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Author Topic: 1500 Iron Hands Vs Khornate Horde  (Read 1513 times)

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Offline Wyddr

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1500 Iron Hands Vs Khornate Horde
« on: January 29, 2015, 08:47:25 PM »
1500 Iron Hands Vs Khornate Horde

No fluff today. Too busy revising a novel and revising another novel and awaiting the release of another novel of mine to come up with a story at the moment. Brain is fried. This game represents the second test run my friend Fraley has given the Iron Hands. I, myself, broke out ol Hrothmog the Rapacious and his Bloody Host to see how 7th Edition was treating them. Enjoy!

The Bloody Host of Hrothmog the Rapacious
Chaos Daemons Combined Arms Detachment

Warlord: Hrothmog the Rapacious (Bloodthirster w/Portalglyph, Touch of Uncreation), Death Incarnate

Unferth the Betrayer (Herald of Khorne w/Grimoire of True Names on Blood Throne)
4 Bloodcrushers w/Banner of Blood, Bloodhunter (Corpulescence)
16 Bloodletters w/Bloodreaper (Etherblade)
16 Bloodletters w/Bloodreaper (Warp Strider)
16 Bloodletters
16 Bloodletters
Skull Cannon of Khorne

The Forgefather's Own
Iron Hands Combined Arms Detachment

Warlord: Captain w/Gorgon's Chain, Artificer Armor, Thunderhammer

Command Squad w/4x Meltas, Apothecary
--in Land Raider Crusader w/Multimelta
2 Techmarines w/Servo-harness (1x Combiflamer, 1x Combiplasma)
Ironclad Dreadnought w/Melta, Hvy Flamer
--in Drop Pod
7 Tac Marines w/Combiplasma, plasma
--in Rhino
7 Tac Marines w/Combiflamer, flamer
--in Rhino
Storm Talon Gunship
Thunderfire Cannon

Mission, Terrain, and Deployment
We rolled up "The Big Guns Never Tire", still working on the operating assumption that Maelstrom of War missions are too random and no fun. It was going to be a Vanguard Strike deployment, sticking us in the corners.

The board had one multistory ruin in the SW, one single-floor ruin in the NW, a double multistory ruin in the NE, and another multistory ruin in the SE. We just use the old rules for targeting inside of ruins, as it makes everything easier and clearer than the "no rules" currently present in 7th Edition. A pair of forests and an old park stretched across the center of the board from the NW to the SE. Beyond a wall and some statues, that was about it. Objectives went on the top floor of the NE ruin, the top floor of the SE ruin, the center of the board, the NW forest, and the top floor of the SW ruin.

I won for deployment and first turn (for the first time in AGES, I tell you). Given the constrained deployment zone size, everybody basically had to squeeze in where possible. The Skullcannon was in the north flank while Hrothmog was holding the south. The bloodcrushers and Unferth stuck with the main body of bloodletters. One bloodletter group (the one with the Warp Strider) would deepstrike in later.

The Iron Hands deployment took and eighth of the time mine did. The Thunderfire in the SW ruin, claiming the objective. Two Rhinos east of that, and the Land Raider at about board center in the south. The Storm Talon and Ironclad would come in later. Each tac squad got its own Techmarine, which is very fluffy of them Iron Hands.

Deployment


Behold the Bloody Host!
The part of "Iron Hands" will be played (reluctantly) by Imperial Fists
Something tells me I'm going to lose a lot of bloodletters

Turn 1
To my surprise, Fraley fails to steal the initiative. I get to go first! First! That hasn't happened in months and months and months! Well, seeing how I'm playing Khorne, there isn't a lot to report here--everybody moved forward as fast as their little legs could carry them. Well, except for Hrothmog, who decided to just Glide rather than Swoop for the potential second turn charge rather than the third turn and gets bolstered by the Grimoire from Unferth. He tossed the Portalglyph towards the SE objective, but it scattered wildly. It *did* manage to produce a trio of Horrors (hello, psychic phase!) who then promptly missed a land raider with a blast template (a LAND RAIDER--c'mon, guys. C'mon). The Skull Cannon fired at the Thunderfire cannon, but it did nothing.

Oh, right, and the Warp Storm resulted in a Warp Ebb. Why? Well, because the Chaos Gods hate my guts, that's why.

Top of Turn 1


The Horrors literally miss the broad side of a barn
RUUUUN!
Bloodcrushers in the lead

In the bottom of turn 1, the Thunderfire Cannon directs its baleful gaze on the westernmost Bloodletters and kills about seven or eight of them (thanks, Warp Ebb!). The Ironclad wants to drop in the SE near the objective but scatters wildly (almost off the eastern board edge), so it doesn't have much to do but run to get back in position. The Rhino with the Plasma Marines drives up and blows up the Portalglyph with a well-aimed shot, while the Land Raider and the disembarked Command Squad all fire at Hrothmog, who loses three wounds in the onslaught. Then, to *everybody's* surprise, the command squad and captain only roll a 2 for charge distance which means, subtracting for the difficult terrain in the woods, they FAIL THEIR CHARGE. Wow. Just wow.

Bottom of Turn 1


Well...they tripped, I guess.

Turn 2
The remaining bloodletters drop in, just on cue. I drop them right by the SW ruins, staring down the Thunderfire cannon. They scatter a bit, but they're more-or-less in the right place. The bloodcrushers charge the plasma rhino with a little help from the Banner of Blood and trash it quickly, pinning the tacs in place when they disembark. Hrothmog leaps over the command squad (psych!) and charges the Land Raider, knocking 3 hull points off, killing the multimelta, and stunning it. The Skullcannon and Horrors shoot up the command squad, killing 2 between them, and then that command squad is charged by 16 Bloodletters (all of whom are benefiting from the Rage of Unferth). Though the Captain manages to make about 19 armor saves, there are still enough wounds left over to slaughter the remainder of the squad with minimal losses. Unferth *also* tried to get in on that charge, but failed it and lost a hull point to overwatch in the process. The bloodletters in the NW head towards the objective while the bloodletters behind the main force head towards board center.

