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Author Topic: 1250 AdMech Vs Deathwatch: Narrow the Search  (Read 1425 times)

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Offline Wyddr

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1250 AdMech Vs Deathwatch: Narrow the Search
« on: February 1, 2019, 02:55:09 PM »
1250 Deathwatch Vs AdMech: Narrow the Search
(note: the place I usually compose these things is on the fritz, so I'm going to be doing this one in installments. Stay tuned.)

Watch Master Raziel examined the three-dimensional holomap, stroking his thick beard. Around him, the servitors and acolytes upon the Strike Cruiser Harbinger puttered and fussed over the many ancient machines that buzzed and whirred in the command center. Bellsamus, a Techpriest formerly of the Salamanders, sat across from him, still and immovable as a mountain.

"You are certain this is an AdMech signal?" Raziel asked at last. The little red blip on the map pulsed innocently, but Raziel had centuries of experience enough that such tiny signals could easily mean much larger catastrophe.

"It is in a dialect of binaric common to the priests of Stygies VIII." Belsammus replied, moving nothing but his obsidian lips.

"So there are Mechanicus signals in the equitorial regions? Those that have been lost to the orks? And yet they do not ask the fleet for assistance. They make no requests of Van Grune. They just...sit there."

"Yes." Belsammus said, and nothing more.

Stygies VIII...hmmmmm...Raz iel was well aware of that ForgeWorld's indiscretions over the centuries. Their curiosity had led them the heresy more than once, and operating a base behind enemy lines - behind enemy
xeno lines - was enough to give Raziel pause.

"Shall I hail them?" Belsammus asked.

"No." Raziel said, taking up his guardian spear. "I will visit them personally. Unannounced."

If Belsammus had an opinion about this, he gave no sign. "I shall ready the teleportarium chamber, my lord."

That was what Raziel liked about Belsammus - all action, no chatter. No wonder they got along so well.


I'm still building my Deathwatch army, but I wanted to get in a game and my regular AdMech opponent, Uncle Tungsten, obliged me. I've only got about as many models as you see and, for reasons that will become obvious, my final list won't really look like this, but it is good enough for an exhibition.

Deathwatch Strike Battalion
HQ
Watch Master w/Slayer of Monstrosities and Beacon Angelis
Chaplain w/Plasma Pistol

Troops
5-man Veteran Kill Team w/Bolters
5-man Veteran Kill Team w/3x Stormbolters and Chainswords, 2x Frag Cannons
5-man Veteran Kill Team w/Watch Sergeant (Thunderhammer/Stormshield), Black Shield (Thunderhammer/Stormshield), 3x Deathwatch Shotgun/Chainsword
8-man Primaris Kill Team w/4x Intercessors (Bolt Rifles), 3x Hellblasters (Plasma Incinerators), Intercessor Sarge w/Chainsword+Bolt Rifle
7-man Primaris Kill Team w/4x Intercessors (Bolt Rifles), 2x Aggressors (Boltstorm Gauntlets), Intercessor Sarge w/Chainsword+Bolt Rifle

Elites
Venerable Dreadnought w/Missile Launcher, Twin Lascannon

Flyer
Corvus Blackstar w/Hurricane Bolter, Assault Cannon, Corvus Missiles

AdMech Garrison Force
Mars Battalion
HQ
Techpriest Dominus w/Phosphoenix, Eradication Ray
Enginseer

Troops
5 Vanguard w/1 Plasma Caliver, Datatether
5 Vanguard w/1 Plasma Caliver, Datatether
10 Vanguard w/3x Plasma Caliver, Datatether

Elites
Cybernetica Datasmith
2 Kastellan Robots w/2xPhosphor Blasters, 1x Incinerator

Stygies VIII Battalion
HQ
Techpriest Dominus w/Macrostubber, Gamma Ray
Enginseer

Troops
5 Rangers w/2x Arc Rifles
5 Rangers w/2x Arc Rifles
5 Rangers w/2x Transauranic Arquebi

Fast Attack
3 Ironstriders w/2x Autocannons, 1x Lascannons

Fortification Network
Imperial Bunker

Auxiliary Support Detatchment[/u]
Callidus Assassin

Terrain, Mission, and Deployment
The terrain was wilderness with some old ruins running roughly diagonally from the NW corner to the S center part of the board. These ruins were LOS blocking and would need to be climbed over (costing vertical movement). The NE quadrant of the board was mostly forest, and there were hills in the SE and SW corners. We rolled randomly for mission and wound up with the Narrow The Search mission from the new Chapter Approved 2018 - one objective, board center, earn a point each turn if you have the most guys withing x" of the middle, while that distance shrank each turn.

