5 Dragons - Game 1

With all the stores finally present there was some mingling while we awaited our first game. Some went to have a look in the GW store while others got drinks or stood around. We were then told to find an opponent ourselves and pick a table (the opponent had to be from a different store). A man off to the side of my little group asked "Who wants a game then?" so i accepted and wandered roughly into the middle of the hall and asked which table he preferred. Once he had picked one we got settled and waited for everyone else to find a partner, with the GW staff having to help get some players paired up and settled at their own tables. The man i was to play against was called Dai.

Remember my list can be found in this post: 5 Dragons Tournament - Battle Missions.

Once everyone was ready the TO used the microphone to get everyone quiet and explained what would happen next. It was then he produced a giant blue foam die and explained in order to keep things fair we were all going to be playing the same battle mission, but it was still going to be random. The mission that was rolled was "Invasion" and it was a Chaos Daemon mission.

The set-up of this mission was to split the table into 4 diagonally and number the quarters 1-4. The defender would then roll a D6 for each unit and place that unit into the section with the corresponding number (5-6 he would get to choose) The daemons would then deep strike as normal but would have to arrive with the same randomness of the D6 roll. As none of us were daemon players the "other armies" rule meant the "Daemon" player would split his army in half and roll a D6 as to which half was the first wave, the first wave would move on from the board edge as if from reserves (with the same D6 randomness as before, having to arrive via the corresponding board edge) The rest of the army would then be placed in reserves and arrive later (again with the D6 rolling when they turn up). There would also be D3+2 objectives placed before deploying. The entire mission would also be using the night fight rules.

So, after having a quick read of the mission we rolled off to see who would be the "Daemons" for this mission. Dai won the roll and i was fully expecting him to play as the "daemons" as i would have to deploy and he could move on with his vindicators and lash and cripple my army pretty quickly. As it turns out he let me play as "daemons" (So no turn 5 objective grabs for me, Fritz style) so he started deploying via the D6 method. Below is a picture of the objectives and deployment, aswell as his army list in as much detail as i remember.

Dai's list:

HQ:

Sorceror: Mark of Slannesh, lash of submission

Daemon Prine: Mark of slannesh, lash of submission, wings

Troops:

10 Chaos Space Marines: Champion, power weapon, plasma pistol. 2 Plasma guns.

7 Plauge Marines: Champion, power weapon, plasma pistol. Plasma gun.

8 Beserkers: Champion, power weapon, plasma pistol. Plasma pistol.

Rhino: Possesion, havoc launcher.

Heavy Support:

Vindicator: Possesion

Vindicator: Possesion

3 Obliterators

I placed the first objective in the bottom left, with a plan to hold it with the jetbikes as the ruin near it blocked LOS quite nicely. Dai placed one in the center of the northern ruin while i placed the my 2nd exactly 12" away as my serpents were just long enough to be able to capture 2, and grouping 2 objectives in the north might give my bikes a little more survivability in the south west corner. However Dai placed his 2nd objective 12" away from my first in the wooded area terrain so the grouping idea went right out the window.

As can be seen from deployment in the southern quarter there was a lone vindicator with it back to the ruins to spoil rear armour shots. The Daemon Prince, supported by the berzerkers were behind the other ruin while his infantry and 2nd vindicator held the rock formation to the east.

In this mission the "Daemon" player takes the first turn so i randomised which half would arrive and moved then on via the D6 methed.

As you can see my Wraithlord came on directly behind his Vindicator while one of my FD serpents came on near his other Vindicator, the FD then disembarked within 6". The GJB unit turbo-boosted behind the ruins just in case anything could target them while the serpent with Eldrad and a unit of DA floated on in the northwest corner.

The wraithlord then unleashed his 7 S6 shots at the rear armour of the vindicator, managing to penetrate it 3 times and glance it once. The end result was a wrecked result. The unit of FD managed to hit 4 times and penetrate the Vindicator 3 times. This one exploded, but only 2", leaving the FD feeling quite relieved. Eldrads serpent did nothing however.

As there was no combat... We moved onto Dai's turn 1

His Obliterator unit moved to get a better angle on the Wraithlord while his prince moved to mid-board. The rest of his force remained stationary with the beserkers waiting near the northern objective and the main group on infantry holding the rock formation.

