Ardboyz Round 3

Mas Ardboyz, por favor...

Game 3 vs Blood Angels (Dave):


His list -
Astoroth
Chaplain
Sanguinary Priest, Jump, pweap, inf pistol
3x 10 Assault Marines, 2 melta, 1pfist
10 Death Co, pweap, pfist in LRC w/ XArm, MMelta
10 Death Co, pweap, pfist
DC Dread w Blood Talons
2x Baal Preds, Flamestorm, 2 Hvy Flamer, Dozer
Storm Raven, MMelta, AssCan

I've played Dave once before - oddly enough not in a local tournament, but at the 2007 Las Vegas Grand Tournament. My 4th Ed mech Sisters list beat his Dark Eldar Raider Wych list. I remembered him as a highly enjoyable opponent who was tough to play and didn't sour once the game turned against him. Turns out, he hasn't changed.

He got first turn and deployed his army in a spread formation to be able to assault anywhere I deployed, with the center being held by his Baals, the LRC and Storm Raven. Astoroth and a DC plus the DC Dread in the Storm Raven, Chaplain and DC in the LRC and the Sang Priest with the center Assault Squad.
I deploy on the right 2/3 or the board across the back line, with the exception of my Fenrisian Wolves which I deploy across the front line of my deployment zone - I want to prevent those Baals from Scouting too far. I failed to Seize the Initiative and he scouted the Baals to within 12" of my line.

On turn one he goes full offense. The Baals come to within an inch of my front line, right at the two spots where my back line deployment had to bulge a bit and the Storm Raven flew up to my left flank. His Baals killed a wolf from each squad and 3-4 Grey Hunters from two squads. A quick note here, other than my disastrous end of game Ld tests in game one, I have not failed a Morale test this tournament (other than, looks like I lost combat by 5 - didn't roll a '3')! His LRC and assault squads move up as far as they can.
I move an Iron Priest and wolf squad out by the Storm Raven, either to surround it if I immobilize it or assault the guys inside if I kill it. My wolves on the right move up about 4" - enough that he can't jump behind them so he will have to assault them if he wants to engage next turn. My other IP and a TWC unit squeeze up to the right while the Lord's TWC unit is squarely behind the wolves to counter charge, but not enough so that they themselves can get charged if the wolves die to shooting. My shooting damages both Baals and Wrecks the Storm Raven - I then pour 3 Missiles that can see plus two short range meltas into his DC Dread but fails to do anything to it... uh-oh. So I have the wolves charge his DC and decide to multi charge the Dread and DC with my IP unit, but the IP has to cross the wreck to do so and fails to roll enough distance to get to the Dread, so now I can't even support the wolves against the DC... uh-oh #2. I do manage to pull down 1 DC with the wolves before they die horrifically.

On turn two he moved his Assault squads on my right up in steps to engage me in a 1 - 2 battle, but only moved his LRC up 6" so he can try to shoot away my wolves. The Dread parked himself in front of my 5 man GH squad in some woods and started to drool. His left assault squad came up behind his DC, who themselves had to go after my IP because of Rage, so he separated Astoroth out to go after my left Long Fangs. His shooting didn't do a lot, managing to kill only a few wolves acting as my shield. So he went ahead and assaulted them, the Dread got into the GH and Astoroth got his Long Fangs - wiping out my units.  The DC on the far side assaulted my IP, and due to putting wounds on my cyberwolves, kept around the priest long enough to kill a couple DC before dying to his pfist.
On my turn I to Canis' TWC unit over to deal with the DC and his Assault squad while the Lord's TWC unit, an IP unit and my bare TWC went to handle the two assault squads plus DC in the LRC. I shoot 8 missiles into his Dread, getting 4 pens and 2 glances... and the cover from the trees he was in was magical, because not one got through. W. T. F. my GH squads kept meltas on his Baals, but all I could do was shake or weapon destroy. Astoroth shrugged off the one melta shot I was able to get on him. I made all my assaults, and killed his entire middle assault squad plus priest and only 1 in 2nd squad - they broke but only lose 1 more from fearless wounds. From the multiple combat, I am not able to consolidate my Lord and his TWC unit into the back assault squad, so he's left out of the combat. On the left, Canis & co kill about half the DC and Assault squad. I bit off more than I could chew there, but knew I knew it and that was ok - he lost a couple more models to fearless wounds.