We rolled Dawn of War for our deployment and my opponent got to pick deployment zone--he picked the north. This meant I entirely deployed first and got to pick who went first (very reminiscent of 5th edition). I did so. The Dreadnought, Aggressor kill team and the bolter kill team all deployed behind the corner of one of the ruins, out of sight. The Blackstar deployed in the SW corner with the frag cannons and hammer kill teams embarked along with the chaplain. The Hellblaster team and the Watch Master would deploy via Teleportarium Chamber.

My opponent dropped his bunker behind the northern ruins, along with the Robots, Stygies Techpriest, Enginseer, and Datasmith. The 10 Vanguard went inside the bunker, with 5 vanguard anchoring the west flank and also deploying just in front of the bunker. The rangers will scattered through the forest in the NE along with their Dominus and Enginseer. The Ironstriders deployed along the NE board edge.

Deployment


The Watch starts in hiding
AdMech Bunker

 To Be Continued...

Post Merge: February  1, 2019, 09:35:55 PM
In the future, please use the modify button. Double posting is against the forum rules, and for that reason, the system merged your posts.

Turn 1
Now, since I set up first, I have the option of taking first turn. However, looking how far back all his heavy weapons are and considering that the only unit of mine that's visible is the Blackstar, I figure I can take the second turn for advantage on scoring and also maybe coax him to loosen up his flanks a little, making it easier to drive a wedge in somewhere. So, I sit back and let him go first.

My plan half works, in that all his units move and generally move *away* from the central bunker, loosening up his formation--just like I wanted. I didn't fully realize, however, that the Ironstriders can shoot after advancing. I also didn't think they could move 10". I *also* forgot about all those nasty AdMech strategems that let him hit on 2s and re-roll 1s and do mortal wounds on 6+ and so on and so forth. So, the Ironstriders leap forward something like 15", open up on the Blackstar, and put about 8 wounds on the thing (OUCH!). This is only the second time I've used that jet, but I'm really starting to hate how fragile it is. Of course, that's about *all* he can do. The robots try their luck at shooting down the plane, too, but their shots just ping off. My principal transport is still airborne--for now.

Top of Turn 1


The view from the AdMech lines
The Ironstriders advance through the trees
The Robots peek round the corner!
Everybody SPREAD OUT!

Okay--my turn. The idea of this mission is to hold the center, and since the center is usefully flanked by a pair of LOS-blocking walls, I think that's a pretty reasonable spot for me to hold. I drop the hellblaster kill team right next to the objective with the Watch Master just behind them. The Watch Master uses the Beacon Angelis to teleport the Aggressor Primaris kill team to the board center, as well, about 9" from the Robots. They, along with the Blackstar (which zooms up to the center, as well) shoot down one robot and the Aggressors then manage to charge and take three wounds off the other, while losing 2 men to incinerator overwatch.

The Blackstar and Aggressor units also manages to slaughter the furthest west group of Vanguard. The *other* pack of Vanguard are shot down by bolter fire from the bolter kill team (which pops around the southern edge of the ruins) and the intercessors with the hellblaster team. Finally, the Dreadnought climbs atop the ruins and his big guns along with the hellblaster's plasma fire and a Tempest shell from the Watch Master kill two out of three Ironstriders. A satisfactory turn, earning me a point for First Strike and a point for having the most guys on the objective.

Score: Deathwatch 2, AdMech 0

Bottom of Turn 1


The Dread assumes his perch.
Hellblasters in position!
Aggressors here too!
My play for the middle of the board
Punchin' Robots!

Turn 2
Okay, so here's the turn where I need to grab my ankles and hope I can still walk by the end of it. In the north, the Robot retreats so the Dominus, Datasmith, and Enginseer can all shoot/charge the Aggressor squad. Their shooting is sadly effective, knocking the squad down to just the two Aggressors themselves. In combat, however, the Aggressors kill the Dominus dead, so I can't complain *that* much.

