Daemons vs Khorne Daemonkin, 23.02.2016

Mission: Deadlock, Vanguard Deployment

Points limit:  1500 points

Lists:

Chaos Daemons: CAD

• Kairos Fateweaver
• 4x Herald of Tzeentch, lvl 3 Psyker, on Disc of Tzeentch, some rewards
• 6-man squad Screamers of Tzeentch
• 3-base Nurgling squad
• 4x 12-man Pink Horror squads

I threw in 2 exalted rewards (for the Grimoire and Portalglyph) and an Exalted Locus of Conjuration (+1 spell strength) to form the "Screamstar".

Khorne Daemonkin: Blood Host Detachment

• Slaughtercult
• Chaos Lord, with Korlath, Axe of Ruin
• 5-man Possessed squad
• 2x 8-man Bloodletter squad, with Bloodreapers
• Command
• Bloodthirster with D-axe
• War Engines
• Soul Grinder, Phlegm
• 2x Defiler with Flamer, Battlecannon and Power Fists
• Forgefiend with 3 Plasma cannons

Deployment

I deployed second. With so many Strenth 8 battlecannons, I could not risk getting the Screamers and Heralds insta-killed, so I kept them in reserve.

Everything is Pink Horrors here, with Kairos in the back.

I infiltrated the Nurglings, out of sight of the battlecannons and just at 9 inches from the center objective. Deadlock favors whoever can do more objectives in the beginning, so I prepared as best as I could.

Khorne Daemonkin, turn 1.

... of course, I discounted the Bloodthirster, which jumped on my Nurglings and killed 2 bases. I lost the 3rd one to Daemonic Instability. 

Some Pink Horrors died to battlecannon fire, but that was why they were there.

Lastly, my opponent had an excellent draw, and racked up 6 points.

Chaos Daemons, turn 1.

I had a reasonable draw. I summoned a squad on the center objective, racking up 5 points due to Supremacy. A Vector Strike on the Bloodthirster netted 1 wound, but the Psychic fireworks failed to do any damage.

Khorne Daemonkin, turn 2.

The War Engines advanced on my center squad, and proceeded to annihilate it.

The Bloodthirster assaulted another Horror squad. The one time I counted on failing Instability was, of course, the time that I passed it, so it got locked in combat.

Daemons, turn 2.

Let's get those reserves in! Roll 1. I used Kairos' reroll to get my deathstar in.

At least I got the Grimoire off, although the Portalglyph failed to bring in anything. Nevertheless, I had 28 charges in my Psychic phase. Let's make it rain!

... so totally, I managed to inflict 1 wound on my opponent (killing 1 Possessed) and 1 on myself (perils, roll 6, fail a Leadership of 10).

And even worse, I scored only 1 point.

To at least hinder my opponent, I waltzed my deathstar right in between his War Engines.

Khorne Daemonkin, turn 3.

The Chaos Lord turned into a Daemon Prince and a Bloodthirster.

All the War Engines fired their weapons into Screamstar, then charged, inflicting no wounds. The Possessed also charged in, but they all died - denying my No Prisoners.

The Bloodthirster annihilated another squad of Horrors. Bloodletters arrived by Deep Strike, achieving almost total board control.

Even the consolidation move was high enough to capture another objective.

The melee went on, with no casualties on either side.

Daemons, turn 3.

I thought that maybe, if I killed the War Engines, I'll have some control on the other side, and might be able to achieve something (despite the Daemon Prince and Bloodthirster). However, my rolls were horrible, and although I did chip off some Hull Points, I couldn't finish off anything. I scored no points.

At the beginning of turn 4, at 10-5, with no way of scoring further objectives and my opponent having complete board control, I surrendered.

Anything to add?

• Really, the only way to deal with that Bloodthirster is a Nurgle Prince with the Balesword (Instant Death). I have no way to shoot it down.
• Speaking of shooting, the Psychic phase once again proved to be fickle to the point of uselessness. I made sure to have all the powers that mattered - Prescience, Bolt of Change, Infernal Gateway - and even rolled well on the Strength D6+4 part. However, at the end of the day, it was all for nought.

