GT Game One
Vanilla Marines with Space Wolf Allies
So, game one... I pulled basically the worst possible opponent I could have (not including Tony Kopach, lol!). Remember how my army is 80 guardsmen hiding behind cover? Well, my first opponent brought 3 (!) Thunderfire Cannons.
His List (as I remember it!):
Lysander
3 Thunderfire
5 Longfangs with MLs
10 GH, 2 PGs in a Rhino
Rune Priest on Bike, Runic Armour
SM Command Squad on Bikes with 2 PGs
2 Tacticals with MGs and Lascannons
Aegis with Quad Gun
2 MM Attack Bikes
The Mission:
Dawn of War
Kill Points Primary
With 3 Techmarines plus Lysander, the SM FAQ (at the time) let him bolster only ruins, but with no cap (as per the Nova FAQ), so the ruins in his deployment zone were 0+ save, 1+ area. He proceeded to deploy 10 Tacticals, Lysander, the 3 Thunderfires, and the Quad Gun in those ruins, the Longfangs centrally, and the Command Bikes with Rune Priest on his right with the other 10 Tacticals and the GH in Rhino. One of his AB's was on each flank. I deployed both Russes across from the Thunderfires to block LOS to most of my Silver Platoon with their PCS behind the hill on their right, then I set up a fire base with my Gold Platoon and Aegis Line on my left (his right) built into and against the ruins there. My plan was to hunker down and not die on the right while my left handled his bikes, then his Grey Hunters when they got there. I pretty badly misplayed this. While 3 Thunderfire Cannons may have been a hard counter to my list, looking back, I know I could have at least had a shot if I had deployed better. I certainly should have refused flank away from his Thunderfires and butchered that side of the field, taken advantage of their lack of mobility. I'll be honest, I'm not sure what I was thinking at the time!
Anyway, game proceeded with his RP casting Prognost (for rerolls for him for everything) then running him with his bikes right at my flank, closely supported by the AB and followed on by the GH in their Rhino. A smattering of firepower killed 2-3 guardsmen on that flank (gtg for a 2+, woot!), but he could see just one or two IG on the right, and his Thunderfires killed around 10 from their assorted templates. His AB pushed for my right flank to try to take my Russes out of play.
On my turn, I used GBITF on the left and then poored firepower into his oncoming bikes. 5 PG shots, 6 AC shots, and ~40 Lasgun shots, with rerolls to hit... and he saved EVERY wound I threw. It was something like 10 armour saves and 4 covers, but with his RP rerolling a 2+ for the armours, they weren't going to do anything, and I would have thought he would fail at least 1 or 2 5+ covers, but no... he didn't even have to take a single FNP. At this point I realized how poor my planning had been. That unit was going to tear me up! The rest of my shoot was (somehow) even less effective. No failed saves on the right from 2 Battlecannons into a horde of Marines (0+ cover! well, 1's still fail, but...), and Silver Platoon didn't have anyone in position to take any shots at all. The one bright spot was the Master of Ordnance dropping a pie plate right on two of the bikers and one failed his FNP. I swept my PCS on the right around to tie up his AB and keep my Russes safe, but they failed to lay even a single wound. They did, however, stay in combat, so that was a win, eh?
Next turn, his bikers hit combat with Gold Platoon. 7, seriously, 7 PG wounds laid with Overwatch... and he AGAIN saves every wound. His Rune Priest was tanking like a BOSS! (sorry, Gonyo, stole your phrase... but I love it, now, so you'll have to deal with it) Rerollable saves do that, I suppose. Well, in he got... and he challenged with his RP. My RP said let's do this, and the sissy slap fight was on! Seriously, this challenge went on for the ENTIRE rest of the game. The only wound either of us took was the one time he Perils'd. Thankfully, with his RP out of the way, my blob could do their job. I killed 3 of the 4 bikers in the next two phases of combat and managed to only lose combat by 2 or 3 each round. I want to point out here how tough bikers really are against mass guardsmen - wounding on 6's sucked! I would throw something like 20 hits, but then its just - make 3 saves... oh, and don't forget FNP. Yeah, all 3 kills were Power Axe wielding sergeants. Chop chop. On the other side, more guardsmen died and the AB ran the PCS off. Yay. Couldn't see that coming.
Bottom of 2, all three of my 'Dettas arrived. He tried to Quad Gun one and failed (though I did decide to evade when he landed all 4 hits, so that's a win, right?). The Vendettas killed 1 Long Fang (they went to ground) and he saved every wound I directed at his Thunderfires. 0+ surprise there. He did manage to fail one save from the Battle Cannons, though, so that was 1 dead Tactical, yay me! Silver Platoon killed his AB trying to poach my Russes - mass plasma does that, even with 5+ Jink. On the left, combat continued, running him down to one bike aside from the RP.
