Battle Report: Man Cave II

by SandWyrm

I've been in a bit of a gaming drought lately, thanks to the new baby and having to pay back Mrs. SandWyrm for letting me go to the 'Ard Boyz Semis. So when she started feeling cooped-up last Sunday, I had her set up a playdate with Mrs. Farmpunk. That way Mr. Farmpunk and I could get in a Man-Cave game after the kids had been fed and the Wives were finally relaxed.

The last time we did a Man-Cave battle, back last October, I squeaked out a narrow victory that literally came down to a couple of die rolls. How would it go this time? I was still stinging from the whooping Farmpunk handed me at 'Ard Boyz. Could I redeem the Tallarn 13th?

SandWyrm's Imperial Guard List

    HQ
145    Company Command Squad w/4 x Melta, Chimera

    Troops
155    Veteran Squad w/3 x Melta, Chimera
155    Veteran Squad w/3 x Melta, Chimera
155    Veteran Squad w/3 x Melta, Chimera
170    Veteran Squad w/3 x Plasma, Chimera
   
    Fast Attack
130    Vendetta Gunship
130    Vendetta Gunship
145    Hellhound w/Hull Multi-Melta

    Heavy Support
165    Leman Russ Demolisher w/Hull Heavy Flamer
150    Leman Russ Battle Tank w/Hull Heavy Flamer

Total: 1500 pts.

Ah, 1500. It's been a while. :)

This is basically my tourney list from last October with Marbo, the Sentinels, and the Advisors dropped in favor of taking a couple of empty Vendettas for more reliable long-range AT than I had before.

Farmpunk's Witch Hunters List:

    HQ
132    WH Inquisitor Lord w/Bolter, Psychic Hood, Melta-Bombs, 3 x Warriors (Meltas), Frags, Kraks

    Elites
158    Celestians (5) w/2 x Melta, Sister Superior, Immoliator (Flamer, Extra Armor)
158    Celestians (5) w/2 x Melta, Sister Superior, Immoliator (Flamer, Extra Armor)

    Troops
209    Sisters (10) Hvy Flamer, Melta, Sister Superior (Book of St. Lucius), Rhino (Extra Armor, Smoke)
209    Sisters (10) Hvy Flamer, Melta, Sister Superior (Book of St. Lucius), Rhino (Extra Armor, Smoke)
130    IG Platoon Command Squad w/4 x Melta, Melta-Bombs, Chimera
100        IG Infantry Squad w/Grenade Launcher, Autocannon, Commissar
120        IG Infantry Squad w/Grenade Launcher, Autocannon, Chimera
  
    Heavy Support
140    Exorcist w/Extra Armor
140    Exorcist w/Extra Armor

Total: 1496 (4 Faith Points)

This is the same army that Farmpunk took to the recent Indy40K tourney, taking 3rd overall (after his scores were correctly recorded.).

The Mission

We rolled up a scenario from the mission pack for the Indy40K tourney, since I didn't get to go. Our mission ended up being the one with a single objective in the center of the table and a pitched battle deployment. Whoever got more scoring units within 6" of the objective by the end of the game would win. Game length was random.

Simple Enough. But I figure Farmpunk had an advantage here, as he'd be able to concentrate his more durable troops on a single objective.

Deployment

I rolled first turn. Farmpunk (as usual) didn't steal the intitiative.

My Deployment (Click to Enlarge):

I set everything up center-right to maximize my access to the objective, while giving me some cover from the stone house on my left that I figured Farmpunk would setup his platoon behind. Putting my Hellhound on the right helped his decision. :)

The Russes went down on my left flank so they could play peek-a-boo around the giant mushroom tree with Farmpunk's forces. The CCS went down on the right with 2 Melta Vet Chimeras as company. While the 3rd Melta Vet Squad and the Plasma Vets backed up the Russes on the left.

The empty Vendettas were set up my flanks. Without troops inside, they could concentrate on AT work without the temptations of wanting to drop troops off in the enemy's face. So I planned to hug the left and right table edges to get as many side shots as I could on Farmpunk's Exorcists, which were his primary long-range anti-tank.

Farmpunk's Deployment:

As I'd figured, the Platoon went down around the house. That put the giant mushroom tree between them and the objective, which would help my tanks live longer. Farmpunk put his Chimeras down in the middle-right of his deployment zone, with the Immoliators as bookends.

He hemmed and hawed about just where to put the Exorcists, but finally settled for putting them behind the column-wall; flanked by Rhinos to protect the sides of his rocket boxes as much as he could.

Scout Moves

Before...

...and After.

Pretty standard stuff. I wanted side shots on those Exorcists.