Daemons vs AdMech, 16.02.2016

Mission: Deadlock, Dawn of War 

Points limit:  1500 points

Lists:

Chaos Daemons: CAD

• Daemon Prince of Nurgle, lvl 2 Psyker (Warp Speed, Endurance, Stream of Corruption), 2 Greater Rewards (Armorbane & Fleshbane, Balesword), wings, armor, Warlord: Warp Beacon (no scattering when deep striking in 6").
• Herald of Khorne, Exalted Reward (Grimoire of True Names)
• Herald of Khorne, Exalted Locus (Hatred)
• 20-man Bloodletter squad, upgraded with Banner of Blood, instrument, champion
• 10-man Plaguebearer squad
• 3-base Nurgling squad
• 1 Beast of Nurgle
• Soul Grinder of Slaanesh, Phlegm Bombardment

Chaos Space Marines: Allied Detachment

• Chaos Lord, Mark of Nurgle, Terminator armor, combi-plasma, chainfist
• 3-man Chaos Terminator squad, Mark of Nurgle, 3x combi-plasma, 2x power axe, 1x power maul
• 5-man Plague Marine squad, plasma gun

Skitarii: Skitarii Maniple

• 2x 10-man Vanguard squad
• 5-man Sicarian Infiltrators
• Onager Dunecrawler (with skyfire upgrades)

Adeptus Mechanicus: Battle Congregation

• Techpriest Dominus
• Kastellan Maniple (2 robots with torrent flamers + Datasmith)
• 2x 5-man Kataphron Destroyer squad (one with heavy grav cannons, one with plasma culverins)

Officio Assassinorum

• Culexus Assassin

Board

There is even more terrain available now at the gaming store, so we set up a nice and dense board.

Deployment

A bit blurry, but here goes. I won the roll off, and deployed first.

I had my Soul Grinder hold the right flank. Plaguebearers and Beast of Nurgle on the far side ready to capture an objective. Nurglings infiltrated to do the same. Prince in the tower. Plague Marines in the ruins on the far side. Terminators and Bloodletters with the Heralds in deep strike reserve.

Across the table, the grav cannon Destroyers face off against the Grinder. Vanguard in the ruins. Plasma destroyers with the Dominus. Kastellans hold the middle. Dunecrawler and Vanguard support each other. Infiltrators infiltrate and scout forward on the far side.

The Assassin infiltrated in the ruins in the middle, then proceeded to do nothing the entire game.

Daemons, turn 1.

I had a bad feeling about this. Nevertheless, the first turn was wildly successful. The Grinder shot the grav Destroyers which were out in the open, killed one, they failed their Morale test and fled off the table.

The Daemon Prince swooped forward, casting a poisoned template on the Vanguard, attempting to replicate the Grinder's success, but to no avail. I captured all the objectives on my side, scoring Ascendency (for 1 point). Otherwise, the objective cards were bad and I didn't get any more points.

AdMech, turn 1.

Everything moved forward into firing range. The Kastellans eliminated the Nurglings. The Dunecrawler and the Vanguard inflicted 3 wounds on the Daemon Prince. Some Plaguebearers died.

Daemons, turn 2.

The Bloodletters were coming in; the Terminators were not. I made a no-scatter Deep Strike next to the Warlord, then flew him off the table. No way I could land to assault with 1 wound remaining.

But surely, the Grimoire will protect the Bloodletters! Roll 1. They are now at 6++.

But surely, a good Run roll will mitigate the torrent flamers! Roll 1.

The Plague Marines shot the Infiltrators, scoring no wounds.

The Beast of Nurgle charged them, getting killed before striking.

AdMech, turn 2.

The Infiltrators shot the Plaguemarines, killing 3; then killed the lone survivor in close combat.

On the center, everything turned towards the Bloodletters...

...destroying them to the last man (daemon?). Back on the tray they go.

Daemons, turn 3.

I flew in my Daemon Prince and hid him out of sight.

Time for the Terminators to come in and wreck face.

They did come in, but failed miserably with their plasma shots. 8 shots got me 3 Gets Hot! and 3 hits. With help from the Grinder, that was enough to kill the other squad of Destroyers. I did not get to the Dominus, though.

And they were left there, exposed.

AdMech, turn 3.

2 Terminators died to mass shooting, with Lord remaining at 1 wound.

The Infiltrators and Vanguard closed in, taking ground.

Daemons, turn 4.

I inspected my cards, then decided to call it. I barely had some units left. The Grinder was unopposed, but stuck in the corner. The Prince was hanging on at 1 wound, with no way to get back up to full. The Terminators were exposed and far from any objectives. I couldn't score any points that turn.

The AdMech still had a lot of units and were in the lead points wise.

Things learnt?

• First and foremost, do not go up against AdMech with a casual list. I didn't face a particularly cheesy list. It's just a strong codex. So:
• When using the Grimoire, Kairos is a must.
• Make that Prince of Nurgle lvl 3 for increased chances on Iron Arm.
• ... in other words, change the list.