Top 3, his GH charged into the melee and his AB charged the PCS on that flank. Lysander detached off and walked up into the middle ruins, which were horseshoe shaped facing him, so I couldn't see an inch of him as soon as he started moving. His Warlord trait was scoring, so he figured he'd use it (just in case). More IG die on the right. He fires 1 Lascannon at a Vendetta. Hit. Pen. Explode. He fires 1 Lascannon at another Vendetta. Hit. Pen. Explode... but then it falls on one Techmarine who fails his 2+ save, killing me a Thunderfire. Go me... er... him? The combat on the left, 3 GH die, the last biker dies, and guardsmen die. I lose combat, fail leadership, but he catches me easily (he rolled a 6). PCS loses one model and runs off the board.
Bottom 3, my last 'Detta potshots at Long Fangs... he makes all his saves. Both Russes (undamaged despite his best efforts - this will be a recurring story) shoot the Fangs, going for more likely KP, but he makes all his saves again, going to ground for a 3+ this time. The remnants of Silver Platoon kill his other AB with Plasma fire, but one overheats and dies. Back on the left, the slap fight continues. A few more GH die, more IG die, and the RP's keep sparring.
Top 4, the Quad Gun finally kills a Flyer... and it crash lands right in the middle of his Fangs, wounding 4... and he makes all his saves. Darn, no second kill for crashing flyers. More IG die in Silver, just a few dudes left now. CC continues, only 1 IG survives, but the GH are down to 4 guys and the RP's are still slapping.
Bottom 4, more shots from the Russes into the Fangs, more passed saves. I may have gotten one here, I don't remember for sure, but it didn't make much of a difference. Left side, the IG are gone, and the RP's continue to slap.
Top 5 (and this will be last turn, running short of time), he finishes off Silver Platoon when my RP fails the first two 2+ saves he has to make, then the squad is wiped by the remaining Thunderfire shots. Bye gais! CC continues... slap slap slap.
Bottom of 5 - my two Russes don't kill off the Long Fangs. Slap slap slap. Game ends.
I ended the game with the little Rune Priest that could and two utterly undamaged Russes. My list has 13 KP, so he earned 10. I managed to kill 2 AB and the bikers, plus the Thunderfire that required a little help from my friend. So, 10-4. He easily had all 4 quarters, plus 3-0 on objectives. It was a pretty good beatdown, all said and done. But, I'll be honest. I think I could have won this game, if I hadn't lost in deployment. I should have refused flank and beaten his right flank silly, and just ignored his invinci-ruin brigade. Why didn't I? I'm going to be polite to myself and say that I missed an opportunity (when the fact of the matter was that I was being stupid - this was a simple fight. Not that it would have been an easy win, far from it, but the proper tactics were simple... I just didn't see them).
Thoughts on his list:
I loved the RP on a bike with Command Bikers. Don't ask me why, but I had never thought of that before, and it was just a neat build. He looked pretty awesome on the bike, too. The Thunderfire part I'm still not a fan of. Really just too niche at what it is good against. Orks and IG fear it... but that's about it, as its only AP6. And even then, if I would have had to face off against it, I could have (and should have, come to think of it) used its immobility against it, had the Russes form a wall to block LOS and run my blob up behind it until I was close enough to assault.
Thoughts on my list:
Bikes are a pain. But to be honest, I don't think my list failed me at all this game, even against triple Thunderfire, I think I failed my list.
Thoughts on my opponent's play:
Deploying first, he was inviting a refused flank fortifying the crap out of one side and deploying all the Thunderfires there. If he would have been playing against a better player, they would have made him pay for that mistake pretty bad. Otherwise, the setup and planning was pretty solid. He used what he had to do what it needed to do for him to murdernate me.
Thoughts on my play:
I can't say it enough. I lost this game in deployment. Barring that, I lost this game by being too timid on my right flank. I could have charged forward, suffered some losses, and MAYBE won the day. You don't know until you try, but I couldn't possibly win by sitting back and hoping (praying) I didn't get wiped, and I am smart enough that I should have seen that.
Luck Factor:
Despite my notes here, I don't really think luck played too decisive a role in this game. I made note of units that just WOULD NOT DIE, and his RP tanking a ton of saves, but, for the most part, they weren't that far outside of the statistical norm - how many saves should his RP have failed with a rerollable 2+ armour, 5+ cover, and 5+ FNP? Maybe one more than he did, but the Perils? Evened things out right there. Same thing with his sniper lascannons - probably were made up for by the plane dropping on a Techmarine. And my terribad saves on the right flank RP? Mr Doesn't Want to Die on the left would be his counter. The dice were pretty even this game, IMHO, can't blame my crushing defeat on them. Instead, I choose to blame my opponent! Wait...
Luck Factor:
Despite my notes here, I don't really think luck played too decisive a role in this game. I made note of units that just WOULD NOT DIE, and his RP tanking a ton of saves, but, for the most part, they weren't that far outside of the statistical norm - how many saves should his RP have failed with a rerollable 2+ armour, 5+ cover, and 5+ FNP? Maybe one more than he did, but the Perils? Evened things out right there. Same thing with his sniper lascannons - probably were made up for by the plane dropping on a Techmarine. And my terribad saves on the right flank RP? Mr Doesn't Want to Die on the left would be his counter. The dice were pretty even this game, IMHO, can't blame my crushing defeat on them. Instead, I choose to blame my opponent! Wait...
Up next, Round 2!