In the center, the 10-man Vanguard unit emerges from the bunker, climbs the ruins, and uses all the mega strategems again (burning about 3-4 CP all by themselves) to hit on 2s, re-roll stuff, and do mortal wounds. They're plasma fire (along with the Arquebi in the distant NE and the Ironstrider) take down the Blackstar. The crash kills 1 of the hammer vets and kills *all* the stormbolters in the frag cannon squat (OUCH!). The chaplain survives but is standing atop the ruins in plain sight. The Vanguard's rad-carbines kill three primaris among the hellblaster squad, then they charge the chaplain. The chaplain, however, proves to be a bit much for them--he kills three of the jackasses all by himself with no help. They are able to consolidate into the frag cannons, though, tying everybody up in combat.

In the east, the rangers and Enginseer and Dominus all hustle to get into range of the center objective, but are too far away.

Top of Turn 2


Vanguard on the rise!
The Vanguard think to take on the chaplain
It does not go well.

In my turn, the Watch Master joins the Chaplain and the Frag Cannons in combat with the Vanguard and kill them all off (the Chaplain again killed 3--including some dude getting a plasma pistol in the face--but took a wound for his trouble). The Aggressors crush the Datasmith to paste. The Hammer Vets charge the robot, but the robot jams itself in shooting mode with a strategem and I lose three to that infernal overwatch. The lone Watch Sergeant does 3 wounds to the bot, but it had been repaired last turn by the Dominus so it's still ticking (dammit!).

The lead group of rangers are quickly shot down by the bolter vets. The Hellblasters and Dreadnought can only do 3 wounds to the remaining Ironstrider. Given how many things can repair machines in the AdMech army, I know partially damaging a vehicle is the same as not damaging it at all, so that kinda sucks. Still, I have more guys in range of the objective than he does, and they're having a hard time getting close.

Current Score: Deathwatch 3, AdMech 0

Bottom of Turn 2


Two techpriests flattened, one to go
The chaplain keeps kicking asses, taking names...

Turn 3
The Enginseer falls back from the Aggressors to repair the robot and the robot stomps on my Watch Sergeant. The Callidus Assassin makes her appearance, crawling out of the wreckage of the Blackstar, and uses her psychic air horn to take two wounds off the Watch Master and then charges him, doing another two wounds. He attempts to do damage back, wounding her three times, but she makes all three saves.

In the east, the Ironstrider and its escorts go as fast as possible toward the center, hoping to score a point off the objective, but they aren't quite close enough yet. The Dominus, however, is able to disintegrate most of the Hellblaster squad--only two plus the sergeant remain. The Ironstrider takes some pot-shots at the Venerable Dread, but the lasbolts just bounce off. The arquebus snipers try to take off the chaplain's head, but they miss.

Top of Turn 3


The Assassin strikes!

In my turn, the  Watch Master retreats while the frag cannons blast the Callidus into a bloody mist. I try to shoot both the Robot and the Ironstrider with the Dreadnought, but only do three wounds to the robot (I've done 9 wounds to the damned thing by this point). I then botch my assault plan--I *should* have charged the aggressors at the Enginseer and let them then *consolidate* into the robot, but I was stupid and tried to charge both. Both Aggressors died to overwatch. The chaplain then charged the Enginseer and scored 3 hits, 3 wounds--and the enginseer made all 3 saves. He then attacked back and I just needed to make one 4+ save to survive...and botched it. My chaplain gets cut down by a mechanic with a big axe--embarrassing. Welp, so much for that flank! However, since the robot can no longer move and it can't see my guys on the objective, this really doesn't matter that much. I still have more guys on the objective.

Current Score: Deathwatch 4, AdMech 0

Bottom of Turn 3


The only picture that really matters, don't it?

To Be Continued...


   

Post Merge: February  1, 2019, 09:48:15 PM
In the future, please use the modify button. Double posting is against the forum rules, and for that reason, the system merged your posts.

Turn 4
In a final push for the objective, the last remaining Rangers (of which I had killed 2 last turn--forgot to mention that) shoot and charge the bolter kill team after it gets hosed down by radiation weapons by the Dominus. That meant there were 3 rangers vs 1 Vet Sarge. They can't do any damage to him, but he scores 3 wounds on them. For the third time this game, my opponent rolls 3 4+ saves in a row and nobody dies.

