The Pack Howls... Space Wolves vs Imperial Guard 1500

The first outing for my 3^rd edition themed Space wolves, and it’s against Imperial guard in a 1500 point game of Big guns never tire with 5 objectives. The deployment was vanguard strike in a rather wooded table. So we have an interesting game to test the list out again, wish me luck.

The Armies

Space wolves

Ragnar Blackmane – 240 (warlord: legendary fighter) w/ 10 man hunters

10 Grey hunters – 185

Power fist, standard

9 Grey hunters – 155

Melta gun, power axe

Rhino - 35

9 Grey hunters – 165

Melta gun, power fist

Rhino - 35

3 Wolf guard – 99 (1 in each hunter squad)

3 x melta bomb, 2 x power axe, power sword

Dreadnaught – 105

Assault cannon

Land speeder – 60

Multi-melta

Land Raider crusader – 260

Multi-melta

6 Long fangs – 155

Lascannon, 4 x missile launcher 

Imperial Guard

Company Command – 95

Master of ordinance, standard

Veterans – 115

Plasma gun, demolitions

Chimera - 55

Veterans – 120

Carapace armour, lascannon

Infantry Command – 30

Infantry squad – 70

Lascannon

Infantry squad – 70

Lascannon

Heavy weapons team – 85

Lascannon, 2 x autocannon

Special weapons team – 50

3 x sniper rifle

Storm Troopers – 100

1 plasma gun

Storm Troopers – 100

Plasma gun

Marbo - 65

Bane Wolf – 130

Heavy bolter

Leman Russ Battle Tank – 150

Heavy bolter

Leman Russ Executioner – 190

Heavy bolter

Griffon – 75

Well an interesting game is ahead, a fair few troops and a couple of tanks. If i can target the lascannons, bane wolf and executioner i should be ok. Should be...

The Mission

We rolled Big guns never tire with 5 objectives, the deployment type is vanguard strike. I won the roll for picking deployment zone then rolled for number of objectives. We got 5 objectives and placed them in the ruins bottom right, bottom left in the trees, in the swamp in the middle, top middle in trees, and top left next to the rocks.

Imperial guard deployment

The imperial guard win the roll to set up and go first, the battle tank is set up on the left, next the griffon hides behind the ruined temple. The carapace vets hide in the actual temple with the company command behind them. A infantry platoon goes on the rocky hill with the heavy weapon team and the other infantry goes into the trees. Also in the woods get placed the infantry command and the special weapon team. On the right we get the chimera and executioner, as well as one unit of storm troopers. The bane wolf goes right in the middle aiming for me. Marbo and a storm trooper unit go into reserve.

Space wolves deployment

I then set up my small force, the land raider goes right in the middle flanked by a rhino on its left. The dreadnaught goes behind them and the speeder hides behind the woods on the right. The other rhino goes on the right behind the bunker. I then set up the long fangs in the ruins next to the objective.

Deployment

Night Fight: No

Steal the initiative: Damn straight! About time.

The Battle

Space wolf turn 1

Forwards Ho! I drive the land raider straight forwards flanked by its rhino friend. The other rhino moves forwards. The dread walks forwards and the speeder moves to the left. Both rhinos pop smoke.

Shooting starts with the long fangs splitting fire with the missile launchers targeting the chimera, getting a single glance, and the lascannon targets the executioner but it does nothing. The land raider uses its multi-melta on the bane wolf and stuns it.

Imperial guard turn 1

The battle tank moves in order to see the land speeder while the chimera moves forwards to block in the rhino between the two buildings. The rest of the army just mills around to get into a better position.

Shooting starts with the battle tanks shooting at the speeder and it gets a single glance on it which i fail to jink but at least it survives. The executioner targets the long fangs and gets 8 hits, so i have to go to ground, and only 1 fang dies. The storm troopers on the right target the rhino and gets a single glance with its plasma gun. The heavy weapon team shoot its lascannon at the land raider but the shot fails to penetrate it, but the veterans show them how its done and explode the land raider. In the explosion 3 space wolves die. Not giving the space wolves a moments respite, the master of ordinance targets the hunters in the land raiders shell and it only scatters 3 inches, clipping a few killing 2. Again the hunters are targeted by the special weapons team and the snipers all get precision shots and rend the wolf standard who fails his cover save. What a great first turn.

Space wolves turn 2

With no land raider on the table, the grey hunters and Ragnar move forwards towards the guard. The land speeder goes to the side armour of the leman russ battle tank, both rhinos move forwards, but the one on the right is blocked by the chimera so it only moves 6 so the marines inside can drive by the chimera with melta fire.

Shooting starts with the land speeder shooting at the battle tank, making it explode. On the other side of the table the melta from the hunters explodes the chimera killing 4 of the veterans in the process and pinning them. Keeping up such a good turn the dreadnaught shoots its assault cannon at the Bane wolf, getting 2 penetrating hits, wrecking it. The long fangs miss their snap shots and 2 veterans on the left die to bolter fire.

Imperial guard turn 2

Reserves are rolled for and the storm troopers come in, marbo fails to. The storm troopers are placed behind the grey hunters but they scatter 11 backwards into the trees, none die to dangerous terrain. On the right the storm troopers move back to just get the plasma gun in range of the rhino.

