1500 Vostroyan AM Vs Orks: Sweep and ClearSo, after about 8 months since my last game (thanks coronavirus!), I finally managed to wrangle a game, played outside on my porch, for my inaugural foray into 9th Edition. I'll leave out the fictional prologue this once, since this is probably the only game I'll be getting in for a while (as the weather gets colder and playing indoors remains unsafe). Plenty to talk about in any event. We played this game before the new weapon stats were proliferated to all other armies in the FAQs, otherwise I would have taken more Flamers. Our Army lists:'
Vostroyan BrigadeHQCompany Commander w/Bolt Pistol, Chainsword (Warlord: Grand Strategist)
Company Commander w/Bolt Pistol, Chainsword
Company Commander w/Laspistol, Powerfist, Armor of Graf Toschenko
TroopsInfantry Squad w/Grenade Launcher
Infantry Squad w/Grenade Launcher
Infantry Squad w/Grenade Launcher
Infantry Squad w/Grenade Launcher
Infantry Squad w/Grenade Launcher
Tempestus Scions (5) w/ 2x Plasma Gun, 1x Plasma Pistol
Tempestus Scions (5) w/ 2x Meltagun, 1x Plasma Pistol
ElitesAstropath w/Nightshroud
Command Squad w/ 4x Plasma Guns
Command Squad w/ 4x Plasma Guns
Fast AttackScout Sentinel w/Autocannon
Scout Sentinel w/Autocannon
Scout Sentinel w/Autocannon
Heavy SupportLeman Russ Executioner w/Plasma Cannon sponsons, Heavy Bolter
Leman Russ Punisher w/Heavy Bolter sponsons, Heavy Bolter
Mortar Heavy Weapons Squad
Lascannon Heavy Weapons Squad
FlyersValkyrie w/Multilaser, Multiple Rocket Pods, Door Heavy Bolters
Evil Sunz BattalionHQDeffkilla Wartrike (Warlord: Tough as Nails, Snazzgrim's Snazztrike)
Warphead (Warpath, Da Jump)
Big Mek w/Kustom Force Field
Troops30 Shoota Boyz w/Nob (Power Klaw), Tankbusta Bombs
12 Shoota Boyz w/Nob (Power Klaw), Tankbusta Bombs
12 Shoota Boyz w/Nob (Power Klaw), Tankbusta Bombs
10 Shoota Boyz w/Nob (Power Klaw)
Elites5 Meganobz w/Kustom Shootas and Power Klaws
Fast Attack5 Deffkoptas w/Big Shootas
5 Deffkoptas w/Big Shootas
TransportsTrukk w/Big Shoota
Trukk w/Big Shoota
Mission: Sweep and Clear
Secondary ObjectivesVostroyans: Bring It Down (Kill Vehicles), Cut off the Head (Kill the Warlord), Direct Assault (Control central or opponent's objective)
Orks: Engage on All Fronts (Occupy table quarters), Thin Their Ranks (A VP every 10 models killed), Direct Assault (as above)
Terrain and DeploymentSince I was lugging all my terrain down from my office in the attic, I didn't take everything I had, leaving the table perhaps a little sparse for what 9th Edition advises. That said, there was a large waterfall in the SE quarter that was Obscuring, a river (Difficult Terrain), a forest in the NE, and lots of ridges and defense lines scattered around, along with a couple hills. It should be noted we still played on a 72"x48" board, since it would be awkward to shrink the playing space to 60" by 44" and it was unclear how much that would really make a difference, anyway.
My opponent won the terrain roll-off and selected the NE quadrant, deploying his Deffkoptas right on the edge of his deployment zone, flanked on either side by the trukks full of Boyz and follows up closely by the Wartrike and the Big Mek and his forcefield. The big mob of 30 shoota boyz took up the middle of his table quarter, the small squad of 10 hunkered behind a defense line in the far NE, and the Warphead hovered nearby to Da Jump the big mob somewhere interesting turn 1. The Meganobz went in the Tellyporta.
Since it became clear early on that my opponent was going to go for an alpha strike with his super-fast koptas and trukks, I deployed defensively as best I could in a cramped table quarter. Two infantry squads, which had recently had their performance records marked "D" for disposable (though their sergeants had been informed it stood for "Dependable"), were deployed in two lines up front. These were designed to be sacrificial--my opponent would have to slam into them first, they would die in short order, and then the rest of my army would have a crack at the Koptas and such at close range. Behind them went two more infantry squads and the Warlord, these behind cover and flanked by the two Leman Russ. The Astropath and other Company Commander went behind this line, close to the Lascannon squad and a Sentinel. Then, in the back corner, was the Valkyrie full of Command Squads and the powerfist commander and the Mortar squad, whose heirloom mortars could still lob shells just about anywhere on the board even from that distance. The eastern flank was guarded by another sentinel, the north flank by the third sentinel and the fifth infantry squad, who would have the sneaky mission to go and nab the NW objective, if they possibly could. Finally, my Scions would be grav-chuting in.
