Battle report, Death Guard vs. Blackshields 2500p

He, who walks with me into the flames of war, shall have his place at the table of our father in the afterlife.

-          Dagon Maharabal ša Qart-Hadasht, Reaver Lord of Legio II Taurii

Army lists:

Blackshields - Chymerae

HQ:
Reaver Lord
- Cataphractii
- Cyber Familiar
- Halo blade
- Rad grenades
Chaplain 105p
- Artificer Armour
- Refractor Field
Troops:


Marauder squad
- +15
- 4 power axes
- 12x bolters
- 4x heavy chainswords
- Sergeant with power fist and meltabomb


Marauder squad
- +15
- 4 PA
- 12 bolters
- 4 HC
- Sergeant with power fist and meltabomb
Elites:
10x Terminators
- Thunderhammer sergeant
- Pair of lightning claws
- Chain fist
- 4x power fists
- 2x power axes
- Lightning claw
5x Terminators
- Land Raider
o Armoured ceramite
- 5x combimeltas
- 4x fists
- 1x chainfist
Apothecary
- Artificer armour
Heavy Support:


Sicaran Venator
- Dozer blade


Deredeo
- Missile launcher

Death Guard

Hq:
Praetor
- terminator armour
- iron Halo
- digital weapons
- mastercrafted paragon blade
- The Reaping

Master of Signals
- Artificier armour
- volkite serpenta

ELITES
Contemptor dread
- 2 x kheres assault cannons
- extra armour

Apothecarion Detachment 3 x apotechary
- artificier armour

5x Deathshrouds

-          Meltabombs

-          Radgrenades

TROOPS
Legion Tactical Squad (15)
- extra ccw
- vexilla
Sergeant
- artificier armour
- power weapon
- rad grenades
- melta bombs

Legion Tactical Squad (15)
- extra ccw
- vexilla
Sergeant
- artificier armour
- power weapon
- rad grenades
- melta bombs

Legion Heavy Support Squad (5)
- volkite culverines
Sergeant
- augury scanner

Legion Heavy Support Squad (5)
- volkite culverines
Sergeant
- augury scanner

Legion support squad (8)
- plasmaguns
Sergeant
- artificier armour
- augury scanner

HEAVY
Land Raider Phobos
- Armoured ceramite
- dozer blade

Army setup

We rolled for scenario, and ended up with scenario 6 from Horus Heresy book 1 with Dawn of War deployment. It’s the one with six objectives, each with an unknown value until the end of the game. In addition you get a point for every enemy unit routed or destroyed at the end of the game.

Having a Praetor in his army, Bjørnar could roll two dice on the Warlord Traits table. He ended up choosing Paladin of Glory, giving Fearless to his Warlord and +1 score in assault. I rolled one die, and my warlord got World Burner. Woho!!! Now my marauder’s frag grenades had shred!

The Death Guard line

Bjørnar won the roll off for the first turn, and chose to deploy first. He placed his plasma squad in his Land Raider, and hid them behind a pile of rocks. The warlord resided with one of the tactical squads, and the Deathshrouds stood silent guard behind the masses of Death Guard legionnaires. From the nearby ruins, the volkite bastards could cover the whole battlefield with their flaming death-rays.

Taurii, right flank

Taurii, left flank

I deployed my forty marauders on the flanks of my terminator unit, with the Deredeo balancing in a ruin. On my far left flank, the Venator was ready to pounce on Bjørnar’s Contemptor or Land Raider. Now I just had to seize the initiative

….

Nope!

….

The battlefield

Death Guard - Round 1

The ground shook from the march of the Death Guard legionnaires. The sixty tactical marines advanced boldly towards their frightening foe. From their back lines, the Land Raider thundered across the field. On the other side of the ruined wasteland, the Taurii braced for the coming fire storm. They had weathered worse in the long war for survival against the dogs of Fenris…. they thought.

The merciless march of the Death Guard

Poor buggers lost their ride

Dagon Maharabal felt a loud explosion, and the shredded corpse of one of his bodyguard knocked him to the ground. Where there once had stood a mighty Land Raider, loaded with five of his most trusted warriors, there was now a smoking crater. The enemy Land Raider had pierced the hull of the great machine.

When I saw Bjørnar roll the dice to fire his lascannons at my Land Raider, I was ice cold. When he penetrated it, I was somewhat worried. Then, he rolled six on the penetration table. Damn!

His remaining legionnaires and Contemptor opened up on my terminators. Suddenly there were only five or so left.

The Taurii death toll after round one.
Those unpainted models had it coming.

Taurii – Round 1

Forwards!

Cataphractii are slow, very slow. In addition, all my marauders had to take difficult terrain tests. 3’s…Lovely! That was ok, but I planned on flanking his Land Raider with my Venator. So I rolled for dangerous terrain… got a two, but it was somewhat cocked in a piece of terrain. Well, I’ll just roll it again, I thought.