With Dai's shooting he managed to lash the FD unit a little closer into boltgun range of the plauges and the CSM unit. He opened fire and killed 2 with the plasma shots while i made my saves versus the boltguns. The obliterators opened up on the wraithlord, managing to knock a wound off.

(Personally i would have lashed the wraithlord away as far as possible)

With no combat we moved onto my Turn 2!

My other DA serpent arrives and takes position next to Eldrads serpent in order to fire on the beserker rhino. The FD unit fled from the casualties from Dai's shooting (Forgot to roll morale, so i rolled it at the start of my turn). Luckily they rallied right after so their serpent moved up in order to pick them back up again next turn. The wraithlord passed his wraithsight test and moved towards the CSM unit with the sorceror. The bikes lined up a shot on the daemon prince.

For shooting i began with the lord who managed to wound a few of the CSM but all saves were made. The FD serpent and bike unit only managed to take one wound of the Prince while the two DA serpents only managed to shake the Rhino, which had possesion anyway. A pretty uneventful shooting phase.

ASSAULT!!! The wraithlord charged into the unit of CSM, as they did not have a power fist he was safe from harm, more importantly he was safe from the lascannons of the obliterators. Even more importantly he would lock the sorceror in assault and hopefully keep the marines tied up all game in so they couldn't capture the nearby objective later on. As it turns out the wraithlord manages to kill one marine. Dai rolled an 11 for his leadership test and was promtly run down, taking the sorceror with them. He then consolodated a little in order to get closer to the plauge marines, with the same initial idea in mind as what i was attempting to do to the CSM unit (i.e. tying them up)

We then moved onto Dai's second turn.

The Daemon prince and the beserker rhino both moved towards the two DA serpents in the northwest, as 2 of my scoring units were being threatened i wasn't too happy at the prospect, if they were taken out then i could end up playing for a draw. The obliterators took up a position near the large rock formation while the plauge marines about turned to face the wraithlord.

For shooting, the Prince attempted to lash the bikes, with a decent roll they could end up being charged, or plasma cannoned by the oblits. Luckily Eldrads runes payed off and Dai rolled an 11, not passing the test, but still not taking a wound. With that the oblits decided to open up on the wraithlord with their lascannons, again only wounding it once. The plauge marine then fires 3 plasma shots into the lord, 2 hit, but luckily he proved resiliant as Dai failed to roll any 5+'s to wound him.

It was the start of turn 3, and back over to me.

It's the top of turn 3 and my last serpent and reapers arrive, still no sign of my walkers.

The reapers managed to come on the northern board edge, leaving me cursing the die that made them move on from there. I could move them on to sit near the oblits, or move them on to sit near the beserkers. As the beserkers were threatening my serpents, were a scoring unit, and sitting within reach of several objectives, i brought them on right in front of them in the hope they would act as bait. Considering they average out at 49 points per model, they just might. Although if he didn't go for them, then they could simply fire of the beserkers when i eventually pop the rhino. The next unit to arrive was the other FD serpent, which came on near the obliterators and with nothing better to do, promtly got out in order to fire on them.

The Wraithlord advanced towards the plauge marines and the first FD serpent picked up the remaining 3 fire dragons and angled itself towards the Prince.

The wraithlord fired both flamers at the plauge unit, managing to cleanse one in the purifying flames. The newly arrived FD unit unloaded their meltas into the oblits scoring 4 hits and 4 wounds! Dai then made two of his invun saves and the FD unit let out a yelp of panic as the last obliterator gave them an evil stare. The FD serpent however managed to wound the last obliterator once. The combined shooting of the rest of my force managed to take 2 wounds of the Prince and again, shake the rhino (which did nothing due to possesion) The reapers ran further onto the board and infront of the rhino.

The Wraithlord charged into the plauge marines, killing one. The plan behind this is detailed earlier, and especially applies now! With one wound left, and the plauges still having 3 plasma shots, he needed to get stuck in to survive.

Onto Dai's turn 3!

Well... The FD were right to panic as the obliterator came stomping towards them angrily.

The deamon prince flew over to the reapers and the beserkers clambered out of their rhino and moved to surround the reapers. The rhino itself moved to the other side of the reapers in order to make it harder for me to shoot at the beserkers next turn and be in a position to pick them back up if it survived. The lone obliterator moved towards the disembarked firedragons in the northeast.