Deployment
That's a lot of helicopters.My deployment is like a catcher's mittTurn 1My opponent seemed to have pinned his hopes on going first and catching me with my pants down. I confess that, given the size of the deployment zone and his koptas'
insane threat range, it seemed very plausible if he went first I'd have a hell of a time fighting him off. Of course, this issue was moot since I won the roll off and quickly began to teach him the folly of gambling on a dice-off. Made me a little nostalgic for the good ol' days of 5th Edition, if I'm being honest (which, still, was the best edition for pre-game deployment).
Anyway, with a throaty "huzzah" my furry hat-clad men leapt from their emplacements and threw themselves at the foe. I moved forward with the sacrificial squads to get them into rapid fire range (yay, Heirloom Weapons!), moved the Punisher up a bit to escort the Warlord so he could throw around some First Rank/Second Rank orders, and so began the pummeling. Between my infantry squads' hail of lasgun fire, the Punisher, the Executioner, the Lascannons, and a smattering of autocannon fire from the Sentinels, I wiped out one Kopta Squad and reduced the other to three vehicles.
Meanwhile, the Valkyrie flew up to the NW quadrant and, along with the mortars, knocked some 11-12 orks out of the big mob at the center of the enemy quadrant. The eastern sentinel claimed the SE objective while the Northern sentinel and infantry squad 5 advanced to be in striking range of getting the NW objective sometime next turn.
Top of Turn 1
Huzzah!I advance north!And East!I crash a lot of KoptasIn the second half of the turn, the orks counter-assault. The southern trukk disembarks its boyz and they proceed to shoot and charge the Scout sentinel off my eastern flank, reducing it to two wounds, but not killing it (but they do manage to snag that objective from me). That empty trukk then charges one of my sacrificial squads along with the Defftrike, and all those guys are reduced to roadkill. The other sacrificial squad had a good sergeant leading them, since he orders them all to hit the deck as soon as the koptas get close and their shooting does barely anything. Then, to everyone's surprise, even their charge is blunted when they tank their rolls and kill only two guardsmen (I chalk it up to them, you know,
ducking).
The northern trukk drives through the river and its passengers open fire on the fifth infantry squad, killing five. In the backfield, the Warphead sees I've spread out in such a way that there is no good target for Da Jump and so orders the big mob into the forest, which they don't quite all fit inside. All my squads pass their morale tests with a little help from strategems and the first turn is in the books.
Of note in this turn, the Orks left nobody atop the central objective, so they never actually claimed it--they just drove right over.
Bottom of Turn 1
Get DOWN!Just before these guardsmen became speedbumpsA view from the ork quadrantTurn 1 Score:Vostroyans: 14 points for 7 Vehicles brought down (Bring it Down)
Orks: 2 (Engage on All Fronts--in two table quarters)
Turn 2To my delight, I found the second turn starting with the main threats to my gunline dealt with and really only one severe threat left--the Deffkilla Wartrike. To get it, I'd need to eliminate the remaining Deffkoptas and the Trukk so that the pesky, 8-wound character wouldn't be covered by Look Out Sir. I scored only one primary objective this turn and I wanted to make sure I could score more soon, so maneuvers were in order, as well. Here's how it went:
I ordered the heroically "
Dependable" screening squad to fall back, moved one of my back line squads forward to screen the Punisher (in case of catastrophic failure). Then, using Inspired Tactics, my Warlord threw down two more First Rank/Second Ranks and ordered the three remaining infantry squads on that front to wipe out the remaining Deffkoptas, which they did (with a little supporting fire from a Sentinel, if memory serves). The Lascannons reduced the southernmost trukk to its last wound. This trukk was finally taken out by the Valkyrie, which swept over from the NW, where it dropped off its cargo of plasma grenadiers (more on that later). With the Trukk and Koptas gone, the Wartrike was in the clear for the Executioner to charge up and blow away, losing a wound to overheat in the process.
In the SE, the Sentinel used the new Desperate Breakout stratagem to escape being locked in combat with the Trukk boyz. The Punisher then ripped through those orks, doing 12 wounds which resulted in a single, wounded nob flipping off my whole army (my opponent used Insane Bravery to keep him around).
In the NW, big doings. the plasma gunners Took Aim with the aid of their commander and blasted the trukk to scrap in one volley. The trukk then EXPLODED in spectacular fashion, killing 2 plasma vets in one unit, 3 in the other, wounding the commander twice, taking two off the Sentinel, and wiping out a guardsman (OUCH!). Two of the 12 orks also bit it as they rolled out of the wreckage. They then met the business end of a bunch of lasguns and the remaining plasma and a variety of grenades, knocking their numbers to about 6-7 or so. I then charged with the Sentinel, the remaining infantry, and the powerfist commander, killing another 2 orks. One or two orks ran away and that left the last 3 them locked in combat. Total amphetamine parrotshow, that front.
