Drop Troops Primed and Ready

It seemed like a perfect day to prime some models: 80 and sunny. However, some of them have a bit of a grainy finish to them so maybe it was too windy or maybe I didn't shake my new can of primer enough.

These seven plus the one already primed will be on the paint table tonight for base coating.

Xhorik 87th Drop Troops - First Squad Modeled and Ready for Paint

I finally finished cleaning up and assembling the first squad of the drop troops. These models are a lot of fun to glue together due to the wide variety of interesting and dynamic poses, but they take quite a bit of time due to all of the little bits to clean up and glue on such as the grav-chutes, grenades, canteens, knives, etc. But the end result looks great and I can't wait to start painting these guys tomorrow.

The  squad has a mix of accessories and equipment to reflect their status as a veteran regiment that has been on a long campaign. Some have silencers (Does that even make sense on a las weapon? Maybe it hides the muzzle flash instead.) and some have scopes. They are pretty heavily laden with grenades, extra clips, canteens, and packs and pouches of supplies to give the impression they are ready to strike behind enemy lines and operate independently for some time.

The bases have a little pinch of clay, some slate from my yard in Pittsburgh and then sand glued down around the slate pieces.

These are just iPhone snapshots so not the best quality, but I wanted to share a quick update.

Ork Treadbike - First Painted Model in a Year

Since the last update, I moved across country. I finally have my painting and modeling area setup again and just finished painting my first new model in over a year.

My latest Ork warbike was inspired by this weird thing I saw while searching the internet for inspiration one day last year before we moved.

 Watch out. Bad ork biker comin' through!

Bat Rep 9: Red Brotherhood vs. Da Blitzdreg Boyz - 1205 pts

ARMY SELECTION: 1205 Points

Da Blitzdreg Boyz: Battle Forged Combined Arms Detachment (Phil)

• Warboss Filgakk Skullsplitta: 'Eavy armor, shoota, power klaw, boss pole, Da' Lucky Stikk
• Painboy
• 'Ard Boyz: 12 boyz with 'eavy armor. Nob with boss pole and power klaw.
• Trukk with rokkit launcha
• Slugga Boyz: 22 boyz. Nob with boss pole and power klaw.
• Shoota Boyz: 14 boyz. Nob with boss pole.
• Grotz: 17 gretchin. Runtherd with squighound.
• Tankbustas: 7 boyz
• Meganobz: 3 Meganobz
• Trukk with rokkt launcha
• Bikes x 6. Nob with boss pole and power klaw.
• Warbuggy with twin-linked rokkits
• Skorcha Trakk
• Killa Kan with rokkit launcha 

The Red Brotherhood: Battle Forged Combined Arms Detachment (Pete)

• Company Captain Kane with Artificer Armor and a Chapter Relic sword that gives Rampage and Storm Shield
• 5 Tactical Terminators. 1 Assault Cannon
• Squad Alpha: 10 Tactical Marines. 1 Plasma Gun. 1 Missile Launcher.
• Squad Beta: 6 Tactical Marines. 1 Flamer. 
• Razorback with twin-linkd lascannons and storm bolter
• 5 Devastator Marines. 2 Heavy Bolters. 2 Lascannons 
• Land Raider Crusader with Multi-melta, 2 x Hurricane Bolters and twin-linked Assault Cannon.
• Dreadnought with twin-linked lascannon and twin-linked autocannon.

PRE-GAME
Mission: King of the Hill (custom)
Primary Objective: 2 VP if you hold the primary objective at the end of your turn. 5 VP if you hold it at the end of the game. (Center of the table.)
Secondary Objectives: 1 VP for each secondary objective you hold at the end of your turn. 2 VP for each you hold at the end of the game. (One in each quadrant.)
Tertiary Objectives: Slay the Warlord, First Blood, Linebreaker
Random game length.

Deployment Type: Long table edges
Roll for random deployment zone and marines get north edge.
Marines win roll for deployment choice and choose to deploy second.
Forgot to roll for night fighting.

