Battle Report - Crimson Fists vs. Space Marines (1000 points)

Posted by Simon on
Spoony and I didn't get to play at Games Day (there weren't any tables to play on) but we decided to do our best to get a game in at our hotel room. We set up a 6' x 4' area on the floor and used mugs, bowls, a tissue box, and a basket as terrain.

Spoony's list:
  • Captain in Terminator armour
  • 10 Tactical Marines with missile launcher, flamer, and power fist
  • 5 Tactical Marines in a Razorback
  • Dread with assault cannon
  • Venerable Dread with multi-melta
  • Land Raider

yellow marines!

My list:
  • Captain with jump pack, power weapon, and digital weapons
  • 10 Tactical Marines with multi-melta, melta gun, power fist, and Rhino
  • 10 Tactical Marines with plasma cannon, plasma gun, power sword, and Rhino
  • 5 Scouts
  • 5 Sternguard with 2x combi meltas and Drop Pod
  • 5 Assault Marines with power fist

blue marines!

We rolled Seize Ground with 5 objectives and the table looked like this (the beer bottles are the objectives):


making do with what we had

We got Spearhead deployment, Spoony won the roll to go first, and passed it to me. I decided to combat squad both tactical squads, putting the sergeant, assault weapon, and Rhino in one half and the heavy weapon in the other. My plan was to occupy the mug forest thing with three combat squads and a Rhino and be able to take them at the end of the game, use my plasma gun squad and Rhino and jump pack marines to contest (or possibly claim) a 4th, and use the Sternguard to destroy the Land Raider. Deployment looked like this:


occupying the mug forest - my deployment

Spoony deployed an armoured front and combat squaded the 10 man tactical squad. The missile launcher stayed back on the far objective, the other 5 with power fist and flamer joined the captain in the Land Raider.


lots of armour - Spoony's deployment

Turn 1 - Simon
The plasma gun Rhino, assault squad, and Captain run down my long table edge towards the basket. The other three squads in the mugs stay hidden mostly, although the plasma cannon manages to shake the Venerable Dread. My Drop Pod comes down behind the Land Raider and melta guns it to death!


combi-meltas FTW!

Turn 1 - Spoony
The tanks and Dreads move forward and fan out. The missile launcher fails to kill my plasma squad's Rhino, a flamer template kills one Sternguard, and the Razorback's heavy bolter kills two plasma cannon marines, who fail their leadership test and fall back a few inches. The Captain and combat squad assault my Sternguard, kill 3, and then over run the squad.

Turn 2 - Simon
My scouts arrive near the mug forest and take up a position to claim the top of the three objectives on that side. The Rhino and jump pack marines continue to fly down the long edge and make it into cover behind the basket. No shooting or assault.

scouts arrive

Turn 2 - Spoony
The Dreads and Razorback continue to inch forward for better shooting lanes. The Venerable Dread and missile launcher squad fail to kill anything, but the assault cannon Dread manages to kill off one assault marine.


the Rhino and assault marines that snuck down the flank

At this point in the game I'm feeling pretty good about my chances. I have three objectives pretty well locked down and am in a good position to contest or claim a 4th. However, in looking at the photos thus far you might notice that the amount of beer in the objectives is dropping - this will very shortly lead to the decision that cost me the win.

Turn 3 - Simon
My assault squad attempts to rush the Rhino and kill it with a power fist but fall short and are stuck in the open. I tried to minimize the coming damage by shooting the Razorback with the plasma gun from the Rhino hatch but it misses.


out of position - snatching defeat from the jaws of victory

Turn 3 - Spoony
Shooting from most of Spoony's army manages to kill a single assault marine. The tactical squad disembarks from the Razorback and assaults my assault squad. Each squad kills two from the other and combat is drawn.

this could have gone so much better

Turn 4 - Simon
I move the Rhino squad in the mugs into position to claim objectives next turn and everyone else stays put. The plasma gun shakes the Razorback and my remaining assault marine gets cut down.

Turn 4 - Spoony
The Razorback moves to contest the middle objective and the remaining members of that tactical squad move closer to it was well. The Venerable Dread stuns my plasma gun Rhino and the other Dread shakes it.


theft!

Turn 5 - Simon
The scouts and tactical squads in the mug forest move to claim the three objectives near me. My plasma gun squad disembarks from the Rhino (the plan is to shoot at the Razorback's back armour) and the Captain jumps towards the three man tactical squad (to hopefully kill them and secure this middle objective). The plasma gun manages to stun the Rhino and the Captain kills one marine before eating a power fist to the face.


epic fail in progress

Turn 5 - Spoony
His tactical squads claim the two objectives on his side. The Venerable dread kills one of my plasma gun marines, then assaults the squad and kills another. The Razorback shoots and kills one marine in the plasma cannon squad, reducing them to two models. The remaining Razorback squad (including the power fist) assaults my two-man plasma cannon squad, killing one and forcing the plasma cannon to run away.

At this point I control two objectives and Spoony controls three (he chased me off the middle one). We roll and go to turn 6.

Turn 6 - Simon
The melta gun Rhino and moves towards the middle objective, as does the plasma gun Rhino. The multi-melta squad misses the Razorback but the marines in assault with the Venerable dread manage to stun it.

Turn 6 - Spoony
The Razorback moves to contest another of my objectives while the power fist squad claims the middle one. The plasma gun Rhino gets blown up by the assault cannon dread.

The beer is gone, my once solid plan is in shambles, and Spoony has three objectives to my one. We roll for turn 7 and get it.

Turn 7 - Simon
The multi-melta squad kill off the two marines who claimed the middle objective while the melta gun squad assault and kill the Razorback.

We each control two objectives at the end of my turn and there is no way for Spoony to alter this - we call the game a draw.

What did I learn?
  • I need to learn to judge distances better - had I not made that charge attempt I would have been in much better shape to stop the Razorback and kill the squad inside. As it was, I lost the initiative there and Spoony stole a draw (and almost the win).
  • I made a good plan that played to the mission objectives and mostly stuck to it. My squads in the mugs controled the objectives on my side and the Rhino and assault marines threatened the 4th objective - had I not blown it with the assault marines I would have won.
  • I might need some more firepower. The plasma cannon is the only gun in my list with a range over 24 inches. Aside from blowing up the Land Raider in the first turn my guns were quiet for most of the game.
  • Sterguard are pretty awesome. That 170 point squad blew up 250 points of Land Raider, caused Spoony to spend time killing it next turn, and hamstrung his mobility.
This draw puts my record with the Crimson Fists at 0 - 3- 1.