1

Shit, well. It’s ok. I’ve got a dozer blade.

1

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

My Venator grinded to a halt, but its phallic gun could just reach the hull of Bjørnar’s Contemptor. “Fire! For Apis!” The Contemptor exploded in a hail of twisted metal, which pierced the power armour of a nearby Death Guard legionnaire.

Contemptor down!

My Deredeo tried to knock some hull points off Bjørnar’s Land Raider, and got one. The rockets tried to take out one of his heavy support squads but missed and failed to wound. 1,1,1,1,1,1

The ravenous marauders ran… three inches each.

Death Guard – Round 2

This round, the Death Guard decided to hold the line. They opened up on the lines of the Taurii. Many of my terminators were cut down by the following rounds of fire. It was the smart choice, as my marauders could wreak havoc upon the Death Guard in close combat. Bjørnar’s Land Raider tried to take out my Deredeo, but missed.

They advance through
the hellscape.

At this point, he should have disembarked his plasma squad and Master of Signals. The orbital bombardement could have crippled my units even further, but Bjørnar is a good guy. He probably knew that the game would be finished at that point, and wanted to play more.

Taurii – Round 2

My Venator stood in his little cabin, the crew trying to fix the tank destroyer’s threads. My marauders advanced, but were still too far from the enemy lines, so they continued to run. My Deredeo took two hull points off Bjørnar’s Land raider, but the damn bastard has 4! 4! The Deredeo’s rockets managed to kill two volkite guys, but they succeeded in their following morale test.

Death Guard – Round 3

Bjørnar smiled as he declared, with glee: “Fury of the Legion!” I lost so many proud, plastic and resin men this round that I have considered to have myself checked for PTSD. Not much else to be said, as the guard held the line.

Oh yes

His Land Raider, having lost three hull points to the Deredeo, was out for blood. He had to use the power of the machine spirit, since he moved over six inches the previous turn. The tank hit, penetrated..

I rolled my cover save, 4+

C’mon!

2

Bjørnar rolls on the penetration table, which by now should be the name for the table upon which we played.

6

FFFffffFFffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

The legionnaires of the Death Guard shake their heads, and feel sorry for the poor marauders across the field.

His five Deathshrouds try to charge my marauders, but they fail.

Taurii – Round 3

The Taurii can't fail
this assault.

My Marauders continue to advance on the enemy. My warlord has to regroup with the beached terminators from the destroyed Land Raider, as his own retinue now consists of two traumatised guys in armour, looking more like Swiss cheese.

I’m finally in assault range of the Deathshouds with my marauders and terminators. “Chaaaarge!” It hits home.

By this point there were seven or so marauders left, but let me tell you, they hit hard. The normal guys with bolt pistols and rage get five attacks on the charge.. five!

Then there’s the heavy chainswords and the power axes. Needless to say, I absolutely massacre his Deathshrouds. Bjørnar manages to kill a marauder or two, but I’ve become used to that by now.

Fresh meat!

On my far right flank I charge his tactical squad. They are slaughtered. My chaplain makes the marauders gods in power armour.

Things were looking up. Bjørnar had his Land Raider, last tactical squad and heavy support squads within my charge range. I just had to weather the coming storm.

Death Guard – Round 4

Plasma death! When eight guys with bs5, from the Master of Signals, fire their plasma rifles at close range, expect death. The following round of shooting kills everything, except my warlord, who stands shaking with one wound left. Then, Bjørnar assaults and kills my Reaver Lord in a challenge.

The reapers ready their blades

Raging zealot <3

Can the Taurii weather
the coming storm?

Can they?

Nope!

Taurii – Round 4

Things were certainly looking grim. I assault Bjørnar’s right heavy support squad, and kill them, but I have a lot more work to do. Once more, I had to survive a ton of shooting, before I could have the chance to close on the Death Guard.

Death Guard – Round 5

Mop up. The final infantry squad in reduced to a pool of smoking plasma.

What is left of the glorious
sons of Apis.

Bjørnar tries to take out my immobilised Venator, but fails.

Taurii – Round 5

I shoot at some tacticals with my Venator, but they are in cover.

Last round

Bjørnar did not manage to take out my Venator, but he didn’t have to. The Death Guard were victorious!

Afterthought

This was a brutal game. I expected to lose a lot of men on the way, but the early loss of my Land Raider, and the idiotic Venator accident left me neutered. Next time I’ll swap out the terminators in the Land Raider for a Scorpius and two Contemptors. That way I can spread the chance of failing my throws, something I am quite famous for.

I do love my marauders though. They hit like a freight train, but they have to get into melee as fast as possible.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

-          Olvebanipal