Apocalypse 3k (battle report)

[Guest]

Did one recently. A fun game of apocalypse between two players that just like playing. My opponent (Jesse) insisted on D weapons counting as normal S10 weapons. Game was at guardian with light apocalypse rules and options. Both armies were certainly smaller than they could have been. No FW rules used on either side, though this was coincidence, not a rule.

 

My army:

 

GK

Draigo (Warlord, -1 WS, -1 I, and -1 wound from Dante)

Paladins (5, hammers, 2x psycannons)

 

DE

Ravager Titan Hunter formation (3x Ravagers, no upgrades)

 

IG

Vets (10, 3x GL, 1x ML)

-Chimera

 

Necrons

Ankyr the Traveller

-command barge

 

Royal court (1x lord with staff of light and res orb)

 

C'tan Shard (Swarm and Transdimensional Thunderbolt)

 

Warriors (19)

 

Monolith

 

Fort

Firestorm Redoubt (Stock)

 

Super Heavy

Warhound Scout titan (2x vulcan mega blasters)

 

His Army was:

 

BA (not using the update because he doesn't have it)

Dante (Warlord)

 

Astorath

 

Sanguinary Guard (5x, 1x fist, 5x infernus pistols)

 

Death Company (5x, 2x power swords, 1x power fist, 2x thunder hammer, 1x infernus pistol)

 

Death Company (5x, 2x power swords, 1x power fist, 2x thunder hammer, 1x infernus pistol, Lemates)

 

Death Company dread (Grapple, double fists, MG+HF)

 

Dreadnought (TL Lascannon, Extra Armor)

 

Librarian Dreadnought (no upgrade options, Jump power and sword power)

 

Storm Raven (TL Las, Cyclone, Hurricane bolters)

 

Tactical Squad (10, plasgun/plascannon)

 

Scouts (5, cloaks, snipers, missile)

 

Baal Pred (Dozer, extra armor, storm bolter, 2x heavy flamer sides, flame top)

 

Fort (Some sort of formation that allowed lots of fortifications as a single slot)

 

Skyshield

 

2x Aegis with quad

 

Bastion with quad, void shield and escape hatch

[Guest]

Death company were ruled to be scoring given that just about everything in scoring in apocalypse. We also determined that allies would all be considered battle brothers for sake of abilities interacting, as it just made things easier. We didn't inter-mingle units that couldn't normally mix.

 

Game had 6 objectives, 2 in no-man's land and 2 in each of our deployment zones. We decided on a 36" no man's land for our 8'x4' table. Deployment zones were basically hammer of anvil. Table was basically some tall damaged buildings and some sorter ruined buildings on two sides, with a pipe system going diagonally down the board. Fortifications added to terrain, did not replace it.

 

I deployed first. Necron warriors with royal court lord on the firestorm in the my back left corner with chimera watching it's flank. Warhound in back right, with IG occupying a ruined chruch just in front. Ankyr the traveller was in his barge and front center. Ravagers and C'tan were reserves, Paladins (attached to draigo) and monolith were deep strikers. I took the stratagem to make all models within 24" of ankyr have shrouded for turn 1, which covered everything.

 

His army had the skyshield in the center of his deployment zone, with two joining walls of aegis lines in front and a bastion to the side. The Tactical squad was split to man both ageis quad guns. Scouts manned the top of the bastion's tower. Dread and libby dread on skyshield. SR in flyer reserve with a DC dread and DC (with astorath) in tow. Dante (with sanguiary guard) and DC (Lemartes) in DS reserve. His Baal pred in the very front of my right flank.

 

His army siezed initiative.

-Pax

[Guest]

Game turn 1.

 

His turn 1:

 

Movement:

Half his reserves auto-arrived turn 1 (apoc).  Dante's melta heavy sanguary guard landed 1" from my warhound and 1" from the table edge to fire at his rear armor. The SR jetted forward and stopped with cover from a very tall ruin. My FSR could barely draw TLOS to the SR, so I had to shoot it instead of the bigger sanguinary guard threat. No damage with interceptor. The Baal pushed forward at top speed.

