Tuesday 13 September 2016

Hero for a Day: Game 4- White Scars vs Sisters of Battle

Game 4 of Hero for a Day was an 1850 pts single game featuring my White Scars taking on Jack's Sisters of Battle. I had last played Jack in the Kill Team game in mission 2, so was keep to see how I would fare against the full army. 

The mission was "Outflank". Players deployed in table quarters with three objectives on the table; one in the centre and one in the centre of each unoccupied table quarter. In this mission, only fast attack units could be deployed at the start of the game. Any vehicles could arrive on turn 1 on a roll of a 4+. Secondary objectives were First Strike (like first blood, but could be scored by both players on turn 1), Linebreaker and Slay the Warlord. 

My army consisted of:
Scarblade Strike Force
Stormlance Battle Demi-Company
Khan- Moondrakkan (with BS1)
5 Tactical Marines- Bolters, Flamer, Meltabombs (T1)
Rhino (R1)
5 Tactical Marines- Bolters, Grav gun, Meltabombs (T2)
Rhino (R2)
5 Tactical Marines- Bolters, Meltagun, Meltabombs (T3)
Rhino (R3)
5 Devastators- 4 Grav Cannons, Combi-grav (D)
Razorback- TL Assault Cannon (Rz)
Attack Bike- Multi-melta (AB1)

Hunting Force
Chaplain- Bike, The Hunter's Eye, Meltabombs (with BS2)
6 Bikers- 2 Grav guns, Power Axe, Meltabombs (BS1)
6 Bikers- 2 Grav Guns, Meltabombs (BS2)
6 Scout Bikers- Meltabombs, 2 Grenade Launchers (SB)
Attack Bike- Multi-melta (AB2)

Stormbringer Squadron
Landspeeder- Multi-melta, Typhoon Missile Launcher (L)
5 Scouts- Meltabombs, Combat weapons, Bolt pistols (S1)
Landspeeder Storm (LS1)
5 Scouts- Meltabombs, Bolters (S2)
Landspeeder Storm (LS2)

Khan was my warlord. I was lucky in this mission as the majority of my army was fast attack choices, the rest were vehicles that could potentially arrive on turn 1.



Jack's army consisted of:
Combined Arms Detachment
Saint Celestine (SC)
Canoness- Combi-plasma, Book of St Lucius (with CS)
5 Command Squad- 4 Heavy Bolters, Hospitaller (CS)
Rhino (R1)
5 Battle Sisters- Heavy Flamer, Flamer, Combi-flamer (BS1)
Rhino (R2)
5 Battle Sisters- 2 Meltaguns (BS2)
Rhino (I2)
5 Dominion- 4 Meltas, Combi-melta (D1)
Immolator- Loud Hailer (I1)
5 Dominion- 4 Flamers, Combi-flamer (D2)
Immolator- Multi-melta (I2)
5 Dominion- 4 Meltaguns, Combi-meltagun (D3)
Immolator- Heavy Flamer (I3)
Exorcist (E1)
Exorcist (E2)
Exorcist (E3)
Vengeance Weapons Battery (VB1)
Vengeance Weapons Battery (VB2)
Culexus Assassin (CA)

A lot of Meltaguns and Flamers to go up against with my bikers, this should be interesting. His warlord trait gave him +1 to seize the initiative and re-rolls for his reserve rolls.

I won the roll for deployment zone and chose the side with the big line of sight blocking terrain. I also won the roll for deployment and chose to go first. I deployed the two bike squads in the centre and one in the building to the right.

In reply, Jack deployed his two Vengeance batteries, one on each side. Two of his Immolators went on his left flank and one went on the right, behind some ruins. I then infiltrated the Scout Bikers close to an enemy Immolator.

I then scouted the bike squads and attack bikes forward to get into short range of the Sisters' lines.





For the hunting force targets, I chose:
Primary- Canoness
Secondary- Exorcist
Tertiary- Exorcist

Jack failed to seize the initiative and I got the first turn.

TURN 1- WHITE SCARS

As the White Scars bikes surged forward, two of the Rhinos and both Landspeeder Storms arrived from reserve, moving on to support the advance guard. Khan led his Bikers against one Immolator on the left flank, while the rest of the army moved to engage the other enemy vehicles.


The Landspeeder fired at one Immolator, glancing and penetrating the vehicle once, shaking the enemy transport. The Scout Bikers fired their grenade launchers at the vehicle, wrecking it.

The two attack bikes fired at the second Immolator. Both Multi-meltas hit, immobilising the transport and destroy its primary weapon. The Chaplain's bike unit fired at the Immolator, wrecking it with their grav guns. The squad inside were Pinned as they emerged from the destroyed transport.

Khan's bike unit fired at the third Immolator, immobilising it with their grav guns. The two White Scars Rhinos fired their smoke launchers to protect them from enemy fire.