Turn 1

One! One Dead Exorcist! Ah, Ah, Ah...

Not even 3+ cover could save him from 3 penetrating hits. Wrecked!

The other Vendetta settled for shaking it's target. No missiles for Farmpunk this turn!

His tanks were safe though. The Hellhound fired it's Multi-Melta at the Immoliator on my right, but only shook it. Both my Russes scattered wide, missing the huge, barn-like mass of tanks entirely with their Ordinance.

Farmpunk, on his turn, moves everybody up. One Celestian squad goes round his right towards my Vendetta and gets out. While the other hangs back a bit. The =][=, Platoon Command Squad, and a unit of Sisters move up into the middle. The surviving Exorcist forgets that it's shaken and lines up for a shot at the Vendetta to his left.

Farmpunk then makes a gutsy move. He moves his two Chimeras and a Celestian Immoliator up 12" and disembarks in front of my line on top of the objective.

Buuuuut... He's too far away. He's at 7-7.5" for all 9 of the meltas in front of my tank line. He's even just out of short range of my left Vendetta. Rhuh Rho Shaggy!

Farmpunk tries to light up my line, but with only one penetration die per melta it's not easy. He wrecks my Hellhound and shakes my left Vendetta, but that's it!

Turn 2

I jump on my chance, backpedaling my Chimeras away from his meltas, I move the Russes forward towards his disembarked infantry. Farmpunk thinks that I won't fire the battle cannons that close.

Um, doesn't he know me by now? :)

The Demolisher uses it's heavy flamer to torch the =][= Lord's squad. The Demolisher cannon then scatters onto his Chimera, blowing it up. Looking around for "craters" to use, we settle on some rectangular post-it notes. You'll be seeing a lot of those in this battle. :)

Anyhow, the Immoliator gets a half-strength hit to it's side. I roll a 6 to glance it, shaking it again. Nice.

The Russ kills the Platoon Command Squad in front of it with it's heavy flamer and a slightly scattered battlecannon round that also kills the =][='s last henchman. The Chimera isn't harmed, but it's already immobilized itself when it tried to cozy up to the mushroom tree last turn.

The Celestian squad gets peppered with multi-laser fire, which kills a couple but leaves the meltas and the Sissy Sergeant alive.

The left Vendetta is shaken, while the right Vendetta decides that it has a better chance of killing the Rhino in front of it than the front of an Exorcist in cover. It whiffs it's rolls anyhow.

The =][= Lord yells "Go Girls!!!" and then high-tails it for the safety of the immobilized Chimera. :P

Farmpunk then moves up the Rhino he had in reserve and disembarks another Sister squad. He also moves the surviving Celestian squad over towards the Sisters. He wants to kill some Russes. He's in short range with his meltas, but whiffs his rolls.

On my left, the Celestians give up on the Vendetta and get back in their ride to come threaten my flank. His shaken Immoliator on my right moves up to block my Chimeras' movement.

On my right, the Sister Squad gets out of it's ride and it's melta is 5.5" from the Vendetta's nose. They shake it. Farmpunk then palms his face.

The Infantry platoon shakes my left Vendetta. I ask Farmpunk if they've ever killed anything. He swears they've been good in other games. Just never against me. :)

I might as well mention Farmpunk's rolling now. I was rolling average, or maybe a slight bit above. While Farmpunk was repeating his awful die rolling performance from Man Cave I and his last game against Carlos. Holy ones and twos Batman! Get some new dice buddy!

Turn 3

At this point, I figure that I've pretty much got the game in the bag. All I have to do is not do anything too stupid. Right?

My shaken Vendettas both move over 12" to give them cover saves, while my line re-shuffles to put a pair of smoked Chimeras in front of the Celestians on my left.

There'll be smoke there in a second. :)

My Russes back up and prepare to finish off the Sisters in front of them.

The Vanilla Russ scatters wide, while the Demolisher's hit has to penetrate 3+ faith armor. It doesn't. The heavy flamer at least manages to kill one Sister.

On my right I move up the Company Command Squad and a Vet Squad to deal with the blocking Immoliator. Seven close-range meltas immobilize it and blow off it's twin-linked heavy flamer, but that's it.

Farmpunk moves up his two squads in the center. He fires the Sister squad's melta at the smoked Chimera full of Plasma Vets, but whiffs.

He does manage to kill the Demolisher with the other squad's meltas though.

The Inducted IG platoon fires at my left Vendetta and only manages to shake it. That's about the best they do all game. To my right, Farmpunk gets off 3 missiles from the Exorcist at my Vendetta, rolls 2's for 2 of them to hit, and then rolls a 2 to penetrate for the 3rd.