Again the master of ordinance targets the hunters in the open but this time it scatter into no where, thank god. The heavy weapon team shoots at the rhino in the middle of the table and get 2 penetrating hits, a weapon destroyed and shaken. The speeder gets wrecked by a lascannon from an infantry platoon. The pinned vets get a single hit on the rhino with its plasma gun and glances it. The executioner again shoots at the long fangs and i decide not to go to ground and roll 1,1,2 losing 3 fangs to plasma death. Not having enough attention, the griffon shoots at the grey hunters in the open some how killing 2. The storm troopers in the woods shoot at the hunters but Ragnar Blackmane is the closes, and i decide to take a chance and save both wounds with his invulnerable save. The sniper teams show off their sniper abilities and glance the rhino in the middle to death, making the hunters get out of their ride.

Space wolves turn 3

With the new targets behind my lines, i decided to break the dreadnaught off and kill them off to save them becoming a throne later on. The grey hunters just out of the wrecked rhino can’t assault this turn... great, so they move forwards to double tap their bolters. On the right i am tempted to tank shock the veterans in my way but before i do i check up on the rule for death or glory, the attack automatically hits, and they still have a demo charge... probably not a good idea.

The lone long fang with heavy weapon misses his shot at the veterans on the right... not what i wanted. Unleashing its payloads on the storm troopers the dreadnaught kills 1. The larger grey hunters in the middle shoot at the infantry squad and kill 7 + the heavy weapon team, not a bad turn.

Assault phase and the dreadnaught charges into the storm troopers and kills 3 of the models, but it takes a glancing hit for its trouble. The lone trooper runs nad gets cut down by the dreadnaught. Ragnar and friends attempt to charge the veterans in the ruined temple but don’t roll far enough.

Imperial guard turn 3

Still no marbo thank god. The infantry at the back move around to take the objective. The executioner moves forwards to see the marines. The storm troopers move forwards towards the rhino as do the infantry command.

Shooting starts with the heavy weapon team wrecking the dreadnaught with ease, the veterans in the ruins shoot at ragnars hunters and kill 1 marine and wound ragnar. On the right the infantry platoon shoot at the grey hunters and kills the melta gun guy. The storm troopers kill 6 grey hunters! Damn ap 3 shots. Veterans use their demo charge on the rhino, it hits and fails to penetrate or even glance. Then some other veteran throws a krack grenade and glances it, leaving it on 1 hull point. The executioner shoots at the grey hunters targeting Ragnar black mane, killing all the hunters and wounding Ragnar. The griffon shoots at the large hunters, killing 1.

Space wolves turn 4

With the Demo charge now used, i feel its safe the tank shock the veterans blocking the rhinos path, they decided to death or glory with the plasma gun and its gets a glancing hit... wrecking the rhino. The marines jump out. Ragnar Blackmane, now alone, moves forwards intending to get to grips with the enemy. The hunters in the middle of the table move towards the executioner.

 

As he was unmolested last turn, the lone long fang shoots at the infantry command squad killing 2 with its blast. The hunters on the far right shoots at the veterans which destroyed their ride, and kill 4 of them.

Combat phase and Ragnar charges into the veterans and only gets 1 wound, and instant kills the heavy weapons team. But the return attacks gets really lucky and takes his final wound off him, killing him. The hunters in the middle charge into the executioner and get a single penetrating hit, and immobilise it.

Imperial guard turn 4

Marbo comes in as its turn 4 right behind the hunters on the right, ready to bring the pain. The lone veteran and storm troopers go after the disembarked marines on the right.

The master of ordinance targets the grey hunters on the right and clip and kill 2. The heavy weapon teams kill off the long fang sergeant, leaving 1 man standing, who bottles it and runs down the ruin to escape. Marbo throws his Demo charge at the grey hunters next to him and it scatters a little only killing 2 while the storm troopers kill 2 more.

The special weapons team charge into the wolves trying to destroy the russ but fail to do any wounds to them, the marines attack the tank but fail to even glance it.

Space wolves turn 5

The grey hunters on the right turn around and move to hide from the guard army but target Marbo. The long fang regroups, and climbs back up to the top of the ruin.

Again the long fang misses.

Assault phase and the hunters charge into Marbo but only deal a single wound to him, he hit and runs away.

Imperial guard turn 5

His army shuffles around to claim a few more objectives.

A guardsman kills a single grey hunter as the heavy weapons teams kill off he last long fang.

Assault phase and Marbo charges back into the grey hunters and gets cut down. The other hunters attack the russ again but fails to do any damage, but neither do the imperial guard. Drawn combat.

We roll to see if the game carries on...

Space wolves turn 6

The hunters move forwards and kill 2 storm troopers while nothing happens in combat again.

Imperial guard turn 6

The storm troopers shoot at the hunters and kill 2 after they go to ground. The griffon then finishes them off.

In combat the grey hunters get another penetrating hit on russ and wreck it as they get another immobilising result. But the imperial guard fail to kill any wolves.

We roll again...

End of Game.

Imperial guard: 12 (3 objectives, first blood, warlord, 1 heavy support) – Space wolves: 3 (line breaker, 2 heavy support)

Post-Battle

Well that could have gone a lot better for the marines; I was almost tabled bar 2 lone grey hunters. It didn’t help that the land raider exploded turn 1, which hampered my plan quite a bit. My indecision about tank shocking the veterans with the rhino is probably something that let me down. If i had done it and the rhino didn’t get wrecked i could have destroyed the executioner with the metla gun from the grey hunters. But such is life.

So far the 3^rd edition list isn’t doing very well... i will give it another go next game and see what happens.