TURN 1- SISTERS OF BATTLE

Seeing the White Scars forces engage, the Sister of Battle reserves all took to the field to fight back (thanks to Jack's warlord trait), only the Assassin and Saint remaining in reserve. Three Exorcist tanks arrived at the backfield, ready to loose their missiles at the White Scars. One Rhino arrived on each flank, moving up to engage the bikers. The Command Squad disembarked to target the White Scars warlord.




One Battle Sisters squad moved up and fired their flamers at the bikers in front of them. Two Scout Bikers and one Biker were engulfed in the flame and fell. Another two units snap fired at the Chaplain's unit, but failed to cause any damage.

One Exorcist fired at the Chaplain's squad, killing two of the bikers. The second fired at a nearby attack bike, but missed with all three of its shots. The third tank fired at the Landspeeder, easily destroying the skimmer with 4 penetrating hits.

The Vengeance Battery fired at the Scout Bikers, killing one of the squad. The second gun emplacement killed one from the Chaplain's squad.

On the left flank, the Command Squad fired at Khan's unit, killing one of the bikers. The second squad fired at the unit, killing two of the jinking bikers with their meltaguns.


The White Scars had hit hard, taking out many of the enemy vehicles, but the Sisters of Battle had replied in kind, taking out many of the Space Marine bikers.

TURN 2- WHITE SCARS

The Razorback arrived, moving on and the Devastators disembarked. One Landspeeder Storm advanced on the right flank, the squad inside disembarking. The two Rhinos moved towards the central objective. The Attack Bikes and Scout Bikers advanced on the Exorcists, while the Chaplain an Khan led the remnants of their bike squads to engage the enemy.




Khan's bike squad fired on the Battle Sisters in front of them, wounding them once but failing to get past their armour. The Landspeeder Storm and Scouts fired at the Command Squad, killing two of the unit with their combined firepower.

The Devastators fired their Grav Cannons at one squad of Sisters, wiping them out. The Razorback fired at a meltagun Sisters squad, killing two of them. The Attack Bikes fired on an Exorcist, but neither unit could hit the target.

In the assault phase, the Scouts assaulted the Command Squad. The White Scars managed to slay one of the squad for no loss in return. The Canonness held the squad in check and they fought on.

Khan led his unit in an assault on the unit beside them. Their hammer of wrath attacks killed one of the squad. Khan struck at the survivors, wiping them out with his attacks.


The Chaplain led his squad against the Battle Sisters in front of them, the White Scar warrior killing one of the squad. The Bikers failed to cause any damage and the Battle Sisters brought down one of the bikers in reply, resulting in a drawn combat.

The second scout squad assaulted a Rhino, the Sergeant penetrating the vehicle with his meltabombs, forcing it to snap fire next turn. The Scout Bikers and Attack Bike charged an Exorcist. The sergeant's meltabombs penetrated the enemy tank, destroying its Storm Bolter.


TURN 2- SISTERS OF BATTLE 

The Culexus Assassin and Saint Celestine arrived, moving on the right flank to engage Khan's squad. With many of the Battle Sisters engaged in combat, there was no other movement.



The Assassin fired at Khan's unit, killing one of the Bikers. The Immolator on the right flank, fired at the Landspeeder Storm, glancing it once, but failing to harm the jinking skimmer.

On the left flank, a Battle Sisters squad and Rhino fired at the Attack Bike, but failed to cause any harm. One Exorcist fired on an Attack Bike, wounding it once. The second Exorcist fired at the second Attack Bike, wounding it once. The third Exorcist fired at an Attack Bike, but failed to cause any damage. The Vengeance Battery finally managed to slay one of the Attack Bikes.

The second Vengeance Battery fired on a Rhino, penetrating and stunning the White Scars transport.

In the assault phase, the Scouts destroyed a Rhino, while the Scout Bikers destroyed an Exorcist.

The Chaplain's unit and Battle Sisters fought once more to a stalemate. The White Scars hit and ran from the combat. The Command Squad and Scouts struck at one another, each squad losing one member. The Scouts hit and ran from the combat, back towards their transport.


TURN 3- WHITE SCARS

Khan's unit advanced on the Battle Sisters Command Squad. On the left flank, the Scout Bikers, Bikers and attack bike advanced on the Exorcists, while the Scouts moved up on a Vengeance Battery. The other units of Scouts embarked into the Landspeeder Storm, the transport moving into the cover of the mountain. In the centre, one Rhino advanced, the Tactical Marines disembarking to engage the enemy.




The Tactical Marines fired on the Battle Sisters in front of them, killing one of the squad with their bolters, before re-embarking in their transport. The Razorback fired at the Vengeance Battery, but failed to cause any damage.

The Attack Bike and Scout Bikers fired on an Exorcist, but failed to cause any damage.

The Scout Bikers assaulted one Exorcist, but failed to cause any damage. The Chaplain led his unit against another Exorcist, supported by the Attack Bike. The Chaplain's meltabombs blew up the enemy tank, the resulting explosion killing the attack bike and the biker sergeant.

The Scouts charged the Gun Emplacement, but failed to cause any harm against the mighty structure.