 

Shooting:

Started with his stratagem, the orbital strike. A 15" blast with D in the center on my FSR with warriors on the battlements and around it (multiple levels, but in 2" coherency). With D counting as S10 and my entire force shrouded, he only killed off 3x warriors between a lousy pen roll and my cover+reanimation. Dante's unit shot next, which fired 6 infernus pistols. All hit, 1 failed to pen/glance, two were denied by my in-built pair of void shields and 1 saved the 5+ shrouded cover save. Of the two that penned, one got an explode result and it rolled a 3 on D3, so my 9 HP warhound was down to 5 HP. The Baal moved Flat out and the SR did nothing. Not much was in range just yet.

 

Assault Phase:

No assaults.

 

My Turn 1:

 

Movement Phase:

Monolith DSed right behind his skyshield and pulled the necrons to the underside of the skyshield (Plan was to pull the C'tan shard from reserves, but the monolith's door was so close to the underside of the skyshield that the c'tan could not be placed). Ravagers arrived and moved along the table edge to engage the baal. Warhound moved to face the Dante unit. Ankyr shifited positions a bit in his barge.

 

Shooting Phase:

Ankyr glanced the baal with his tachyon arrow. Ravagers engaged the baal, but only glanced it, as one of their number was out of range (didn't engage the sanguinary guard becase I was *certain* the warhound could handle it and because the vulcan mega blasters can't damage the baal's front, but the lances can). Warhound lobbed 30 BS4 shots at S6 ap3, which whittle the sanguinary guard to dante with 1 wound and one member left with a power fist. Necron warriors only killed 2 of 5 marines manning a quad gun, despite inflicting 13 wounds. Monolith shot, but failed to damage rear armor of the dreads on the skyshield (4++). FSR, no shooting, shot last turn. IG vets and chimera popped uneffective shots at the remaining two models near the warhound.

 

Assault Phase:

None.

-Pax
 

[Guest]

Game turn 2:

 

His Turn 2:

 

Movement Phase:

Jump DC arrived in side arc of chimera, two died to FSR shooting. SR flew forward more, to be in the center of a very tall and big no-base ruin. Dante and his guard jumped to melta range again. Baal advanced into flame turret range of a single IG vet. Las Dread moved to shoot the monolith. Libby dread used his power to fly to the level below (3" off, 3" down, and 6" to the warriors).

 

Shooting Phase:

Dante and his Guard managed to pop another 4 HP of damage to the warhound, as his void shields didn't regenerate and the shrounding effect was over, warhound had 1x HP left. The DC in the side of the chimera failed to do any damage with a thrown krak grenade, 2x bolt pistols and an infernus pistol to the AV10 side of the chimera. Baal kills a single vet with a flamestorm cannon. Libby dread fails to kill any necrons with shooting. Dread uses TL lascanon to shoot mononlith from the skyshield and only about 6" away, given how close the monolith is to the skyshield, it actually has like 55% concealment and makes it's cover save. Several quad guns, a scout and a tactical squad shoot at necrons, killing only 3 after re-animation.

 

Assault Phase:

Despite FA14 on the warhound, dante (and his guard with fist) decides to chance in favor of denying my shooting next turn and possibly killing the warhound. He fails to damage the warhound which also fails to damage dante. Libby dread charges, the necron warriors and is glanced with overwatch - in assault, warriors can't hurt it, but dread rolls poorly and kills only 1 which re-animates and the unit passes their morale check (I don't dare "our weapons are useless" against the I:4 dread in assault against my necrons).

 

My Turn 2:

 

Movement Phase:

Paladins arrive in range of the rear of the baal and side of the SR. C'tan being still unable to exit the monolith, arrives normally and moves into range of Baal. Monolith now moves to accommodate the C'tan for next turn. Ravagers move to side arc of Baal. Ankyr moves to assault baal, disembarking from his transport. In hindsight, I dedicated too many units to kill the 1-hp remaining baal. Lucky Chimera moves to flame the DC.

 

Shooting Phase:

Ravagers waste the Baal in quick order leaving ankyr to run into cover. Monolith wipes tactical squad of 3 maining the quad gun, and also puts a wound on the quad. Chimera fails to damage the DC. C'tan runs forward 6" given his lack of targets.

 

Assault Phase:

Nothing happens in any of the assaults and no new ones are launched.