The only shooting this turn came from the obliterator, who managed to burn 3 of the FD before charging into them and crushing the remaining two. He then consolodated back towards the rock formation.

The prince and the beserkers however charged into the reapers. A tad overkill... unsurprisingly the reapers were utterly crushed, but the bait ploy worked and now the beserkers were dismounted and in my sights! Oh, and the wraithlord killed one more plauge marine.

Onto turn 4 with all haste!

My war walkers still refused to show up...

All 4 serpents moved to converge on the (doomed) Prince and the (doomed) beserkers, completely ignoring the obliterator. The serpent near it, its cargo deployed and destroyed, was to sell itself in order to keep the obliterator busy as i was pulling my bikes out of cover for the extra shots on the Prince. I deployed one unit of DA in order to get a few extra shots off and kept one DA unit safely tucked away inside its serpent for the time being.

The combined firepower managed to bring down the Prince and take out 4 of the beserkers, i also managed to shake the rhino AGAIN! I think the possesion was putting the Eldar off, who apparently don't like tanks looking at them with numerous eyes and flailing tentacles in their general direction. The wraithlord missed with his close combat attacks while the plauge marines stood around twiddling their thumbs.

Dai's turn 4 rolls up

The beserkers hopped back into the rhino and moved towards my disembarked DA unit, getting close to one of the objectives, i would have to pop the rhino next turn, but felt confident that i could as i was bound to eventually right? The obliterator moved towards the empty serpent in the northeast and shot it in the rear armour with a melta, wrecking it. The wraithlord killed another plauge marine.

That was a quick turn, onto turn 5!

With the walkers finally arriving the turned up within range of the beserker rhino and strode onto the board near the bikes in the southwest corner, the bikers giving them a "And where have you been?!" look. The DA unit hopped back in their sepent which then moves for a rear shot on the rhino. The other DA serpent moved up to the northern objective while the remaining FD serpent tried to line up a shot on the obliterator.

The serpent behind the rhino managed to wreck it, the beserkers desembarked into cover, i'm assuming in case anything tried chaging them next turn. The war walkers however managed to get into range and killed all 4 of them with the bikes support, who jumped back onto the objectibe in the assault phase.

The remaining FD serpent failed at killing the obliterator and the wraithlord killed another plauge marine.

Onto Dai's turn 5!

At this point i'll post one picture as not much happened from this point.

The lone obliterator charged into the wraithlord and was swifly cut down, Dai failing his invun save.

In my turn 6 i shuffled around a bit in order to claim 3 objectives and pretty much sat still.

The game actually went onto turn 7, with the wraithlord managing to miss with all his attacks against the plauge marines. At the end of the game, i held 3 objectives to Dai's 0.

Conslusion

My "Man of the match" award has to go to the wraithlord, managing to gain 4 KP's and hold up the plauge marines until the end of the game really helped the rest of my force pick off what was left. What didn't help was my poor rolling against the beserker rhino, which i would have liked to have taken out alot earlier. If i had done so i wouldn't have needed to sacrifice the reapers and would have brought them on in the far corner where they could have simply sat and waited for the end of the game. I was also disappointed by the late arrival of the walkers, an Autarch would not have helped either as i kept rolling a 1 for their reserve roll.

If the other half of my army turned up instead i think i could have still popped at least one vindicator with the FD, the walkers would have most likely tried their luck on the CSM unit but i couldn't see them lasting to long with the oblits around and the plasma in the CSM and PM units. The reapers however could have hapilly sat behind the southwest ruin and rained tempest launcher death on the infantry around the rock formation. All in all, i don't think it would have made too much of a difference.

With 15 for the win we broke for lunch while scores were collated. Lunch was included with the price of the ticket, and in case you would like to know i made a wall of chips down the middle of my plate. On one side i had some baked beans and on the other i had some turkey with gravy. For dessert i had rhubarb crumble with custard as it was the only option, i ate the crumble but left the rhubarb. We also got a free drink so i picked up some red bull.

Would you have played this mission differently? Would you have placed the objectives in different locations or moved on certain units into different areas? Would you, facing my list, have deployed differently?