PlanetStrike SM vs. IG

  I'll start this battle report by saying two words: Indomitable Fortress.  When I first got the planetstrike book, I pretty much skipped over page 20 which covers the indomitable fortress.  Fab agreed that we would play a planetstrike battle, and roll on the day of the event if we would be the attacker or defender.  So each of us made two lists and attacker and a defender.  Turns out I got to defend, which my 95th Rifles are much better at.

  So setting up the battlefield I dropped down my large fortress that I built years ago, then threw on a Bastion that I made last year, to create an Indomitable Fortress.  Gave it 6 bunker annexes, so there were 7 strategems per side.  I took the one that ignores the first destroyed result on a building, but that on the tower section, took the "add a battle cannon to a building" one and put that on the tower, took the machine spirit which made the guns on one building BS3 and able to choose their target (again on the tower), finally I took Las Maze you can see the "dangerous terrain" red lines.

  In the tower I put my command squad, Straken (Sharpe), Lascannon, 2 snipers, and two bodyguards.  During the initail planetstrike bombardment.  I was sure I was going to lose at least one section of the fortress...but Fabby had some poor rolls and only had a stunned result on the tower.  The rest was unaffected by the bombardment.

  I built my force around the fortress, 4 Vet squads, 3 with triple sniper rifles and a lascannon each. The 4th with Harker(Harper), 3 grenade launchers and a Hvy Bolter.  Turns out they are pretty cheap without the chimeras.  For Elites I took an 8 strong unit of Ratlings and put them in a bunker annex.  The rest of my force was in reserve.  A full squad of deepstriking stormtroopers, and Theresa (Marbo).  I took a Vendatta...but kept forgetting to put it on the table (No more placing models directly behind where I'm sitting).  Heavys get up to 6 slots...so I took 3 standard Leman Russes and a Leman Russ Executioner with Hornblower(Pask).  They came on where you see them on the left side. 

Turn 1
  On came the Marines, a Landspeeder and Assault marines deep striking on the left side. Land Raider, Tri-lascannon predator, stander issue Dreadie, a Standard Termie unit with Vulcan marching and a Devastator squad marching onto the board.  A thunder hammer unit of termies teleported in a little bit on the left side, but planned to go around the las maze to start the main assault.  The assault marines, drifted out of assault range on the deepstrike.  Then there was a lot of ineffective fire from Fab.
  I got all my reserves thanks to the +3 from the campaign power rules (course I forgot to put the Vendetta on the table)  The Leman Russ Executioner rounded out to 305 points...worth every one of them, the 4 plasma cannon shots with Pask all hit, wounding the thunderhammer termies 14 times...that is a lot of 3+ invulnerable save to have to make, the one that remained standing after that fell to Veteran sniper fire.  The Ratlings and other Russes reduced the Assault Marines to 2 members.  My stormtroopers were drooling at the chance to gun down devastator marines in the open...but they deviated out of range.  Then Theresa(Marbo) showed up, threw her demo pack and killed 4 of the Regular termies!  The last termies fell to a sniper shot from a veteran.

Turn 2
  The above pic turned out to be too tempting a target for the Laserburn stratagem.  The beam burned down from the heavens, cutting one the Executioner cannon and Lascannon off Pasks tank and hitting the ammo storage of another Russ causing it to explode.
  The marines advanced, and a Sterguard unit, Tigerius, and a Bring em back strategem returned the Regular Termies to the table.  The Marines managed to shake two building structures as they got closer, but that was about it.
  The guard took out the remaining Assault marines, The land speeder, and Tigerius with a well placed Lascannon shot.

Turn 3, 4 and 5
  You can pretty much tell the way this was going, The Marines did manage to drop three of the Bunker Annexes.  Sharpe lead the counter assault out of the tower and met Vulcan, the regular termie squad and the remains of the Sternguard in an epic combat.  Came down to Vulcan and Sharpe toe to toe with 1 wound left each and the higher init of Vulcan won out.
  The turning point was when Pask moving up his damaged tank took out the Marine predator with a plasma sponson shot, followed by the Land Raider destruction by a well placed Lascannon shot from a regular Russ. 

  The game ended with the marines only having a Devastator marine, and a dreadnought (who was in the rubble of 3 structures).

Lessons Learned
1) Pay the 30 points and put two bodyguards in Sharpes command squad, they help quite a bit when you charge.
2) When you roll reserves and get them put the unit on the table, to be adjusted later.  Kept forgetting the Vendetta because it was on a table directly behind me.
3) Remember that stormtroopers can re-roll their deepstrike...(Points 2 and 3 would probably have let me table the marines)
4) If you have stuff that can deepstrike and assault the first turn...risk it and put them in a position to do so.  A more aggressive placement of both the Termie units, and assault marines within assault range of the walls might have altered the game on turn 1.

Fun game that was a lot closer than my battle report leads to believe.