Kazron, Herald of Khorne (Escalation League character background story)

Kazron is a simple creature.

Daemonic Heralds are usually created to lead their lesser kin. Even Kazron's own Khornate blood brothers formulate crude stratagems to better slaughter the foe. Kazron does not. He only knows two thoughts: "Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull throne!".

Sometimes, he commands the fast elements of the army - the Flesh Hounds and the Bloodcrushers - to charge forth first, so that they reach the enemy as quickly as possible.

Sometimes, he howls the ritual chants behind hills and ruins, so that his army is protected from the enemy's cowardly shots.

Sometimes, he thinks during the battle.

Mostly, he does not.

In most cases, Kazron takes his place in the midst of a legion of Bloodletters. He bellows to the four winds his only prayers, his only commands: "Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull throne!" The host then surges forward. Each of them is left to their own devices, and that is fine. They all want to achieve the same objectives. Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull throne!

...

It was a glorious day, just like that, when Kazron earned his 888th skull. His legions sprinted towards the enemy lines.

Of the thousands of Daemons, barely a fraction reached the trenches.

Of the thousands of cowards, none lived to see another day.

...

All this passed through Kazron's mind, before being drowned out by a singular need.

Blood for the Blood God!

The wretched servants of Slaanesh swarmed the hills across the horizon. Their very odor sent the Bloodletters into a frenzy. Kazron could have held them back. He did not.

The battle lines entangled quickly. Droves of Daemonettes died under the Hellblades, screaming ecstatically. Kazron found himself face to face with the Daemon Prince Hezdekai. They circled each other, bellowing challenges. Khorne will be pleased this day...

The next moment, the battlefield exploded in a hail of high explosives. Plasma shots and solid missiles tore into the Daemonic hosts, butchering them regardless of allegiance.

Kazron hates Slaaneshi Daemons.

He hates mortals even more.

Recognition flickered in Hezdekai's eyes. In a second, a fragile alliance was forged. Mortal enemies became uneasy battle brothers to combat a common foe.

Howling praises to their Dark Gods, the Daemons threw themselves at the Tau lines.

Daemons vs Tau, 02.02.2016

Mission: Purge the Alien, Dawn of War 

My opponent was a beginner, so we agreed on a simple mission type to keep the game going nice and easy.

Points limit:  1000 points restricted FOC (league rules)

Restricted FOC. All the standard rules apply, but you must follow the following FOC chart. 1 - 2 HQ, 1 - 6 Troops, 0-2 Elite, 0-2 Fast Attack, 0-2 Heavy Support, 0-1 Optional additional Troop, Elite, Fast Attack, or Heavy Support Choice.

Lists:

Chaos Daemons: Restricted FOC

• Daemon Prince of Slaanesh, lvl 1 Psyker (Iron Arm, Lash of Slaanesh), 2 Greater Rewards (Lash of Despair, +1 Wound and It Will Not Die) (look, no wings!), Warlord: Herald of Doom (-1 to Fear checks)
• Herald of Khorne, Exalted Reward (Grimoire of True Names)
• 20-man Bloodletter squad, upgraded with Banner of Blood, instrument, champion
• 12-man Daemonette squad, standard, instrument
• 5-man Flesh Hounds
• 5-man Seekers of Slaanesh
• Soul Grinder of Slaanesh, Baleful Torrent 

Tau: Restricted FOC

• Battlesuit Commander, Drone Controller
• 8-man Marker Drone squad
• 2x 6-man Fire Warrior strike team
• 3x 1-man Crisis Suit (identical equipment, plasma rifle, missile pods)
• 1-man Broadside Suit (missile pods, smart missiles, seeker missile)
• Piranha
• Riptide, 2 shield drones, stimulant injectors

... and other upgrades I'm pretty sure I forgot about.

Deployment

I chose table sides, but the Tau deployed first, forming a gunline in a corner.

I counter-deployed in the opposite corner, with most troops in cover to survive the first turn. I kept the Seekers and the Prince in reserve.

Tau, turn 1.

Barely any movement and surprisingly ineffective shooting due to bad rolls (and good saves on my part).

Daemons, turn 1.

I started by casting the Grimoire on the Bloodletters. Had I failed that, I would have stayed in cover. Alas, Chaos was on my side. I could begin the long march.

The Daemonettes were badly mauled and I didn't want to give up First Blood, so I ran them into cover. The Soul Grinder advanced on the far flank with a Run of 9 inches (thanks to Fleet and Daemon of Slaanesh).
The Warp Storm unleashed itself on a squad of Fire Warriors, making them run away. They regrouped next turn.

