Post by Subtle Blatancy on Jan 29, 2008 4:56:10 GMT -5
A very spur-o-the-moment battle at my local Hobby center, Merlyn's. A fun battle, and I look forward to another one. Tell me what you think of my Battle report!
Battle Report – Last Stand of the Imperials
Tau vs. Imperial Guard
800 points, Break Through, Tau Attackers, Imperial Guard Defenders.
Army Lists
Tau:
• Tau Shas’vre Commander – Hardwired Multitracker, Missile Pods, Gravity Gun; Battlesuit bodyguard, Hardwired Multitracker, Missile Pods
• Tau XV8 Crises Battlesuit squad – 2 x XV8 battlesuits; Hardwired Multitracker, Missile Pods
• Gun Drones – 2 x Squads; 6 drones per squad
• Kroot Carnivores – 3 x squads; Kroot shaper, varying numbers of Kroot per squad
Imperial Guard
• Company Command – Senior Officer, Bolt Pistol; 4 x Guardsmen, 2x meltagun; Regimental Standard
• First Platoon Command – Junior Officer Command Squad; 4 x Guardsmen, 2 x Meltagun
• First Platoon Infantry – 4 x Guardsmen Squads; 10 x Guardsmen, Heavy Bolters
• Second Platoon Command – Junior Officer Command Squad; 4 x Guardsmen, 2 x Meltagun
• Second Platoon Infantry – 4 x Guardsmen Squads; 10 x Guardsmen, Heavy Bolters
Terrain Summary
Board is a 4’x 6’, mostly grassland bored. On one short table edge, a number of ruined buildings have been up, no further that 2 feet from the edge. On the other side, some rocks and less-than-complete ruins have been set up. A creek runs through the middle of the board, the short way. All terrain offers a 4+ cover save, expect for the creek, which is merely difficult terrain.
Mission Objective
In this spur of the moment game that my opponent and I named Break Through, an attacking force must take at least 50% of it’s models over the opponent’s table edge. No enemy units could be Deep Struck or Infiltrated within 24” of the Imperial table edge. Only models within a scoring unit count toward the total.
Deployment
My opponent won the role for table deployment, and he chose to take the Ruin-side table edge, leaving me with the sparse cover of the other table edge.
We rolled for Attacker/Defender, and I won. I chose to defend, which gave him quite a hard time deploying. All told, he placed only one squad of Gun Drones at the very edge of his deployment zone (which was, as I reflect, 24” from his table edge), leaving the rest of his forces to either Infiltrate or Deep Strike.
I deployed three of my eight squads along the back edge of my deployment zone, with two squads a few inches apart further to the left flank, and single squad of guardsmen up on top of a 2” high ledge, at the limits of 12” from my table edge. I, similarly, kept the rest of my units in reserve.
Turn 1 – Tau
MOVEMENT: The Kroot appeared, hiding behind a small section of wall. The Gun drones placed opposite the board of my forces moved forward by 12”. Two squads of Kroot moved toward the single squad of guardsmen on the right flank, hiding in some ruins. The third Kroot squad (the largest present) moved toward the other two Guardsmen squads, hoping to take them out, or move past them fast enough to reach the board edge.
SHOOTING: The Kroot Squad closest to the Guardsmen (in cover) fired, but, due to terrible rolling by my opponent and excellent rolling by me, no guardsmen were killed in the hail of fire.
ASSAULT: No units in range to assault.
Turn 1 – Imperial Guard
MOVEMENT: My units, eager to be able to use the their powerful Heavy Bolters, stayed put right where they were.
SHOOTING: In a feat of impossible Guard shooting I have never seen the likes of, and will likely never see the likes of again, a huge string of lucky rolling resulted in two squads of Guardsmen, not Rapid Firing, and with no re-rolls, becoming a killing machine for their first volley of shooting. When the Lasgun and Heavy Bolter smoke cleared, the Kroot Shaper was the only unit left, and had only 2 wounds left.
ASSAULT: No units in range to assault.
Turn 2 – Tau
MOVEMENT: The Kroot, in an odd fit of rational thinking, decided to run right by the Imperial Guard. They ended their turn next to, but not in combat with, the slightly confused squad of guardsmen. The second Kroot pack followed suit behind it. Now that his Deep Strike units were available, my enemy decided to make full use of his prime chance to snatch victory, and, in a fit of luck, rolled 4’s for every single one of his Deep Striking units. In a nightmarish turn of events, a massive host of Tau rolled with ridiculously good luck, all of them scattering in such a way as to horde in a tight corner of the battlefield. My opponent smiled broadly as he took in the cluster of Tau lined up against the single squad of Guardsmen, and the impending doom that was presented them.