-Pax

[Guest]

Break. We agreed to do these every 2 game turns. In the apoc break, we calculate VP for holding objectives and get new stratagems.

 

Lol...no one is found to be holding any objectives with any units.

 

For new stratagems, I take the replacements one to "replace" my warhound when/if he dies. My opponent takes the "blind barrage" which allows him to create a wall of TLOS blocking nothing for a single one of my shooting phases.

-Pax

[Guest]

Game turn 3:

 

His turn 3:

 

Movement phase:

His SR moves to hover mode and contents disembark to assault the paladin units. DC by the chimera move to shoot it again. Scouts disembark from their escape hatch, to be within 3" of an objective and able to shoot at the paladins.

 

Shooting Phase:

BA SR just rapes the paladins. We lose 3 members to ID armor denial weapons before draigo is in front and shrugging off hits with his storm shield. Draigo is still knocked to 1-wound (was a 3 at the start due to dante) between the SR, DC dread, DC, and scouts poping shots into the squad. Quad gun on bastion is finally in range of something it can hurt and pops a glance and an immobilization into the closest ravager. Dread uses lacannon to immobilize the monolith. DC by the chimera fail to destroy it again with shooting...

 

Assault phase:

DC dread, DC and astorath charge draigo and his paladins. Astorath challenges and draigo accepts and loses the challenge (titan sword is ap3 and astorath makes his saves). Paladins get crushed. Necron combat is without victor again. Chimera is assaulted and wrecked by DC. Warhound finally kills dante (and guard) with his stomp, but is also finally glanced to death. Resulting catastophic explosion does nothing as D weapons are only S10 in our game. Replacements stratagem is used and the warhound is placed in on-going reserves.

 

My Turn 3:

 

Movement Phase:

Warhound "2" arrives to pop the DC that popped the chimera. Ravagers move to avenge the paladins. C'tan emerges from the monolith's portal and moves onto the skyshield to the lascannon dread. Ankyr re-imbarks in his barge and moves to shoot the hovering SR. Firestorm quad lascannons position to shoot the SR. All is looking up.

 

Shooting Phase:

Opponent places the 36" line of TLOS blocking nothing right between his paladin killing force and all my shooting at them... Ravagers and command barge move flat out this turn... C'tan removes the lascannon from the dread. Warhound demolishes lemartes and his DC.

 

Assaults:

Only the necron one remains and still no victors. C'tan "disembarked" from the non-assault vehicle monolith so can't assault this turn.

-Pax

[Guest]

Game turn 4:

 

We pretty much call it here. Game isn't near over and both sides still have a very solid chance at victory, but both it's getting late and neither of us really ever cared who one. We end the game fully enjoying the apoc battle and wanting to do it again.

-Pax

[Threejacks]

Sounds like you guys had a great time:)

 

Wondering though...do you think it would have been much different had you just kept the D weapons the same?

 

Being since you were playing Apoc with the higher point total and all.

 

And did you use the Destroyer weapon table for damage on your Titan?..or did he have to get 9 pens/glances to kill it.

[Guest]

Sounds like you guys had a great time:)

 

Wondering though...do you think it would have been much different had you just kept the D weapons the same?

 

Being since you were playing Apoc with the higher point total and all.

 

And did you use the Destroyer weapon table for damage on your Titan?..or did he have to get 9 pens/glances to kill it.

It was fun.

 

If D weapons were the same, game would have been very different, in both my deployment and overall. My warhound is WYSIWYG with a turbolaser destructor and the vulcan mega bolter. The first weapon, is a 2-pie-plate D weapon with 96" of range and no real drawbacks. I switched weapons to double vulkan mega bolters for this opponent and the house rule against D weapons. The sanguinary guard would have died very quickly to this, so the warhound would be a 5 HP when it destroyed them instead of a double KO.

 

His orbital strike, early game, would have also been D, so it would have destroyed the FSR and likely removed a larger section of the warriors.

 

Also, when my warhound was destroyed, the scattering catastrophic damage would also have destroyed more.

 

The Destroyer attack table still uses HP to destroy enemy super heavies. I did lose all 9 HP to glances/pens. Especially impressive when a few were stopped by the void shields built into the warhound and one from the shrouded stratagem.

-Pax