The Redemptor broke before the Guard did
or, "How I was doing terribly until I won".

Just got back from playing a game which was an object lesson in why not to give up even when things seem irretrievable.

It probably started going badly from the moment I drew up a new army list, because I had chosen exactly the sort of overly-elite force that I always lost with before learning to stop using named characters in small games and take more basic squads instead:

Spoiler: My army:
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50 power Catachan army, organised into a Battalion and a Vanguard detachment:
Company Commander (heavy bolter + chainsword). Warlord with "Grand Strategist" trait
Company Commaner (las pistol + chainsword). Relic: Kurov's Aquilla
Colonel Straken
Sly Marbo (first time I've used him)
Veteren Squad (Sergent with power fist and plasma pistol. 3x flamers + heavy flamer)
Special Weapon Squad: 3x demo charges
Special Weapon Squad: 3x plasma guns
3x Infantry Squads, no upgrades
Chimera (2x heavy flamers, storm bolter)
Chimera (multi laser, heavybolter, storm bolter)
Rough Riders (10 models, flamer and grenade launcher)
Heavy Weapons Team (las cannons).


Spoiler: Opposing force:
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Dark Angels.
Lieutenant (Warlord with "Grand Strategist" trait)
Lieutenant (relic weapon of some sort)
2x 5-man Reiver squads
1x 10-man Intercessor squad
2x 5-man Intercessor squad
Redemptor dreadnaught


Mission: Secure and Control

I set up with two infantry squads and my warlord in cover guarding my objecective.
Chimeras on either side of them (special weapon squads in the HF chimera, Straken and the Vets in the other).
The heavy weapons, the other infantry squad, and the other commander were in a building on the right.
Marbo and the Rough Riders in reserve.

Opponent set up with Reivers in reserve, the dreadnaught and one infantry squad in cover guarding his objective, and everyone else in cover a bit further forward.

First turn went badly for me. Marines went first, dropped the reivers behind my lines, where one squad shot and then charged my warlord, killing him (and so getting victory points for First Blood and Slay the Warlord, while the other shot, charged and wiped out one of my infantry squads, and then consolidated into my heavy flamer chimera. (Other squads took casulties too, but nothing notable).

I disembarked all my units. On my left flank, the HF chimera moved out of combat, and the two special weapon squads attacked the reiver squad. I used the Grenadiers strategem to throw all my demo charges at them - and did nothing. My plasma gunners over-charged their weapons, killing one Reiver but losing one man to overheat. On the right, Both infantry squads (one using FRFSRF), the Vets (using Burn Them Out) and Straken fired on the other reiver squad, achieving nothing. The only shooting that went well was the lascanons, one of which killed a reiver, the other two doing 10 damage to the dreadnaught. Combat went a bit better - Straken failed his charge, but with his buff aura, the other squads were able to kill the first revier squad.

Second turn went pretty badly for me too: the surviving reivers destroyed my plasma squad SW squad and reduced the demo-charge squad to just one lasgunner, while the dreadnaught destroyed my heavy weapons. Other squads took a mauling. My turn, the surviving the Rough Riders came in in front of the 10-man intercessor squad and their lieutenant (and lost two models to the "shoot at reinforcements" strategem). Marbo came in as well, safely in cover by my objective (I couldn't put him anywhere he could attack anyone without getting slaughtered on the following turn) and used his explosives on the big intercessor squad - but failed to do any damage even after I used a CP to reroll. Marbo continued to disapoint, when he fired on the second reiver squad and failed to wound any of them them. The HF Chimera did mange wipe them out though. In the charge phase, the Rough Riders charged the lieutenant and the intercessors, managing to kill the officer by doing nothing the the others, but took heavy casulties in overwatch and fighting, and were wiped out by moral.

Third turn continued going badly, I took a mauling, losing the FH chimera, and a lot of infantry. Marbo couldn't do anything useful at the back, so slipped away into the shadows.

Fourth turn I took even heavier casulties, and then realised I no longer had anyone holding my objective and so would lose if I couldn't retake in. All my remaining infantry (the 1 surviving lasgunner from the demo squad, and a consolidated infantry squad with 11 gaurdsmaen and 2 sergents) and officers advanced towards the objective but didn't quite reach it. Marbo came in at the back near the opponent's objective and used explosives on the dreadnaught, knocking it down to 1 wound (after I spent my last CP to reroll the damage). He then fired his pistol at it, doing nothing, charged it, and got killed by overwatch fire.

Fifth turn: marines moved forwards, killing most of my remaing men in the shooting phase. By my turn, I was down to just 1 guardsman, Straken (on two wounds), a Commander, and a Chimera (miraculouly undameged). I moved my guardsman onto my objective. He, Straken, and the other Officer all failed to do any damage in the shooting phase. The Chimera fired its multilaser at the dreadnaught, but failed to get through it's save. It fired it's heavy bolter to, causing two hits, one of which wounded. The dreadnaught failed its save and was destroyed. The Marines no longer controlled their objective.

Catachan Victory (3 victory points for controlling an objective vs. 2 for kills).



Learning points:
Spoiler
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1) Don't bring two high-powered characters in 50 Power games. If I'd dropped Straken for another infantry squad, I could have blocked off the back of the board and prevented the Reivers deep-striking and killing my warlord. That would then have let me play according to my usual tactic of rushing my elite infantry in Chimeras to wherever they can no the most damage, rather than having to dismount them all to stop the Reiver rampage. It would also make bad rolls less devestating, as I wouldn't be dependent on just a few small units to deal damage.

2) I took fewer heavy/special weapons that I usually do, which made digging marines out of cover a lot harder that I would have liked.

3) Marbo is pretty cool, but unreliable. The ability to deal mortal wounds at any range, twice per game, is really useful if it works. However, his shooting and melee (even with 2+ to hit, and 2+ to wound vs. infantry) pretty useless if your enemies have good saves.

4) Make sure flamer units are far enough away from your other units that an enemy can't charge the other unit and then consolidate into the flamers without triggering overwatch.

5) Remember your strategems - Lethal Traps might have saved my Warlord, or at least let him take some enemies down with him. (Although probably not, given the way most of my rolls were going).

6) Multilaser/heavy bolter chimeras aren't completely useless. If victory depends on being able to do one point of damage at longish range, they might just save the day.