SHOOTING: But, with the honor I try to play my Guard with, I told him to bring on the rolls, and my men would meet death with dignity. My opponent though, what with the absence of vehicles, he would contribute all of the Missile pod attacks from 4 battle suits at the squad of Guardsmen in cover. Shots rained down upon the Guardsmen’s head, but, when the silos were empty, not but a single Guard had died. “Okay then, I’ll shoot at them with the Kroot.” My Tau opponent said next. And when that was done, again, not but a single Guard had died. Beginning to worry that the comparatively small squad of Guardsmen would actually act as a major roadblock, somehow impossibly stopping the behemoth that gathered on the right flank, he decided he might pin the squad with one of the 12 pulse carbines of the Tau Gun Drones. The floating robots activated their armaments. But after their cells were dry, the Guardsmen had remained unscathed. Drunkenly staggering forward, the very lonely, injured Kroot Shaper from the nigh-on-destroyed squad had moved forward in a half-hearted effort toward the dug-in Guardsmen during the movement phase. The Tau Commander fired his Gravity-Air-Cannon-Thingy high into the sky. The shot lingered in the air, and then fell down – quite off target from the dug-in Guardsmen squad. The ensuing blast of energy enveloped the Kroot Shaper, and he was literally vaporized, all of the weapon’s strength being put into the tired body of a single Kroot. There was nothing but a faint red haze as the shot cleared.
ASSAULT: Going back on his word of, “I’m just going to walk right by you.” My opponent charged desperately into the dug-in Guardsmen, trying to recover from the staggering blow that was the terrible un-luck during his turn. They advanced up the small rise of the ruins, and brought their challenge fourth to the Guardsmen their. Being in cover, the Guardsmen attacked first. Bellowing bravely, the Guardsmen sprung up from the steps (all that remained of the ruins they were in) and jammed bayonet and fist into the Kroot that leapt toward them. Three lifeless bodies where added to the few dead Guardsmen already there. By the time the Kroot recovered from the surprising success of the Guardsmen, only two were left alive.
Turn 2 – Imperial Guard
MOVEMENT: Analyzing that something was not right, High Command of the area saw it fit to send down reinforcement to the small unit stationed at the outskirts of Imperial held territory. Seeing as how they were clearly overwhelmed, a unit of Drop Troops was sent spiraling down in Grav-packs. All but a single squad of Guardsmen and a Platoon HQ were sent groundside during Guardsmen Turn 2. Taking risky maneuvers only a group of Drop Troops dropping into an active battle zone might attempt, the ‘Hell Jumpers’ landed within the ranks of the Tau. A mighty group of soldiers, 50 Guardsmen all told, all appeared within the enemy’s ranks seemingly out of no-where.
SHOOTING: Despite the extreme luck and bravado of their appearance, the flying Guardsmen did not manage to kill many units. They did manage to fire at both squads of XV8’s, and a squad of Drones, the latter of which was taken to below 50%. The Company Command fired their meltaguns, and a searing shot of heated death barely passed above the wall section of a broken building before cutting a Kroot warrior in half, leaving its middle section a molten mess of liquid organs and muscle and bone.
ASSUALT: Because we were in such a rush, we forgot to do the combat of the Dug-in Guardsmen and the Kroot. No other Assaulting took place.
Turn 3 – Tau
MOVEMENT: At this point, I had only to kill two models, and their would not be enough scoring units left to give the Tau victory. Trying desperately to move his men toward victory, my opponent moved all of his models toward the table edge, surging around the combat that took place on the ruined stone steps. The single, unscoring Drone squad flung itself toward one of the newly arrived Guardsmen squads, to stop them from firing next turn.
SHOOTING: All units that had range or line of site (Pretty much only the Battlesuits and a squad of Drones) fired, and the result was a Platoon Command squad brought down to three men and pinned, and a Company Command Squad brought down to the Officer, but still mobile.
ASSAULT: We resolved the small Drone-Guardsmen combat, where a Guardsmen died and two drones were taken in return. Then, in a very odd move, my opponent opened himself up. He knew that there would be no hope for him to make it to the table edge if his units were merely in cover in a mad dash, so he made the next logical decision. That was, of course, to throw every single unit of his army that he had left into combat with the Dug-in Guardsmen squad. I know what you are thinking – the two remaining guardsmen miraculously lived and fought off the huge horde of enemies. Alas, this was the end of the most resilient unit of Guardsmen I have seen to this day. They swung valiantly as the countless knives and blades and massive Battlesuit fists destroyed their bodies, but they were not able to live on. My opponent Consolidated 3” toward the board edge.