The Warp Storm did nothing this turn, which is fine by me.

Top of 2


The Crushers crush their ride!
Hrothmog messes up the Land Raider
Even MORE bloodletters!

So, in the bottom of the turn, while the bloodletters that just jumped in are standing there, looking all pleased with themselves, the flamer tacs hop out and hit them with four (yes, four) flamers as well as some bolters. All but two of the guys die right then and there. The Thunderfire kept shelling the northwest 'letters, killing a couple more (they can't take much more of that!). Then the Storm Talon came on and it, along with the Ironclad, focused their fire on Hrothmog, taking off another wound. The Land Raider killed a few Bloodletters even with snapshots (those hurricane bolters are rough!) and the stormbolter in the drop pod killed a single Horror.

Oh, and in six attempts, Hrothmog still couldn't take that last hull point off the Land Raider and then, just to add insult to injury, the damned thing *gets a hull point back* thanks to It Will Not Die. Sheesh.

Bottom of 2


Strafing run

Turn 3
Turn three, things continue to go downhill for the Iron Hands while my hellblades continue to drink deeply of Astartes blood. The Bloodcrushers charge the flamer tac squad, wiping them out and driving them from the field with only one wound done in return. They sent the two remaining bloodletters there into combat first to soak the overwatch, cutting down one of the two remaining guys there. Hrothmog finally trashes the Land Raider. The Horrors fail their only psychic test (figures). The Bloodletters in the NW and center each claim their objectives. The Skullcannon shot at...something, but did no damage (the plasma tacs, I think).

Finally, the bloodletters that cut down the command squad charge the Ironclad to keep it wrapped up. It kills a couple, but they stick in combat.

Oh, right, and the Warp Storm managed to take a wound off of a bloodcrusher and *nothing else*. Thanks, Slaanesh.

Top of Turn 3


The Bloodcrushers continue to pillage the Iron Hands line
This Dreadnought isn't going anywhere for a while.

In the bottom of turn 3, the Thunderfire tries to take out those northwest bloodletters, knocking the group down to 1. The plasma tacs, along with the surviving Rhino, gun down one Bloodcrusher and wound some others. The Storm Talon switches to hover mode and blasts Hrothmog back to the warp, while the Ironclad keeps stomping on bloodletters, killing a couple more. The drop pod kills another horror, too.

Bottom of 3


Eeep!

Turn 4
At this point, I've more or less got the game sewn up. Unferth charges the Thunderfire Cannon and wrecks it, the Bloodcrushers kill the plasma tacs with ease, and even the Horrors put a hull point on the Storm Talon. More bloodletters die in combat with the Ironclad, but they keep at it.

Oh, and the Warp Storm saddles me with Warp Ebb again. Why? Because beslubber you, that's why.

Top of 4


In my opponent's turn, he doesn't do much else but try to kill another bloodcrusher--he fails. He does knock the remaining bloodletters in combat with the ironclad down to 1. The drop pod doesn't take out the Horrors, who manage to hang on to claim the SE objective. My opponent then concedes, so game over.



Well, at least the Ironclad got his points back, right?

Final Score
Khorne Daemons: 12 (Linebreaker, Warlord, 3 Objectives, 1 Heavy Support destroyed)
Iron Hands: 2 (First Blood and Warlord)

Post Mortem
Well, I think it's safe to say that the Khorne Horde works just fine, still. Who says assault is dead?

When this game began, I worried most about the Land Raider and Ironclad, which were the two enemies my army doesn't have many tools to face. Fortunately, the failed charge on the part of the command squad let me take care of it--had that not happened, I would have lost a LOT more bloodletters to its guns. Likewise, the poor scatter on the part of the Ironclad kept it away from most of my troops, and I could easily sacrifice a unit of bloodletters to keep it tied down. Fraley is getting better with the marines, but still hasn't gotten all the kinks worked out. This was a tough matchup for him, what with all the hellblades everywhere. I thank him for the game, and I think you guys for reading.

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Re: 1500 Iron Hands Vs Khornate Horde
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2015, 01:50:08 PM »
I agree that the failure of the Command Squad to complete that charge was very costly for the Iron Hands.  Against a pure assault army, he needed a lot more time to keep those Bloodletters out of his half of the table, and didn't get it.  Still, there was plenty of stuff that didn't go your way either, such as the Warp Storm, and the Horrors were pretty poor again.

Still, when playing an assault army you have to be committed to the concentrated charge across the battlefield, even though you know you're going to take casualties early on.  Not all players can do that, you did, and that's why you won.

Thanks for the report.
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Offline Wyddr

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Re: 1500 Iron Hands Vs Khornate Horde
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2015, 02:05:34 PM »
Still, when playing an assault army you have to be committed to the concentrated charge across the battlefield, even though you know you're going to take casualties early on.  Not all players can do that, you did, and that's why you won.

Yeah, that's the trick for assault in this edition. It isn't one unit, it's lots of units. And those units' jobs need to be *assault*. You will lose guys, yeah, but when you hit with that wave, man is it decisive. Not every army can do it these days, but the old assault-specialized armies (Orks, Daemons, Nids) I think can make it work. Daemons have the easiest time of it, too.

Quote
Thanks for the report.

Welcome! Nice to be able to make them again!

 


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