IG vs. SM Spearhead battle

Rob and I got together Monday morning for a 2000 point Spearhead battle. Rob won the roll-off (rock, paper, scissors actually) to decide the rules and point total, and with all his IG vehicles it was silly of him not to play Spearhead. It was both of our first time playing these rules, and the first thing I can say is the game goes quickly.

Spearhead games are played lengthwise on the table, and terrain was set up first consisting of 5 wrecks, 2 ruins, and 2 bunkers placed equally at either end. We then rolled for the mission- drawing "Vital Ground". One 3 point objective was placed on one half of the table, and three 1 point objectives were placed on the other half. Objectives could be held by troops and tanks only. Because of his greater number of power stations bonus, Rob was +3 to all his set up rolls so needless to say he got to pick his deployment area. Also there was no "seize the initiative" roll for this mission (like I could have got it anyway). The deployment was "Escalation" which allowed for one Spearhead formation or three units to be deployed at the outset with all other units being held in reserve.

Rob chose the table end with the 3 point objective, and deployed 2 tanks and one Chimera. I deployed my Venerable Dreadnaught next to one objective, my jacked up Land Raider Terminus Ultra he allowed me to use from the Apoc rules (3 twin linked lascannons and 2 single lascannons for 300 points) next to another objective, and my Sniper scouts which I placed right behind his objective using infiltrate and scout.

http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1180072_Space_Marines_Datasheet_-_Terminus_Ultra_Land_Raider.pdf

Rob's first turn was uneventful, mine was used to move the scouts into the 3 point objective bunker and take out the lascannon on one his tanks with the Prometheus. Then the fun started.

Turn 2 and Rob started rolling for his reserves with his +3 ability, but still managed to not get his HQ and another tank on the board. The Baneblade, numerous tanks and transports, and the Valkyrie did come on though. His attempt to deep strike the Valk failed, and I got to place it from the roll on the mishap table. I placed it on some terrain far away but he made his dangerous terrain check. He shot a lot of stuff- especially at the scouts but couldn't penetrate the bunker.

My turn 2 reserve rolls were miserable, I managed to get a 5 man tac squad on the table. More shooting, and I managed to take out a lascannon on another tank.

Turn 3 and the rest of Rob's units were on the table. The scouts held tough in the bunker drawing a lot of fire, and most units moved forward. I took Darnath Lysander as my HQ, and of of his abilities is to fortify one ruin giving it a 3+ cover save. It saved the Dread on this turn as Rob dice were hot and it was looking bleak, but I managed to roll the saves.

On my third turn I managed to get a few more units on the table, including the Bike Squad, the other 5 man tac unit, and the Razorback. The scouts were pinned due to a stunned effect on the bunker, but more shooting from the Prometheus and the Dread managed to take out a tank and immobilize another.

Rob's turn 4 was a good one. He managed to destroy the bunker holding the 3 point objective and kill 3 scouts and break them in the process, thereby taking that objective. He also wiped out the bike squad with his mucho plasma cannon tank (I can't remember it's official name), rolling 3 of 4 hits on the scatter die in doing it. 8 hits on 3 bikes with a 3+ save was too much, they were vaporized. His Valk also took 4 of 5 of a tac squad I was running to an objective.

My turn 4 was not as good. I managed to finally get my Crusader with it's load on the table and the Predator. The 2 scouts rallied but missed with the Krak, and I immobilised a Chimera with the Prometheus. I also took out a 3 troopers with some assault cannon fire from the Crusader.

Rob took his turn with no dramatic results, at which point we decided to call the game a draw as we figured neither of us could get anywhere near the other's objectives anytime soon if at all. We both learned a lot about using the Spearhead rules- the main thing being a 6' foot long table is a long way to go. We both had some dumbass moments, which I'm sure neither of us will make again. The game was fun and quick, mostly I think because it was mainly armor shooting a gun or two at a time so there weren't tons of dice being dropped each turn, and there wasn't a single close combat in the game. That and the amount of reserves that didn't make the table early (mine especially) really speeded things up.

The draw sucks as neither of us get anything for playing the game, other than we're deeper in debt in wife points. Not a winning situation but it was fun playing Rob as always, I look forward to playing more games soon (Rob's birthday Friday).

Turn 2 begins (July 2010)

Turn 1 has come to and end and Turn 2 has arrived.

Battles of Turn 1:
  Space Wolves defeat Greenhouse Guardians, Taking a tile with a ruin from them.
  Tau Empire defeat 95th Rifles Imperial Guard, Building a Shield generator in the center of their territory.

(For those wondering Yes, I realized after I made the first map that the Space Wolves were supposed to be on the South Pole not the North pole, so I made the swap.)

Couple of changes...Poe chimed in and decided to play Dark Eldar rather than Chaos Marines.  Adjusted the map and campaign standings chart.  Background story wise...I'll just have the Dark Eldar enter system by wiping out the entire Chaos Marine contingent. 

Turn 2 will last from July 1 to July 31st 2010.