Warlord Traits: 
Filgakk: +1 to run and assault rolls for units within 12" of Warlord.
Commander Kane: Re-roll 1's to-hit in melee for units within 12" of Warlord

After several recent defeats for his forces, Filgakk Skullsplitta decided to personally lead the main assault on the marines. His bellowing roars of rage would drive his boyz forward to close with the enemy as quickly as possible. Commander Kane knew this battle would come down to desperate hand-to-hand combat throughout the ruined city and had his men ready for the brutal close quarters street fighting that would be needed to break the orks.

DEPLOYMENT

View of deployment from the west. The marines deploy second to counter the orks.

Ork Deployment and Da Plan:

This mission was a sort of hybrid of Maelstrom and Eternal War, rewarding board control throughout the game and also giving a big bonus for holding the objectives at the end of the game.With objectives all over the table, I knew my best chance would be to spread out and hold as many as possible in the early part of the game. The marines would be hard pressed to contest all of them so I would try to build up a big lead early since I figured the marines would have the advantage of a late game push to try to grab the primary objective at the end with the last turn. Like always, I knew if I advanced aggressively, I could keep the marines pinned on their own half of the table where they could not threaten the objectives in my backfield, being held with weak, cheap units. Of course, I sent my biggest mobs with the protection of the painboy and the warboss to charge up the center for the main objective since they would take the most fire and had to be able to survive all game. If the marines deployed in a tight bunch or a refused flank as I expected, I would use the mobility of my flanking units to race around and encircle them.

After seeing the marine deployment, I adjusted my plan slightly. The tanks on his flanks would be tough for my trukks, bikes and buggies to deal with and would prevent me from pulling off a Gorkamorka by hitting his flanks with my speed units at the same time as my central horde hit his front line. Terminators actually have an advantage over meganobz in close combat due to their 5+ invulnerable save so I decided to race my meganobz across the table to a more preferable matchup with tactical marines. And I decided to send the 'ard boyz into the ruins rather than race into the teeth of a Land Raider Crusader that could destroy the trukk with one weapon while wiping out the remaining mob with the other weapons.

Marine Deployment and Strategy:

The center of the ork battle line. 

Warboss Filgakk Skullsplitta leads the main mob.

The mighty mega trukk carries the meganobz down the ruined city streets.

The grotz, bikes and buggies make up the right flank on the eastern edge of the battlefield. 

The devastator squad observes the main objective from a large pile of rubble, supported by the dreadnought.

The two tactical squads advance into the ruins on the marine left: one squad on foot, the other in their Razorback.

Orks Turn 1:

With the Land Raider Crusader and terminators on the west edge of the table, I changed the plan for my trukks, sending the mega trukk racing to the eastern sector and moving the 'ard boyz and their trukk behind the ruins with the plan to disembark next turn. I briefly considered throwing the meganobz straight at the devastators, but figured all of the lascannons between them and the dreadnought would not be good and since I forgot to take a boss pole on this squad, they were in real danger of running away for the whole game if they took a casualty.

The tankbustas also ran into the ruins to get into position to shoot marines with rokkits from hard cover or to assault the Land Raider if it got too close. The killa kan moved up to claim objective 4.

The center ran forward as quickly as they could toward the primary objective but could not reach it. The grotz climbed into the ruins and claimed objective 2. The bikes sped forward with a turbo boost move for the better jink save, but stayed far enough back to be out of double shot bolter range.

A few scattered rokkits were fired to no effect and my turn was over.

The ork center advances aggressively while the mega trukk races to engage the tactical marines.

The Kult of Speed races through the eastern ruins looking to get into position to attack next turn.

End of ork turn 1.

Orks: 2
Marines: 0


Space Marine Turn 1:

The Red Brotherhood moved forward to meet the ork challenge head on.

The Land Raider Crusader moves forward and gets the killa kan in its sights...

...and promptly blows it to bits with its multi-melta before also knocking a hull point off the trukk. First Blood!

In the center, the dreadnought destroys the incoming rokkit buggy with his autocannon. 

The tactical marines in the ruins destroy the skorcha with bolter fire. The Razorback then fired at the mega trukk with its twin-linked lascannon but missed!

 The marines destroyed several light vehicles and brought down a few boyz, but failed to inflict any serious damage on the main ork threats. However, they did claim two secondary objectives and achieved first blood.