Turn 3 – Imperial Guard
MOVEMENT: There was no movement except for my Company Commander moving in range with his bolt pistol. The other Guardsmen squad and Platoon Command dropped itself in next to the other four squads lined up near the location of the Stair-battle.
SHOOTING: As I said, my opponent had opened himself up. By charging all of his models into combat with the two guardsmen, he essentially tied himself into place. The two Guard would be killed, and, after they consolidated, the five squads of Guardsmen that had just witnessed the merciless, primitive (for the Tau) slaughtering of two of their bravest, luckiest soldiers, they decided to return the favor in kind. I rolled for the newly arrived Platoon Command, which took out a single Kroot. I rolled for my Commander, who killed the last necessary unit with his bolt pistol himself. We did not play out the rest of the shooting phase because I had made all of the necessary kills, but I’m sure you’ll have no trouble imagining fifty angry Guardsmen with heavy bolters against a group of Kroot and Gun Drones out in the open.
Conclusion
The Game started leaning toward the Tau side to win, when the Kroot infiltrated all on one flank, with a single squad of Guardsmen with a mere 4+ cover save to defend the game, and then when the huge conglomeration of all of my opponents forces clustered themselves into the same area a turn later. A serious string of lucky rolls occurred, where I slew an entire squad of Kroot, withstood a full Tau barrage from the comfort of some ruins, and then beat off a massed Kroot charge long enough to move my units into position. Toward the end, the outlook of the game had shifted completely.
Tau Player’s Thoughts:
I didn’t have much time to talk with my Tau opponent after the battle, but he said if he could have done some things different, he would have taken different unit selection. The complete lack of good armor saves on his Kroot were his demise, he said. That, and his completely crappy rolling at certain parts.
Imperial Guard Players Thoughts:
I could have done some things differently, yes. I definitely learned a few things during the course of the match, and I was very thankful my Guardsmen preformed so well. I’ve got to get them back into a somewhat complete looking shape come New Years… Luck was a major factor on my side for that victory. I can’t complain though, there is nothing like a nice easy victory to clear up a dry spell.
Well, there it is. Hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you think.
Battle Report – Last Stand of the Imperials
Tau vs. Imperial Guard
800 points, Break Through, Tau Attackers, Imperial Guard Defenders.
Army Lists
Tau:
• Tau Shas’vre Commander – Hardwired Multitracker, Missile Pods, Gravity Gun; Battlesuit bodyguard, Hardwired Multitracker, Missile Pods
• Tau XV8 Crises Battlesuit squad – 2 x XV8 battlesuits; Hardwired Multitracker, Missile Pods
• Gun Drones – 2 x Squads; 6 drones per squad
• Kroot Carnivores – 3 x squads; Kroot shaper, varying numbers of Kroot per squad
Imperial Guard
• Company Command – Senior Officer, Bolt Pistol; 4 x Guardsmen, 2x meltagun; Regimental Standard
• First Platoon Command – Junior Officer Command Squad; 4 x Guardsmen, 2 x Meltagun
• First Platoon Infantry – 4 x Guardsmen Squads; 10 x Guardsmen, Heavy Bolters
• Second Platoon Command – Junior Officer Command Squad; 4 x Guardsmen, 2 x Meltagun
• Second Platoon Infantry – 4 x Guardsmen Squads; 10 x Guardsmen, Heavy Bolters
Terrain Summary
Board is a 4’x 6’, mostly grassland bored. On one short table edge, a number of ruined buildings have been up, no further that 2 feet from the edge. On the other side, some rocks and less-than-complete ruins have been set up. A creek runs through the middle of the board, the short way. All terrain offers a 4+ cover save, expect for the creek, which is merely difficult terrain.
Mission Objective
In this spur of the moment game that my opponent and I named Break Through, an attacking force must take at least 50% of it’s models over the opponent’s table edge. No enemy units could be Deep Struck or Infiltrated within 24” of the Imperial table edge. Only models within a scoring unit count toward the total.
Deployment
My opponent won the role for table deployment, and he chose to take the Ruin-side table edge, leaving me with the sparse cover of the other table edge.
