Warhammer 40K Tabletop XXII: I C'Tan Has Cheese?

[BoSheck]

It is my pleasure, like so many Necrons and Saints, to return to the playing of 40k.

Managed to get a game against Renegade Paladin over the weekend as a bit of a leg stretching refresher for this edition.

To the best of my ability, here is the list that was fielded against me:

Guard, 1850

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Tank Commander - 360 (W)
-Vanquisher commander
--Lascannon
-Executioner
--Plasma cannons

Ministorum Priest

Primaris Psyker
-Mastery Level 2

Enginseer
-Two servitors

Infantry Platoon
-Platoon Command Squad
--Vox-caster
--Two flamers, heavy flamer
-Infantry Squad
--Vox-caster
--Melta bombs, autocannon, flamer
-Infantry Squad
--Melta bombs, autocannon, flamer
-Infantry Squad
--Melta bombs, autocannon, flamer
-Special Weapons Squad
--Three meltaguns

Veterans
-Two meltaguns, heavy flamer
-Chimera
--Heavy flamer

Veterans
-Two meltaguns, heavy flamer
-Chimera
--Heavy flamer

Militarum Tempestus Scions
-Two plasma guns

Hellhound
-Heavy flamer

Devil Dog

Vendetta Gunship

Wyvern

Aegis defense line
-Quad-gun

I probably forgot something. Lots of dudes & armor behind an aegis with autocannons.

And then, the worst wolf list that I've come up with in a LONG time. Mostly a product of being in a hurry and multitasking!

Space Wolves - 1850

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HQ - Ulrik, the Slayer
HQ - Valkur, the Warrior Born. Thunderwolf Mount, Wolf Claw, Storm Shield, Runic Armor
Thunderhawk Gunship w/ Turbolaser Destructor
Troops - Mad-Dog Pack - 15x Bloodclaws (power fist, 2x meltagun, Wolf guard pack leader w/combi melta/power fist)
- Stormwolf Dedicated Transport w/ Multimeltas
Troops - Skull Pack - 10x Grey Hunters w/ 2x Meltaguns, Wolf guard pack Leader, combi melta, wolf claw
- Drop Pod w/ Deathwind Launcher

Report:

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Pregame: We trade lists, he glosses over it, I get a REALLY? when I bring out the Thunderhawk. End up rolling 3 objectives and place them accordingly. We were a bit rusty so order of operations wasn't the greatest. I'd say his deployment is spot on. He bubble wraps his command tank, the infantry fitting nicely behind the Aegis line with the command squad nearby in a ruin. The Stormwolf can outflank! So can the Grey Hunters! Wheeee. I roll on the personal table for giggles. My Thunderwolf can outflank too!

Turn 1: Mysterious objectives! The objective underneath the blob is a booby trap. It explodes! Guardsmen die. The objective on the Quadgun grants Skyfire. Nobody really needs to move.

A drop pod descends from the sky! The Quad gun, she kills one man. Boltguns and deathwind missiles eliminate the command squad.


Turn 2: My deployment from the pod was lazy, everybody was basically base-to-base. The wyvern and Plasma Russ annihilate the grey hunters, putting 50+ wounds on them. The drop pod stands defiant of the command tank's firepower. ALL the Guard reserves came in this turn.

The Thunderhawk comes in. The quad gun intercepts a hull point off of the superheavy flyer. The Aegis line protects the Russes from the Turbolaser Destructor. In retrospect precisely 0% of the tanks were covered by the aegis line, it just happened to be between the two models, oh well. Missiles bounce off of tanks, but manage to take out the quad gun. (I forgot they were ordnance). Heavy bolters put some wounds on the blob. The lascannons immobilize a chimera.

Turn 3: The Vendetta flies right up to that Thunderhawk and plinks...0 hull points off. Autocannons fire haphazardly at the behemoth, stripping another 1. The drop pod ignores plasma templates as they fail to scathe it. We not that drop pods should probably have Ceramite plating, or maybe it's just in the doors.

Thunderhawk scoots forward as the Stormwolf outflanks, cause why not! Fun fact: Neither of these things are built to really see anything on the ground unless it's across the table. I shoot some multimeltas at Russes and don't really do anything. Lascannons also fail at their job! The Turbolaser Destructor scatters right off the table. Heavy bolters slay more guardesmen. A single Wolf Lord waits in a dark hangar, eager for battle.

Turn 4: Guardsmen fire at flying wolves! The stormwolf loses 2 hull points, but not the last! Some models shuffle around.

Stormwolf goes into hover mode, it's now or never! The Thunderhawk flies off the table, cause it can't see anything anyway. A bunch of Blood Claws and Ulrik disembark. They shoot pistols at the blob and charge everything they can reach, ending the turn locked in combat but having glanced the plasma Russ to death. The Psyker tanks Ulrik but fails to land a blow with his deadly Force Weapon. I discover that priest prayers are super good, as guardsmen reroll their 4+ Invulns. Losing just a few to the Blood Claws.

Turn 5: The Emperor's finest pile out of Chimeras, making their way toward objectives and their beleaguered comrades. The Valkyrie begins to come around. Stormtroopers solidify their midfield position. The Enginseer repairs the Wyvern. Ulrik finishes the librarian in the challenge while the Blood Claws mop up the rest of the combatants.

Ulrik & Co make way to their way to the backfield guard objective, hunkering down behind the Aegis line. The Thunderhawk returns, triumphantly, it's Turbolaser rolling three 1s against the wyvern & enginseer. Heavy Bolters put serious wounds on Stormtroopers while lascannons take care of the Hellhound. The Devil Dog meets it's fate from the Stormwolf, a well placed Melta in the guard fast tank.

Turn 6: Guardsmen drop from the Valkyrie to secure an objective but scatter badly off course. Assorted infantry make toward the aegis line, while the wyvern puts 21 wounds on the remaining blood claws. 19 Saves are made. Then 1 FNP. The Enginseer rocket charges the Stormwolf and takes it apart with his Servo Arm.

Hover mode for the Thunderhawk. Valkur get his butt out and stares down some stormtroopers. The Turbolaser Destructor gloriously fails to harm the command tank. Heavy Bolters take care of the special weapon team outside of their cover. Stormtroopers get charges and eaten. Game ends.

Overview: I feel like the Thunderhawk was mostly wasted points. I'm also probably a jerk for bringing one. Also, I hate the Turbolaser as of now; maybe it's good against Knight Titans, but it was awful here. It has trouble getting LOS to anything. Same with the Lascannons on the Stormwolf. Additionally the army did basically nothing the whole game so I didn't really have much in the way of fun. There weren't enough wolves wolfing wolfily around. Maybe I can retool the list to work a little better. Fill the Thunderhawk up with woofs. Or get a different Lord of War. One on a hover-sled pulled by wolves, with a wolfcloak.