Right so playing my buddy for the 5th or 6th time now lol ... he is 2 wins and 2 draws against me - I think, and tbh if we had 1 more turn in 1 of the draws I'd have quite easily won. T5 is the bane of my life ;D
He played his standard Storm Trooper list - which I love, he's modified it so that he runs 3 seperate Hydras (so 1 less no squadron), and has 3 melta vets (I think) 1 plasma vets, ccs w/ flamers and head command squad or whatever it is with meltas - plus 2 infantry squads w/ autocannons (aka bubble wrap).
We randomly decided to roll until we got mission we hadn't done before - which was a rather pedestrian pitched battle 5 objective. I didnt want SH as I wasnt sure how I'd play it - and he felt that was fair enough to try and get the best out of me.
We had a pretty standard board - big LOS blocking area terrain in middle plus plenty of area terrain around the edge of the board - which I have zero care for. The objectives we basically had 3 strung across the middle - 1 in his deployment and 1 in "mine". I felt good about this.
I won to go first - I take it.
I set up pretty much 4 blocks of terminators across the 12" line w/ the 2 bike squads "in between" squads 1 and 4 in the line - ready to scout up out of LOS and block some of his advances into blocking LOS w/ his ST chimeras and vendettas.
He deploys very standardly - big chimera block in middle - hydras on flanks - vendetta's behind his lines.
Scout moves I go first again - and move the first squad up so that only his corner hydra' can see them if he does sieze (and his vendetta's) he scouts his venetta right out on to my left flank just really to get the turbo boost. I then move the 2nd bikes to the other side of the BLOS terrain - this doesnt block anything but presents 2 big melta threats to either side of his chimera block. He then scouts his ST's infront of his chimeras. The rest of the moves are me moving my AB's behind my bikes "for cover" and then him moving one ST chimmy into a cover "threatening 2 objectives" and his vendy out onto the flank with the other.
THE GAME
I wont do a turn by turn as it doesnt really need it - I realised post game that this army will be great for picture reports, not so much wordy ones ... but great for what I learn.
Belial and his squad come in off the teleport homer right infront of his lines. I move my bikes up and out, to attack his chimeras's - I have 4 different targets, only 1 with cover (which is having x2 meltas + a charge). Long story short, 1 MM hits, fails to GLANCE let alone pen. 2nd misses, and both other melta squads fail to pen and one makes cover save. Urgh. The CML's - manage to imob a hydra, a chimera, stun a hydra and stun a chimera. The bikes charge the ST chimy - blow it up, kill 2, and make them run - off a krak grenade!
The next couple of turns he spents firing into my command squad - after they failed to wreck a chimmy with 5 penetrating hits. I manage to wreck a venetta and imob all but 2 of his chimera's, then imob another by weapon destroying it to that point (with a CF despite it moving fast, I see now why Lone Wolves are so awesome).
Once he gets rid of the command squad - he moves into another squad which is now in the open threatening his lines. I have pretty much his entire force on foot as I've imob'd all but 2 chimera's short of me - but he is putting a lot of melta into me.
It comes down to T4/5 where it looks like we wont get enough time to even finish T5 - he has picked up 1 squad with a vendetta and dropped it on a objective in T4, he's dropped 2 squads, and managed to whittle 1 down to 1 guy. I've taken out all but his single ST chimera and he's walked pretty much everything up to my 2 objectives.
We run out of time - a guy rolls for us - we both know if it ends T5 he wins 2-1 (contests 2, holds 1, I hold 1). The guy ofcourse, rolls a 2. We arent sure what would have happened in T6 or even a T7 - he had ALOT of fire, including melta, he'd have certainly taken out the single guy, and maybe whittled the other 2 squads to 3 or 4 guys. But he'd have lost his contesting forces in the process - probably would have been a draw 1-1 or 2-2 maybe.
THE LEARNING CURVE:
I rolled spectacularly badly in that game, Andy even admited it himself. I made a good whack of invulnerable saves, but I'd take 2 wounds with lasguns and roll double 1's. I lost, out of 16 - 3 to failed 3++'s - rest were 1's, and I have to say I didnt take that many 2+ - maybe 40. I made a few more 3++'s than I should have, but I also made 1 FNP and failed 6.
Despite this ... my army was incredibly resilient. The bikes went down to spammed melta and plasma fire in T1, but my plan to put them on foot worked, though unfortunatly - I put Belial and the CS too close - which I told myself not to do - I shouldnt have bothered with the homer - I should have put faith in scatter and been sort of around his hydra flank and worked my way in - or in front of his bubble wrap where I could have easily charged T2.
Second mistake - I fed him 2 squads piece meal. I should have put 2 squads right out in the open (the CS and a normal squad) and presented a "this squad will be in charge range T3, you WILL NOT kill both squads in that time" sort of option. Instead, in T3 I moved the squad out - let him finish belial's squad (belial incidently died with the first shot really into that squad - I had to allocate a S8 onto him unfortunatly).
Later on I was ok - I blocked LOS pretty well - and stood a chance still - but failure to get good pen's hurt.
Other major things - concentrate on what can hurt. My mind set was hyrda's could put weight of fire - but its also a 2+, and really not that bad (with allocation wounds), vendetta's and chimera's provide his movement "to get away from me" and also the way to "deliver the pain" of all that AP1/2 fire. I shouldnt have bothered putting shots into the hydra's at all (imob'd 1, stunned them 3 times).
The bikes were awesome .... in theory - even average rolls on that T1 alpha would have served me better. Also - be a bit more aggresive if going first - so they can get that 1st turn charge (like 1 did).
Chapter banner is getting dropped - freeing up 30 points - which I cant decide if I want wound allocation (SB/CF's in each squad except belials) or maybe even plasma pistols on the bikes.
Over all I was pleased - Andy told me I had a face like I'd sucked a lemon - but really I genuinly enjoyed that game, I learnt so much, the value of saturation even with a 8 wound 2+/3++ squad. If I ran that game again, I am confident I'd win.
Needless to say. I am convinced.
I'll do a post on Saturday or Sunday about how this army scales - as soon "the norm" in the LGS will be back to 1500, and we have a 750 tourney coming up soon I think (in store) which I plan on wrecking face.
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