We rolled for Attacker/Defender, and I won. I chose to defend, which gave him quite a hard time deploying. All told, he placed only one squad of Gun Drones at the very edge of his deployment zone (which was, as I reflect, 24” from his table edge), leaving the rest of his forces to either Infiltrate or Deep Strike.
I deployed three of my eight squads along the back edge of my deployment zone, with two squads a few inches apart further to the left flank, and single squad of guardsmen up on top of a 2” high ledge, at the limits of 12” from my table edge. I, similarly, kept the rest of my units in reserve.
Turn 1 – Tau
MOVEMENT: The Kroot appeared, hiding behind a small section of wall. The Gun drones placed opposite the board of my forces moved forward by 12”. Two squads of Kroot moved toward the single squad of guardsmen on the right flank, hiding in some ruins. The third Kroot squad (the largest present) moved toward the other two Guardsmen squads, hoping to take them out, or move past them fast enough to reach the board edge.
SHOOTING: The Kroot Squad closest to the Guardsmen (in cover) fired, but, due to terrible rolling by my opponent and excellent rolling by me, no guardsmen were killed in the hail of fire.
ASSAULT: No units in range to assault.
Turn 1 – Imperial Guard
MOVEMENT: My units, eager to be able to use the their powerful Heavy Bolters, stayed put right where they were.
SHOOTING: In a feat of impossible Guard shooting I have never seen the likes of, and will likely never see the likes of again, a huge string of lucky rolling resulted in two squads of Guardsmen, not Rapid Firing, and with no re-rolls, becoming a killing machine for their first volley of shooting. When the Lasgun and Heavy Bolter smoke cleared, the Kroot Shaper was the only unit left, and had only 2 wounds left.
ASSAULT: No units in range to assault.
Turn 2 – Tau
MOVEMENT: The Kroot, in an odd fit of rational thinking, decided to run right by the Imperial Guard. They ended their turn next to, but not in combat with, the slightly confused squad of guardsmen. The second Kroot pack followed suit behind it. Now that his Deep Strike units were available, my enemy decided to make full use of his prime chance to snatch victory, and, in a fit of luck, rolled 4’s for every single one of his Deep Striking units. In a nightmarish turn of events, a massive host of Tau rolled with ridiculously good luck, all of them scattering in such a way as to horde in a tight corner of the battlefield. My opponent smiled broadly as he took in the cluster of Tau lined up against the single squad of Guardsmen, and the impending doom that was presented them.
SHOOTING: But, with the honor I try to play my Guard with, I told him to bring on the rolls, and my men would meet death with dignity. My opponent though, what with the absence of vehicles, he would contribute all of the Missile pod attacks from 4 battle suits at the squad of Guardsmen in cover. Shots rained down upon the Guardsmen’s head, but, when the silos were empty, not but a single Guard had died. “Okay then, I’ll shoot at them with the Kroot.” My Tau opponent said next. And when that was done, again, not but a single Guard had died. Beginning to worry that the comparatively small squad of Guardsmen would actually act as a major roadblock, somehow impossibly stopping the behemoth that gathered on the right flank, he decided he might pin the squad with one of the 12 pulse carbines of the Tau Gun Drones. The floating robots activated their armaments. But after their cells were dry, the Guardsmen had remained unscathed. Drunkenly staggering forward, the very lonely, injured Kroot Shaper from the nigh-on-destroyed squad had moved forward in a half-hearted effort toward the dug-in Guardsmen during the movement phase. The Tau Commander fired his Gravity-Air-Cannon-Thingy high into the sky. The shot lingered in the air, and then fell down – quite off target from the dug-in Guardsmen squad. The ensuing blast of energy enveloped the Kroot Shaper, and he was literally vaporized, all of the weapon’s strength being put into the tired body of a single Kroot. There was nothing but a faint red haze as the shot cleared.
ASSAULT: Going back on his word of, “I’m just going to walk right by you.” My opponent charged desperately into the dug-in Guardsmen, trying to recover from the staggering blow that was the terrible un-luck during his turn. They advanced up the small rise of the ruins, and brought their challenge fourth to the Guardsmen their. Being in cover, the Guardsmen attacked first. Bellowing bravely, the Guardsmen sprung up from the steps (all that remained of the ruins they were in) and jammed bayonet and fist into the Kroot that leapt toward them. Three lifeless bodies where added to the few dead Guardsmen already there. By the time the Kroot recovered from the surprising success of the Guardsmen, only two were left alive.