Khan led his bikers in an assault against the Sisters of Battle Command Squad. One Sister fell to the Hammer of Wrath hits and the Canonness was wounded. Khan finished off the Sisters' Warlord in combat.


TURN 3- SISTERS OF BATTLE

The Assassin and Saint Celestine advanced on Khan's unit, while a unit of Sisters moved up to engage the Rhinos and the last surviving Exorcist moved away.




The Battle Sisters fired their Meltagun at the Rhino, but failed to hit the target. The Assassin fired at the Bike squad, wounding Khan once. The nearby Sisters of Battle Rhino and Immolator also fired at the Bike squad, but failed to cause any harm.

The Exorcist fired at a White Scars Rhino, but failed to cause any harm. The nearby Sisters unit fired their Meltaguns at the Chaplain's unit, killing one of the squad.

The gun emplacement fired at the Scout unit, killing one of the squad. The second Vengeance Battery fired on the Chaplain's unit, killing another of the squad.

In the assault phase, the Assassin charged into the Bike squad, suffering a wound from overwatch in the process. Saint Celestine also charged in after the Assassin. The Saint struck at the squad, killing the last two bikers and wounding Khan. The Assassin failed to finish off Khan, the White Scars warlord was able take another wound from the Culexus. Khan passed his morale check and hit and ran from the combat towards the White Scars lines.

At the end of turn 3, things were looking good for the White Scars. Much of the Battle Sisters forces had been destroyed, but the White Scars had also suffered damage.

TURN 4- WHITE SCARS

The final Rhino arrived, moving on to grab the bottom objective. The Razorback moved around the ruins to target the enemy forces, while the Chaplain and Scout Bikers advanced on the Exorcist. The other Rhinos advanced to target the enemy, while Khan and the Landspeeder Storm retreated from the enemy fire.






The Tactical squad opened fire on the Battle Sisters in front of them, killing one of the squad. The Devastators opened fire on the rest of the squad, easily wiping them out.

The Razorback opened fire on the Gun Emplacement, but failed to cause any harm. The Chaplain launched a grenade at the Exorcist, taking a hull point from the enemy vehicle.

The Chaplain and Scout Bikers assaulted the Exorcist. The Chaplain's hammer of wrath attacks took a hull point from the vehicle, while his Meltabombs finished off the tank.



The Scouts assaulted the Battle Sisters. Both sides struck, killing one from each squad and resulting in a drawn combat.

TURN 4- SISTERS OF BATTLE

The remaining Sisters' Rhinos moved to engage the White Scars. The Rhinos fired on the Scout Bikers, but failed to cause any harm.



The Vengeance Battery fired at the Razorback, but failed to cause any harm. The second emplacement fired at a nearby Rhino, but again, failed to cause any harm.

In the assault phase, the Scouts and Battle Sisters struck at one another, but failed to cause any harm. The Scouts Hit and Ran from the combat.

TURN 5- WHITE SCARS

A squad of Tactical Marines advanced on the Immolator. On the right flank, the Razorback retreated to secure the objective. The Two Landspeeder Storms moved up to secure the objectives as well.





A Tactical Squad fired its Meltagun at the Immolator, penetrating the vehicle once. The Scout unit fired on the Sisters, killing one of the squad.

In the assault phase, the Scout Bikers assaulted the Rhino, but failed to cause any damage. The Chaplain assaulted the Battle Sisters, wiping out the squad before they could strike.



TURN 5- SISTERS OF BATTLE

The remaining forces advanced on the White Scars, but could do little to affect the outcome of the battle.

The game ended on turn 5.

VICTORY POINTS:
White Scars- 12 (three objectives and three secondary)
Sisters of Battle- 0

AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to Jack for a great game, it was a lot closer than the scoreline suggested.

I think I had some good advantages in this scenario, as much of my army were fast attack choices, the rest were in vehicles. This meant I could start with most of my army on the board, ready to go after the Sisters from turn 1.

Jack also got unlucky with his Exorcist rolls for much of the game. Only in the first turn did they cause significant damage to my army. The rest of the game, he was rolling quite low for the number of shots the tanks got and was missing with many of his few shots.

I think my plan worked well overall 

5 comments:

  1. Well done, although just like you said you had a bit of an advantage there. Here's to hoping Sisters get a new codex soon =)

    How did you like the Stormlance here? Haven't tried it yet myself, but watched 2 video batreps and it seems a nice change of pace from only bikes.

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    1. The Stormlance is really good. The ability to fire all the weapons in the unit and then get back in the transport is amazing. The only downside is that the Devastators are not relentless, so get a relatively short range on the Grav Cannons when they move.
      I even forgot all about the re-rolls to hit against enemy units holding objectives in all my games, so remembering that would make it even better!

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  3. Would a Cataphacii Captain be useful for the relentless issue?

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    1. Unfortunately not in this case. The formation rules states that the squad must begin the game embarked in their transport, so the Captain would be unable to join them. It would also stop them from re-embarking in the transport after shooting. You'd probably be better just putting them in a drop pod with the Cataphractii Captain in a CAD.

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