Meanwhile, my Scions fell from the sky and assassinated the Big Mek and did some damage to the big mob of boyz along with the mortars and multiple rocket pods on the Valkyrie, which knocked that big mob down to about 11-12 models. I topped out my Bring it Down secondary objective and scored Cut Off the Head, as well.
Top of Turn 2
My men prepare to charge in the bloody mess that is the NW front of the battleThe Scions drop in to certain glory...or certain deathMy Infantry successfully repulses the ork's main attackOnly one ork left in the SEMy lines from the southThe orks were not quite done with their dirty tricks, though. For starters, the Meganobz teleported in just north of the Mortar squad which they then charged and chewed up to bloody slush, but not before shooting one of my lascannon teams dead. The big squad of orks "died" so my opponent could use The Unstoppable Green Tide strategem so a big mob of 30 fresh Shootas popped into my beleaguered NW quadrant and shot apart the remaining plasma gunners (but were too far for a charge). In the center, the 10 orks held back leapt over the barricade and charged the closest scions, wiping them out and consolidating into the next squad. In the continuing melee against the orks in the NW, I think I killed another 1 ork but miraculously didn't take much more damage myself (my opponent was focusing most of his attacks in the sentinel to no avail).
The orks scored double objective points this round and were still in every quadrant of the board, so they continued to rack up points.
Bottom of Turn 2
At least it was over mercifully quick for the mortarsThe Scions are mauled by a mob of orksEven MORE Orks!Turn 2 ScoreVostroyans: 30 (+1 for Bring it Down, +10 for Cut Off the Head, +5 primary)
Orks: 15 (+3 for Engage on All Fronts, +10 primary)
Turn 3The main threats are now behind me instead of in front of me. The Valkyrie goes into hover mode and wheels around to bombard the new mob of orks coming from the north and is joined by a Punisher moving too fast to get off its concentrated barrage. Even with these limitations, they kill about 17 of them, when morale is accounted for. Additionally, the troops in the NW manage to kill the remaining orks, with the Sentinel getting in the final stomp against the nob. My lead infantry squads in my center sprint forward in an effort to claim the central objective and one of those squads is able to squeeze off a few rounds to kill off that last nob in the SE. The lascannons, one infantry squad, and the Executioner rip into the Meganobz, killing three out of the five, and my troops back there re-arrange themselves to screen off the tank from a charge. The Astropath even gets in on the act, doing 1 or 2 mortal wounds with a rare Smite (this guy did just about nothing else all game, so whatever). My remaining scions fell back from the orks in the ork DZ and the southern sentinel puts two wounds on the Warphead, but fails its charge. I manage to score Direct Assault this turn, too.
Top of Turn 3
Thinning out the MeganobzI am all OVER this boardMy opponent shoots his meganobz at the Lascannons (ineffectually) and charges them (likewise ineffectually) into the lascannons as well. Vostroyans are made of stern stuff, it seems. The orks in the DZ catch up with the Scions and cut them down--oh well. The crippled new mob moves up and guns down the last of the infantry squad in the NW but can't manage a charge. He still has Engage on All Fronts all over the place and scores some primaries, but he's pretty damned far behind at this point and next round he's losing the remainder of his army. We call the game here.
Bottom of Turn 3
Turn 3/Final ScoreVostroyans: 43 (+3 Direct Assault and +10 Primary)
Orks: 31 (+2 Engage on All Fronts, +4 Thin Their Ranks, +10 Primary)
Post MortemAs our first 9th Edition games, here are some things we noticed. First, Secondary Objectives are huge and often much easier to score than the Primaries, but choose carefully because some of them just never happen. Second, going first is a big deal for objective scoring if nothing else, since most primary objectives are scored in the Command Phase at the start of your turn and not at the end as used to usually be the case. Third is terrain is interesting and we didn't take enough advantage of it this time around. When (if) I can again play inside and have easy access to my full collection of terrain, things should be more interesting, for sure.
My opponent deployed too far forward and hoped he would get first turn and this was a significant part of his undoing. Second was the lack of anti-tank, meaning he had no real weapons to stop my Leman Russ or Valkyrie, and these were deadly assets to leave unmolested for the whole game. He had trouble even taking down my Sentinels!
On my end, Guard Infantry remains absolutely top-notch for their cost and, if anything, the Guard got even better at shooting this edition, now that their flyers and tanks and walk/drive/fly around without killing their accuracy. On the downside, I hit with nary a grenade launcher all game long and those things are going on the shelf next game for sure. The Astropath didn't do much, but I was anticipating enemy shooting which never developed and so he had a niche that was never needed. I, as always, love Scout Sentinels and my God is the Punisher a fearsome weapon.
Anyway, it was fun to take the Guard out for another spin. I look forward to my next game, whenever that is. Thanks for reading and thanks, as always, to my opponent!