Turn 2 – Imperial Guard
MOVEMENT: Analyzing that something was not right, High Command of the area saw it fit to send down reinforcement to the small unit stationed at the outskirts of Imperial held territory. Seeing as how they were clearly overwhelmed, a unit of Drop Troops was sent spiraling down in Grav-packs. All but a single squad of Guardsmen and a Platoon HQ were sent groundside during Guardsmen Turn 2. Taking risky maneuvers only a group of Drop Troops dropping into an active battle zone might attempt, the ‘Hell Jumpers’ landed within the ranks of the Tau. A mighty group of soldiers, 50 Guardsmen all told, all appeared within the enemy’s ranks seemingly out of no-where.
SHOOTING: Despite the extreme luck and bravado of their appearance, the flying Guardsmen did not manage to kill many units. They did manage to fire at both squads of XV8’s, and a squad of Drones, the latter of which was taken to below 50%. The Company Command fired their meltaguns, and a searing shot of heated death barely passed above the wall section of a broken building before cutting a Kroot warrior in half, leaving its middle section a molten mess of liquid organs and muscle and bone.
ASSUALT: Because we were in such a rush, we forgot to do the combat of the Dug-in Guardsmen and the Kroot. No other Assaulting took place.
Turn 3 – Tau
MOVEMENT: At this point, I had only to kill two models, and their would not be enough scoring units left to give the Tau victory. Trying desperately to move his men toward victory, my opponent moved all of his models toward the table edge, surging around the combat that took place on the ruined stone steps. The single, unscoring Drone squad flung itself toward one of the newly arrived Guardsmen squads, to stop them from firing next turn.
SHOOTING: All units that had range or line of site (Pretty much only the Battlesuits and a squad of Drones) fired, and the result was a Platoon Command squad brought down to three men and pinned, and a Company Command Squad brought down to the Officer, but still mobile.
ASSAULT: We resolved the small Drone-Guardsmen combat, where a Guardsmen died and two drones were taken in return. Then, in a very odd move, my opponent opened himself up. He knew that there would be no hope for him to make it to the table edge if his units were merely in cover in a mad dash, so he made the next logical decision. That was, of course, to throw every single unit of his army that he had left into combat with the Dug-in Guardsmen squad. I know what you are thinking – the two remaining guardsmen miraculously lived and fought off the huge horde of enemies. Alas, this was the end of the most resilient unit of Guardsmen I have seen to this day. They swung valiantly as the countless knives and blades and massive Battlesuit fists destroyed their bodies, but they were not able to live on. My opponent Consolidated 3” toward the board edge.
Turn 3 – Imperial Guard
MOVEMENT: There was no movement except for my Company Commander moving in range with his bolt pistol. The other Guardsmen squad and Platoon Command dropped itself in next to the other four squads lined up near the location of the Stair-battle.
SHOOTING: As I said, my opponent had opened himself up. By charging all of his models into combat with the two guardsmen, he essentially tied himself into place. The two Guard would be killed, and, after they consolidated, the five squads of Guardsmen that had just witnessed the merciless, primitive (for the Tau) slaughtering of two of their bravest, luckiest soldiers, they decided to return the favor in kind. I rolled for the newly arrived Platoon Command, which took out a single Kroot. I rolled for my Commander, who killed the last necessary unit with his bolt pistol himself. We did not play out the rest of the shooting phase because I had made all of the necessary kills, but I’m sure you’ll have no trouble imagining fifty angry Guardsmen with heavy bolters against a group of Kroot and Gun Drones out in the open.
Conclusion
The Game started leaning toward the Tau side to win, when the Kroot infiltrated all on one flank, with a single squad of Guardsmen with a mere 4+ cover save to defend the game, and then when the huge conglomeration of all of my opponents forces clustered themselves into the same area a turn later. A serious string of lucky rolls occurred, where I slew an entire squad of Kroot, withstood a full Tau barrage from the comfort of some ruins, and then beat off a massed Kroot charge long enough to move my units into position. Toward the end, the outlook of the game had shifted completely.
Tau Player’s Thoughts:
I didn’t have much time to talk with my Tau opponent after the battle, but he said if he could have done some things different, he would have taken different unit selection. The complete lack of good armor saves on his Kroot were his demise, he said. That, and his completely crappy rolling at certain parts.
Imperial Guard Players Thoughts:
I could have done some things differently, yes. I definitely learned a few things during the course of the match, and I was very thankful my Guardsmen preformed so well. I’ve got to get them back into a somewhat complete looking shape come New Years… Luck was a major factor on my side for that victory. I can’t complain though, there is nothing like a nice easy victory to clear up a dry spell.
Well, there it is. Hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you think.