges with the stratagem. I think you would struggle to kill a Knight with 5 charges, but you could do some damage to it with the right buffs and bonuses to the unit.
DeleteThat review was probably talking about using Atalan Jackals with the Rusted Claw Drive-by Demolitions Stratagem for +1 to Hit and Wound as well as Extra Explosives. And very likely an Alphus pitching in as well.
DeleteAltho actually, now that I run the math on it, the expected value for that is still only something like 11-12 Wounds (also with a nearby Kelermorph letting them re-roll 1s) unless I did something wrong. So yeah, it can potentially kill a Knight, but it's far from guaranteed.
Yeah, the firepower can be a bit lacking in the Cults, as I have found. Their strength really does lie in the combat ability of the army.
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