Turn three brought his Dread over to help out with Canis. Astoroth came toward my 5 man GH unit that melta'd him after his Baals tried to tank shock them and my Rune Priest away - not happening. Thinking on it afterwards, I should have Death or Gloried on his Baal with my melta, because they were gonna die to Astoroth anyway. His LRC penetrated my left line, but he took the DC out the side to go help his remaining assault squad with my IP and TWC units. No shooting again to speak of. His Dread killed Canis' TWC unit, but Canis was able to kill a few more before being dragged down himself. He left the combat with his Dread intact, 1 assault marine and 2 DC. His DC and Chaplain on the right smashed into my TWC unit and killed it - taking a few casualties in the process. My IP lost his cyberwolves but held through the fearless wounds - 2+ save ftw.
I don't have much movement here, except to put 2 meltas in short range of his LRC. Finally my shooting starts paying off: the LRC explodes. Twice. I down his DC Dread and Astoroth catches a melta to the face. My other LF squad split fire between the two Baals and once again they lived. My Lord and his TWC unit went after the DC - the Lord killed 6 on the charge, heeyah! When the dust cleared, he had killed one of my TWC and the IP, he had the chaplain left and the assault squad (didn't get engaged by the TWC and they killed the IP before he got to swing). He lost combat by 8, failed his Ld test for the assault squad and rolled 18" for his flee distance... his back model was 17.5" away from his table edge. Ouch.

Turn 4 started with him having 2 weaponless or nearly so Baals, 1 assault marine on the far side and 2 DC and a chaplain about to die in combat. I had 1 GH squad, 2 LF squads, my Rune Priest, Lord and his TWC unit. I think I may have killed the DC Dread this turn now that I think about it - because I had one more GH unit that died that I haven't mentioned in this log. Yeah, pretty sure it lived through one more round of shooting at it and it ate a GH squad, then I got it this turn. S'what happens when I don't take pics.

In the time remaining, I managed to get my Lord over to his last assault marine and DC and finish them off (not till turn 6 tho!) and blow up one of two remaining Baals. The last one he zoomed to the table center and claimed it... I could not kill those damned things. Seriously, 6 turns of shooting at them with lots of missiles in side armor, meltas at short range, and Living Lightning to the side and I manage to kill one.

I really have to give props to Dave here, because we started Turn 5 with 15 minutes left. He could have said 'No,' but we really had nothing left to do at this point. If he had not allowed it, he would have had the minor Victory (and gotten 3rd), but we played the turn. And then we started Turn 6 with 6 minutes left - at this point it was a draw. But all we had to do was have me kill his DC in combat and try to shoot his Baal, so we went ahead. Props to how the game should be played. This wasn't about being 'Ard, this wasn't about denying your opponent their earned win - this was about playing. Just like in my game one, I would have felt bad if I had gotten a Major Victory because my opponent moved his models to the wrong token (one was a crater, the other the objective), so I helped him out. Here Dave knew we could finish the turns in the time provided, so he let us start them.

I ended up winning 28 KP to 25 KP, Minor Victory. We both got the 3k bonus pt, and Dave also got having a unit at the center.

My hat is off to you, Dave. I joked after the game that I would stop playing you since I have a 2-0 record, but for you, I've got a game any time.

52 Battle points was enough to get me 2nd (1st had 60, 3rd had 51).

My only real complaint about this Scenario wasn't truly about the 3KP for fast units... we knew that going in. My biggest complaint about it was that with very few exceptions (mine being one of them) game 3 was mostly massacres. With that many KP being bandied about, how could you not win by a mere 7?

Well, stay tuned for the next installment of the Ardboyz madness, coming in June!