Tau, turn 2.

Seeing my quick advance, the Tau re-prioritized their targets. All fire went into the Bloodletters and the Soul Grinder. However, AV13 and 3++ made sure that I escape relatively unscathed.

8 marker lights.

Daemons, turn 2.

Both the Seekers and the Prince entered play. I ran the Seekers in from Outflank and directly into cover, right in front of the Tau gunline, hoping that they would draw away some fire. They did. The Prince entered by Deep Strike and didn't scatter too much.
The Bloodletters advanced, again under the protection of the Grimoire.

The Grinder obliterated a squad of Fire Warriors, gaining me First Blood.
The Prince lashed out at a Crisis Suit, killing it.
The Flesh Hounds charged into combat, survived a whole army's worth of supporting fire (taking no wounds), then took 3 wounds in close combat from Fire Warriors. Yes, you read that right. I even lost the combat, but passed the instability test.

Tau, turn 3.

Withering close range salvos continued to pour into my troops. The Seekers were decimated. The Soul Grinder took another Hull Point damage. Bloodletters died.

No longer fighting through difficult terrain, the Flesh Hounds defeated the Fire Warriors and overran them.

Daemons, turn 3.

Let the slaughter begin!
The Bloodletters charged the Piranha. The Flesh Hounds charged a Crisis Suit. The Prince charged the Commander and his Drones, taking 2 wounds in Overwatch.
The Bloodletters were left clustered up, but at least they took out the melta.
The Hounds were stuck in combat. Yay!
The Prince killed some drones; the Commander had refused the challenge.

Tau, turn 4.

A final barrage of shots before the final charges. The close combats held out.

Daemons, turn 4.

The Prince and the Soul Grinder successfully won the combat together, then advanced on the Riptide. The Bloodletters killed the Drones from the Piranha. The Hounds eliminated the last Crisis Suit.
At the beginning of the assault phase, I charged the Riptide with the Daemonettes to eat his Overwatch. In a fit of luck, I managed an 11 inch charge (Fleet to the rescue) and also survived combat with 1 model, preventing him from shooting.

We played through turn 5, at the end of which the Riptide was left with 1 wound and in combat with everything except the Soul Grinder. The score was 12-1 in my favor. My opponent graciously conceded.

Things to add

• I have purposefully dumbed down my list, knowing that I faced a beginner opponent. It was fun to try out a Lashprince and the Torrent Grinder.
• I rolled very, very well. I got Iron Arm (without which I may have lost my Prince on the turn after arrival). I got all Grimoire rolls. I got both reserves in on turn 2. I compensated a bit with a bad Warp Storm result (-1 invulnerable saves), but that was towards the end, when the battle was already going in my favor.
• Target prioritization is the number 1 issue for the Tau. The Piranha should have hunted down the Grinder with its melta gun. Marker lights could have worked out better.

Warhammer 40k Escalation League at Checkpoint

Even while I was away, the local Warhammer 40k community had not been idle. Championed by our local gaming store, Checkpoint, a series of events dubbed "Escalation League" are in full swing. The ambitious aim of the events is to get people to paint up their armies. Sadly, I have missed the first month of the league; now that I'm back, it's time to dive in headlong!

The point of the league is to "gamify" the evolution of a Warhammer 40k army. As such, there are various objectives for which points are awarded.
First and foremost, you can gain points by painting:

• a fixed number of points for painting stuff before the league;
• painting units during the league;
• creating terrain;
• creating objective markers;
• bonus points for creating a "league character"

Then, you can gain points for playing:

• playing games during the league
• playing games with your "league character"

Then there's a tournament at the end of league, where you can gain more points.

Each week, there's a minimum points limit to the games. This increases over time - hence "Escalation" League. It began with 500 points; this is the second and final week of 1000 point games. Until now, there have been restrictions on the army composition - but all is fair starting with next week's 1250 point games.

Now then, on to my progress.

Stuff painted before the league

• Daemonettes 

There is more, of course; but I made a point of painting this right before the league started.

Stuff painted during the league

• How to paint Plaguebearers
• Painting another squad of Plaguebearers

Games played during the league (with league character)

• Daemons vs Tau, 02.02.2016
• Daemons vs AdMech, 16.02.2016
• Daemons vs Eldar, 22.03.2016

Games played during the league (without league character)

• Daemons vs Khorne Daemonkin, 23.02.2016

League character: Herald of Khorne

Not painted yet.
Background story finished.