On my right, the Sister squad gets out of the Rhino and stuns my far Chimera full of Vets. Elsewhere Farmpunk tries to protect the objective by placing meltas in front of every tank to discourage me from tank-shocking him.

Turn 4

I do some more shuffling of tanks. My mobile Vet Chimera on the right scoots over the top of the Hellhound wreck and makes a run for the objective. While my Company Command Squad scoots over and dumps out in front of Farmpunk's two Sisters squads.

I breath a sigh of relief as my right Vendetta finally kills Farmpunk's last Exorcist. I'm gonna need those lascannons for sniping off the remains of Farmpunk's squads later on.

On my left, the Melta Vets blow up the Celestians' Immoliator, leaving only two alive.

With their transport stunned, my Vets get out and head towards the objective. Since it's near certain that the Sisters will kill their ride if they remain inside or simply ignore it and run towards the objective. But while I can shoot that squad up, I won't likely kill enough to get rid of the heavy flamer. Making them run is also unlikely. Meaning my squad is pretty much dead no matter what. I could have kept the other squad back for support, but that ran the risk of getting bogged down away from the objective during these last few turns.

So I decide to try and run towards the objective. My hope it that I can buy time for the squad in the smoked transport by blocking the Sister squad. But I only roll 1" for the run. Great!

On his turn, Farmpunk wipes out that squad with bolter fire.

Colonel Lawrence, the Russ, the Plasma Vets, and the Melta Vets all pour fire into the surviving squads in the center, but they've got faith. So I only kill a couple. I have a plan for pulling that snaked out Sister squad off the objective though, and it's his only scoring unit in the area.

On his turn, Farmpunk wipes out the disembarked Vets on my right with nothing but bolter fire. While on my left...

He wrecks my Plasma Vets' ride; pinning them in the process. Great!

Colonel Lawrence loses his squad to bolter fire from the closer squad of Celestians, but holds firm. He then charges into the snaked out Sister Squad, forcing them to consolidate into him and away from the objective. He loses by one wound, but stands his ground.

Turn 5

Farmpunk's out of faith at this point, so I snipe off the last 2 Celestians on my left with the Vendetta, while my Melta Vets drive around them.

The Celestians on the other side of the center are snipe-wiped as well.

Lawrence draws his combat, keeping the Sisters too busy to advance back to the objective.

Farmpunk doesn't have much left at this point. But he moves the other Sister squad up to try and crack open the Melta Vet Chimera. They only Immobilize it.

Lawrence holds again with a drawn combat.

The game is a draw at this point, but I roll a 4 and we continue.

Turn 6

The Vendettas snipe away the =][= Lord when he jumps out of Farmpunk's immobilized Chimera to say hello.

The Plasma Vets jump into the CCS's ride and zoom up 12" into range of the objective.

Farmpunk is pretty demoralized at this point and wants to concede, seeing all these tanks coming for him. But I convince him he still has a chance (he really does!). So we play it out to the end.

The Melta Vets on the left immobilize themselves on the base of the giant mushroom tree and disembark as far forward as they can from the rear hatch. They run only 2", and Farmpunk's spirit improves quite a bit.

Lawrence finally dies in combat on my turn, allowing Farmpunk to move back up towards the objective with his survivors.

He then wrecks the Plasma Vets' new ride with the multi-laser from the immobilized Chimera that the =][= Lord was hiding in. They pile out the back and suddenly I have only a single scoring unit in range of the objective to his two. Yikes!

The Sisters coming in from my left finally pop the far immobilized Chimera and charge the survivors!

Double Yikes! He's now winning! (Told ya Farmpunk!)

He rolls the die and we continue. (Whew!)

Turn 7

The Melta Vets roll better for their movement this time and get up into cover close to the objective. The Plasma Vets move up also. I shot up the squad that had been fighting Lawrence with everything I had. Their 3+ faith save was up, but they lost enough to make a morale check, which they failed! But running means getting even closer to the objective.

The IG platoon shoots at the Melta Vets on the left, killing enough for a morale check, which they pass. The Plasma Vets get shot up and the lone surviving Sergeant runs... TWO INCHES!!!

I'm saved! He's still in range.

Combat is a draw. I win 3-2!

Conclusion

Wow. Another game that comes down to just a couple of die rolls. I could have lost it just as easily as won it. Just like last time.

It's really disconcerting just how strong Sisters are in a scenario like this. Even with the huge mistakes Farmpunk made, and some terrible rolling on his part, it was a very close game. Once the faith starts popping, those girls get very hard to kill.  I HAVE to do well in the early game to counter his durability later on.