Mission:
Big guns with four objectives
Deployment:
Hammer and anvil
Terrain:
Big ruin in each deployment zone (ours on our left, theirs on their right) a
forest across from each ruin, a big hill in the centre and another forest on
our left in the centre.
Warlord
trait Tau: Through Unity, Devastation
Warlord
trait Marines: No idea
Psychic
powers
Eldar:
guide, fortune, presience
Night
fight: yes
Opponents:
Space
marines and guard
Chaplain
Two
tactical squads
Two
devastator squads
Thunderfire
cannon
Rhino
Company
command squad
Massive
blob squad (50 guys)
Marbo
Leman
russ demolisher squadron (two tanks)
They
won the roll for first turn and opted to place the thunderfire cannon behind
their big ruin, with the devastators in the ruin, one tactical squad hidden
behind the rhino, with the chaplain and other tactical squad in the rhino.
The
guardsmen deployed in the forests, with the russes anchoring their left flank.
Marbo was hidden in reserves.
We
set up a fire warrior unit in the ruin, and the fireblade and other fire
warriors in the trees. The pathfinders were on the higher floors of the ruin,
the skyray cowering behind the hammerhead in the centre. The bikes anchored our
left flank facing off against the devastators, with the riptide next to them.
The plan being to force the marine flank with the bikes 48” turbo-boost, taking
out the thunderfire turn two and forcing the marines to fight us on two fronts.
As usual, the suits and hunter were in reserve.
We
failed to seize the initiative.
The
imperium ordered a general advance, rushing forwards to engage the filthy xeno.
The searchlight from the rhino lit up the hammerhead. The devastators seized
this opportunity and blasted the grav tank to tiny pieces (first blood).
The
tau retaliation was swift and deadly. The skyray missile barraged the rhino
into oblivion. The marines charged out, only to be met by a farseer guided
riptide and his nova-charged weapons which gunned them down, leaving few
survivors. The bikes soared down our left flank, pressuring the devastators and
the thunderfire.
The
chaplain and marines dashed forwards, hoping to do some damage to the riptide.
The guard advanced but ran again due to being out of range. Guardsman Marbo
materialised in the ruin’s, but fell under the ever watchful eye of the riptide
and was shot down in a hail of burst cannon fire. The demolishers attempted to
raze the forest containing the warlord. With a sharp cry, Oi’nan’shi ordered
her warriors to take cover, the tau diving behind the trees to avoid the
explosive munitions. The devastators and thunderfire cannon unleashed hell on
the bikes, tearing down four of one squad and one from the other, but the
elves’ nerve held.
The
riptide advanced, plasma guns ready for the devastators, as the crimson hunter
swooped in, lances locking onto the space marine leader with the farseer moving
in to help. A crisis suit gracefully touched down beside the jetbikes, as the
bikes prepared to kill the thunderfire and the devastators. The skyray swung
round, ready to unleash smart missiles on the advancing blob squad. The riptide
failed to harm the devastators, the crisis suit killed a couple with the
jetbikes adding to the tally. The two man jetbikes bladestormed the thunderfire
techmarine down, silencing the artillery piece. The crimson hunter and farseer
removed the tactical squad from the board in a brilliant display of lance fire
and shurikens (slay the warlord).
The
imperials responded by bringing the second tactical squad to bear on the
riptide, but the plasma gun failed to cause any wounds. The blob squad put a
couple of wounds on the riptide with various orders. The devastators failed to
kill the jetbikes and hunter. Again the demolishers futilely pounded the forest
with siege shells, though they did successfully destroy the skyray.
The
crimson hunter banked right but fluffed its rolls against the leman russ
squadron. Thankfully, the second crisis suit had just arrived and reduced one
of the lumbering behemoths to molten slag with its fusion blaster. The riptide
nova charged, and ignored the juicy guard heavy weapons teams and instead
destroyed the second tactical squad with help from the first crisis suit, the farseer
and the jetbikes. Having finished its work, the riptide jetpacked after the
blob squad…
The
remaining russ powered forwards away from the crisis suit. The suit was slain
by rocket fire from the company command squad, even as they ordered the men to
slay the riptide. After many orders had been cast, las cannons fired and
grenade launchers shot. The smoke cleared. Leaving the riptide still standing.
The devastators charged down the building, rushing into combat with the
farseer, but neither could cause any damage leaving combat a draw.
The
crimson hunter finally sorted its targeting profiles blasting the second russ
apart as the jetbikes took out the command squad. The riptide sprinted forward,
charging into the guardsman blob to drag them off the objective. Despite
numerous overwatch shots and bayonets, the riptide crushed several unlucky
heroes of the imperium, running them down as they fled from the monster
battlesuit.
With
little left to do, the remaining guardsmen prepared to sell their lives dearly
as the riptide bore down on them, their shots just bouncing off its impermeable
armour.
The
bikes moved to claim all the objectives, as the farseer finally slew the
devastator squad in combat. The riptide survived yet more overwatch to charge
the last bastion of the imperial guard, scattering the puny gue’la, and
claiming this sector for the Tau Empire.
Final
score: Taudar 18 (4 objectives, 4 heavy support kills, slay the warlord,
linebreaker) Imperial marines 2 (1 heavy support kill, first blood)
After
game thoughts
This
game was immensely enjoyable. Our opponents were a great laugh, and although
the score was very one sided, the game was not. When the hammerhead got killed
first turn, and the bikes charge began taking casualties, we began to get worried.
But ultimately the risk paid off and we were able to execute a pincer
manoeuvre. However, it was a hard fought match right until the finish.
Unit
of the match: riptide, for generally making a nuisance of itself
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