Orks: 2
Marines: 3


Orks Turn 2:

 The ork left flank just moved through the ruins trying to get into position to hold objective 4 and counterattack if the terminators tried to take it.

The ork center advanced straight up the table. The shoota boyz claimed the primary objective and fired into the ten-man tactical squad in the ruins. Due to some horrendous armor saves by Pete, they manged to kill five marines with shoota fire! I considered calling my Waaagh! and trying to charge the slugga boyz into the devastators, but I would have needed a 10" charge due to the difficult terrain and did not want to eat overwatch fire for nothing. I also figured it would be better to save it for critical charges I need to have, such as engaging the Land Raider with my tankbustas.

The right flank advanced and attacked the Razorback.

The bikes swarm the Razorback and destroy it with concentrated fire, forcing the marines to disembark and head for cover.

The megatrukk races up to objective 1, ready to unload the meganobz next turn. 

At the end of the turn, the orks held objectives 2 (+1) and 4 (+1) as well as the primary objective (+2).

This turn was light on photos because the action was getting serious!

Orks: 6
Marines: 3

Space Marine Turn 2:

With the orks in control of the center and threatening the marines' lines in multiple positions, it was time for Pete to make his move.

In the eastern sector, the small tactical squad quickly moved away from the incoming bikes and toward the central objective. The tactical squad in the ruins fired at the massive mega trukk and destroyed it, but the meganobz emerged from the wreckage unharmed. The dreadnought lent its fire support but was only able to wound one meganob with its twin-linked autocannon due to rolling a 1 to wound with the twin-linked lascannon.

In the center, the devastators bring down five more slugga boyz while the Land Raider Crusader delivers reinforcements: Commander Kane and his terminators. Meanwhile, the Land Raider fires everything at the tankbustas skulking in the ruins, but due to the cover saves only kills four and the orks do not break.

The megatrukk is destroyed by the tactical marines while the distant dreadnought wounds a meganob.

Brutal close range street fighting erupts throughout the ruined city.

Commander Kane and his terminators disembark and prepare the charge the ork mob in the flank.

The terminators kill another slugga boy with shooting before charging in. In the ensuing melee, Kane wounds the nob, Grodzag Skartoof (who survived thanks to FNP), while using his shield to avoid the retaliation from huge power klaw. The ork boyz kill one terminator, the terminators kill 6 ork boyz and then Filgakk wades in, cutting down three terminators with his mighty blades and his lukky stick. The orks pass their morale thanks to Filgakk's presence.

End of marine turn 2. The space marines counterattack in the center while the orks prepare to counterattack on the flanks.

The marines hold two secondary objectives at the end of their turn.

Orks: 6
Marines: 5

Orks Turn 3:

I started the turn by calling my Waaagh! in order to ensure I could make several critical assaults this turn. The 'ard boyz and tankbustas both charged the Land Raider Crusader while the meganobz assaulted the tactical marines in the ruins.

In the central melee, Commander Kane slays Grodzag, while Filgakk kills the terminator sergeant.

The meganobz charge into the ruins and decimate the tactical marines and claim objective 1.

The tankbustas blow the Land Raider to bits with tankbusta bombz, while four orks died in the explosion!

The orks now held three secondary objectives and the primary objective to earn five victory points this turn.


Orks: 11
Marines: 5


Space Marine Turn 3:

With the destruction of the Land Raider, things were looking bleak for the marines. The devastators brought down five of the surviving 'ard boyz, but the orks passed morale.

The remaining tactical marines launch a desperate counter attack on the shoota boyz, but only mange to kill two while the dreadnought brought down another with his heavy weapons.

 

The remaining marines fight on heroically, refusing to give up despite their dwindling numbers.

At this point, The Red Brotherhood's only hope was for Kane to slay the ork warlord in close combat so he issued a challenge and the two old foes stepped up to meet each other once again, their weapons dripping with the blood of their previous victims.

(Remember, Kane defeated Filgakk Skullsplitta in Battle Reports 4 and 5 and Filgakk's lieutenant warboss Blakkfist in Battle Report 7. Filgakk  was looking for revenge.)