Anyway, the Hellblasters get wiped out and the Ironstrider puts 2 wounds on the Dreadnought and that's about it.

Top of Turn 4


I fall back with the lone sergeant and let the frag cannons blast the last rangers into oblivion. The Venerable Dread finally gives the Ironstrider his undivided attention and blows it apart, causing it to explode and do damage to both the Dominus and Enginseer. I've got 4 men in range of the objective to my opponent's 2 - I score the objective again.

At this point, my opponent concedes.

Bottom of Turn 4


Final Score
Deathwatch: 5
AdMech: 0

Post Mortem
Had we continued this game to its logical conclusion, it seems likely the AdMech would have claimed the objective for at least 1 turn and maybe even score a point for Warlord. I, though, would also probably get Warlord (since the Dominus's invul save wouldn't work next to the objective and the Dread could just pick him off) which, in the very best case scenario, would put me ahead 6-5.

This was a really interesting game and quite a tense one, despite the score. After playing guard for the last two years, going back to marines is an adjustment, especially in these days of paper-thin marine durability. One thing's for sure--I need to ditch that overpriced, undergunned, super delicate flyer! It just isn't good, no matter how cool the model is. The Primaris marines performed well, the vets underperformed--this is consistent with my own tests. While the Vets can dish out punishment with their fancy guns, the added durability of the Primaris is basically essential if you want marines to work *at all.*

I got lucky this game in both the deployment and the mission, since the terrain was suited to me camping on the objective all game. Since 4 out of 6 deployments wouldn't have given me that advantage, I have to take my victory here with a grain of salt. Winning with the Deathwatch is going to be really hard and I need to learn my lessons well. Until next time!

Thanks for reading and thanks, as always, to my opponent!
« Last Edit: February 1, 2019, 09:48:15 PM by Wyddr »

Offline Uncle Tungsten

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Re: 1250 AdMech Vs Deathwatch: Narrow the Search
« Reply #1 on: February 3, 2019, 08:28:24 AM »
Such a fun game. Learned a lot about proactive, forward thinking from it.  Often my game thought is reactive or negative, like "Oh, I need to prevent this from happening" or"Don't do that because this might happen." This is opposed to the preferable "OK. I'm going to make this happen, and then this, and this", which directs the flow of the fight.

Pity about that chaplain. He had spunk.  Looking forward to the next game.

Offline Wyddr

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Re: 1250 AdMech Vs Deathwatch: Narrow the Search
« Reply #2 on: February 3, 2019, 09:26:10 AM »
Yes! You were a lot more aggressive and proactive, which made things tough. I should have stopped bothering to kill the bot once it made itself immobile--I was handing you guys there at the end, and I didn't need to.

Offline Irisado

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Re: 1250 AdMech Vs Deathwatch: Narrow the Search
« Reply #3 on: February 3, 2019, 06:48:08 PM »
The Chaplain's death was somewhat unheroic I must say :D!

I agree that this was a tense game and it felt a lot closer from reading the report than the score at the end of each turn suggested.  The Marines do have a very second edition feel to them in terms of how brittle they can be, especially when used in small squads.  It is certainly very different to that which we've all become accustomed to over the last decade and more.  I wonder whether fielding larger squads would actually help much though?

Thanks for the report :).
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Offline Uncle Tungsten

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Re: 1250 AdMech Vs Deathwatch: Narrow the Search
« Reply #4 on: February 4, 2019, 05:50:27 AM »
"Stop imagining your death, Goldring! Imagine your victory instead!"

Life lessons from 40K. Who woulda thunk?

Offline Wyddr

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Re: 1250 AdMech Vs Deathwatch: Narrow the Search
« Reply #5 on: February 4, 2019, 09:40:00 AM »
I wonder whether fielding larger squads would actually help much though?

I don't think it ultimately makes too much difference--the wounds are the wounds. If anything, large squads make you more vulnerable to Morale tests now (instead of less), since you can lose so many guys in a single squad that the rest will just run off/collapse/whatever. You've got the same number of wounds on the board, no matter how you distribute them.

Honestly (and I'm like a broken record about this), all marines--every single model--needs an extra wound. Do that, and suddenly they are appropriately durable again in most instances.

 


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