 Kane inflicted two wounds on the snarling beast before the giant greenskin struck back with a flurry of attacks. Kane only failed one save, but that was all it took to bring down the mighty hero.

Filgakk finally had his revenge as he cut down Commander Kane.

End of marine turn 3. The orks close in around the last of the marines.

Orks: 12 (Slay the Warlord)
Marines: 6 (Objective 3)


Orks Turn 4:

Laughing, the shoota boyz in the center fire into the exposed tactical squad and bring down four of the brave, but doomed heroes.

Filgakk leads his last few boyz in an assault against the devastators and wipes them out to a man.

At this point, with only two models left, Pete concedes.

End of ork turn 4 and end of game. The ork forces drive off the marines and claim the ruined city.

The remaining space marine sergeant and dreadnought fall back with the body of the injured Commander Kane, vowing revenge on the foul xenos.

Final Result:

Orks: 17 

Space Marines: 6

Ork Victory!

POST-GAME ANALYSIS:

Phil (Orks):
A resounding victory for the orks and personal revenge for Filgakk Skullsplitta!

My advantage in this type of game is to put pressure on all of the objectives right from the start, which forced Pete to make a tough choice: spread out to contest all of the objectives or stay bunched up and cede some objectives to me uncontested. In this match, Pete spread his marines out and the result was that he could not do enough concentrated damage to any part of my force to break it.

What we learned from game 7 is that his marines will win if he can divide and conquer by destroying my army piecemal: first the trukks and bikes and then the big mob, in that game. In this game, he killed a number of my units on the first turn, but not the ones that were the biggest threats to him. But his non-ideal targets were somewhat forced by what I gave him to shoot at and the fact that his units could not all target the same things together, which you need to do to destroy the toughest units.

All in all, I think I played my best game of the campaign, tactically. Each unit utilized its strengths and minimized its weaknesses, from the grotz right up to the warboss. I used hard cover effectively to reduce the impact of the marine shooting and I used my mobility to counter his counter-deployment so each of my units could be effective, such as sending the meganobz across the entire table to wipe out the tactical marines instead of trying to face down the terminators and Land Raider.

Of course, in any big win the winner is helped by some luck, such as when my shoota boyz killed five tactical marines with one volley when the law of averages says I should have caused only 1.5 casualties.

But ultimately, it comes down to positioning and match-ups. I was able to use my maneuverability to dictate the game and Pete's deployment left him over-extended where his units could not support each other as much as they needed to.

Ork MVP: When I win, it is because my slugga boyz with warboss and painboy perform well. When they don't perform, I lose. In this game, they really carried the day by soaking up a lot of shots and surviving thanks to the painboy and then hitting back hard enough to kill the terminators and the captain after getting charged in close combat (and then mopped up the devastators for good measure). Pete needed to win the big melee to have a chance at taking the primary objective and winning the game. The last three games that my warboss faced Pete's captain in close combat (Bat Reps 4, 5, and 7), the captain won every time. This time, I had enough characters to absorb the captain's challenges while my warboss wiped out the terminators and then the warboss had enough wounds left when he finally faced the captain to absorb two wounds from Kane before striking back. And Pete finally failed a 3++ and one fail is all it takes! In the previous games, Pete shot my boyz mob up more before charging in for the kill.

Honorable mention goes to the tankbustas for killing the Land Raider Crusader for the first time yet!

Ork Disappointment: Nothing under-performed in this game. Every unit was able to accomplish what I needed, even those vehicles that gave their lives on the first turn without doing any damage. They were sacrificed so my other units could survive and I felt that everything really went according to plan in this game.

Key Moment: The first round of the main melee. The nob survived Kane's attacks in the challenge because of two Feel No Pain saves, which kept the captain tied up in the second round of melee and kept him away from my painboy and warboss. In past games, that captain had assassinated all of my characters and ork boyz alone are not much of a threat unless they charge. This time, Filgakk was able to wreak havoc on the terminators unmolested, killing three in that crucial first round, and then face Kane with all of his wounds intact so he could survive the captain's higher initiative attacks.