Renegades and Heretics VS Elysian D-99 veterans 2000 points: Valkyrie down

Knowing the position of the heretics, the Imperium send in their finest for a lightning attack. Who better than the veterans of the Elysian drop troopers? The forces of chaos still have a surprise up their sleeve, as they have been reinforced by the chaos space marines, unknown to the Imperium. Can the swift but weak units of the Guard take on hordes of the Heretics? The game is Relic, with hammer and anvil deployment.

The Armies

Renegades and Heretics: Combined Arms detachment

Renegade Command Squad – 160 (warlord: Remove D3 models, target unit rallies)

Arch Deamagoge: Bloody handed reaver, power maul, carapace armour, melta bomb

Standard of hate, command vox, +4 disciples (total of 8), carapace armour

Rogue Psyker – 35

Infantry Platoon

Command – 155

20 man, Militia training, flak armour, 2x autocannon, 3x plasma gun, command vox, Demagoge

Infantry squad – 95

20 man, 2x flamer, chaos sigil, militia training, flak armour

Infantry squad – 115

20 man, 3x melta gun, militia training, chaos sigil, flak armour

15 mutants – 65

Champion, covenant of khorne, scary mutants

3 Ogryn Bezerkers – 205

Carapace armour

3 Sentinels – 200

Heavy armour, militia training, autocannons

Support weapon team – 105

4 teams, lascannons, militia training

Leman Russ Battle tank – 150

Militia training

Leman Russ Battle tank – 150

Militia training

Defence line – 85

Icarus lascannon

Chaos Space Marines: Allied detachment

Sorcerer – 110

Level 2, force axe, gift of mutation (+1 toughness), aura of dark glory

5 Chaos space marines – 115

Power fist, plasma gun

Defiler – 195

Total: 2000 points

With this force I didn't really have much of a plan; I just wanted a nice chaos force which had a little bit of everything. I knew I was playing the Elysians and so as an afterthought I added in the defence line with lascannon, it wasn't much anti-air but it was better than nothing. I just hoped I could play to the mission, grab the objective and move back before he can do too much damage to me.

Elysian D-99: Combined arms detachment

Command Squad – 175 (warlord: can’t remember trait)

Refractor Field, 2x Snipers, Scanner, Medic

Veteran Squad - 99

8 Elysians, Heavy Bolter, plasma Gun

Veteran Squad – 99

8 Elysians, Heavy Bolter, Plasma Gun

Veteran Squad – 99

8 Elysians, Heavy Bolter, Plasma Gun

Executioner Squad – 130

7 Elysians, 6x Meltaguns

Valkyrie - 155

Rocket Pods, Heavy Bolters

Drop Sentinel Squadron – 180

2 sentinels, 2 x Multi-meltas

Valkyrie Sky Talon - 85

Rocket Pods

Drop Sentinel Squadron – 90

Multi-melta

Tauros Venerator – 110

Twin-linked Lascannon, 2x Hunter Killer

Vulture Gunship - 175

Punisher Cannons

Tempestus Scions: Allied Detachment (99th Elysian "Helljumpers")

Tempestus Command Squad

Vox-Caster, Medi-Pack, Volley Gun, Plasma Pistol, Standard

Taurox Prime

Twin linked Autocannon, Storm bolter

Tempestus Scions

10 Scions, Vox-Caster, 2x Volley Guns

Taurox Prime

Gatling Cannon, Storm Bolter

Tempestus Scions 

10 Scions, Vox-Caster, 2x Meltaguns

This list is always awkward to play against, with several fliers and many units able to deep strike (practically all of them) it’s hard to know where the fight will be taken. He gets to fight on his terms, so you have to try and be able to respond quickly and with as much force as possible.

The Mission

Deployment for this game was hammer and anvil, and the mission was the Relic. We had a piece of terrain of a crashed flier cockpit, so we used that for the relic, and when you pick it up, you take the 'black box'. So we are both after the information this flier contains. We roll for deployment, and I win the roll and I select for the Elysians to set up first, so I can see where he goes.

The Elysians much to my surprise have a rather lot more boots on the ground that I expected. All of the veteran units start on the table, all over the place, along with the two taurox units (one containing the tempestus command, the other the scions) on my left. The tauros hides at the back ready to snipe with its lascannon), while his commander hides in the ruins. The rest start in reserve. 

For my deployment I fill out the whole of my deployment zone, with a leman russ on each side of the table. I set up the defence line in front of the relic so I can offer some solid covering fire. The heavy weapons and infantry command squad set up behind the defence line. The defiler and ogryn (joined by chaos sorceror) set up on my right, ready to pour forwards backed up by the rogue psyker. On my left the space marines, sentinels and an infantry squad with melta guns hold that flank. The commander sits in his chimera ready to attack.

Night Fight: No

Steal the initiative: No

The Battle

Elysian turn 1

Thanks to the drop assault rules, he can select half (rounding up) of his units with the rule to deep strike turn 1. The lone drop sentinel fires its grav shoot and it lands on target, right in front of one of the Battle tanks. Again screaming in from above, the valkyrie transport drops in front of the defiler but scatters a little, it’s in hover mode so the executioners jump out ready to blast the defiler with 6 melta shots. Back in his deployment the veterans move around to get better firing positions and both tauroxs push forwards though the woods. The Tauros also repositions in order to shoot at the battle tanks.

Unloading the full extent of its multi-melta the drop sentinel hits the left hand russ and detonates its ammunition store, exploding the tank in a spectacular fashion. The flames envelope a space marine, and renegade infantryman, killing both. 6 melta guns at the ready, the executioners target the defiler, but 4 miss with an unlucky roll, but both of the other hits penetrate its armour. Unfortunately one is stopped by its daemon save, and the other rolls a 1, vehicle shaken, which is then ignored by the daemonic resilience. Attempting to finish the job, the tauros also shoots at the defiler but fails to hit.  Unloading all of its shots, the valkyrie shoots at the heavy weapons teams. Now because of its elevated position, it could see them clearly over the defence line. We weren't sure about whether or not that would ignore the cover save, but in the end decided it did, and they all died. The veterans and taurox with punisher cannon target the infantry command, but they go to ground and only 2 die. The final taurox fires its cannon at the sentinels and gets a single glancing hit.

Renegades turn 1

What can move up does, with the defiler trying to get as close to the hovering flier as possible while the ogryn are ready to smash into the executioners. On my left the sentinels go after his drop sentinel, wanting to prove who the better pilot is.

Psychic phase and the chaos sorcerer sends out a psychic shriek at the executioners, and kills 5. Unfortunately the backlash from using his power makes him lose a wound (perils of the warp). The renegade psyker attempts to give fleet to the ogryn but fails to manifest his powers.

A few plasma shots from the chaos marines knock a hull point off the elysian sentinel, and its then wrecked by a lucky melta gun shot from the renegades behind the marines. This frees up the renegade walkers to target a turox, getting two penetrating hits on it, stunning it, and better yet, the passengers are caught off guard by the sudden shunt and can only snap shot next turn. Using its 360 sight, the chimera fires its turret at the executioners killing off another and then the last is killed by the command squad shooting out the back hatch. Having gone to ground, they have to snap shot, but the infantry command fires at the flier, but all the shots miss and a plasma gun explodes for my trouble as well. The lone battle tank fires its cannon at the closest unit of veterans on the right, the shots scatters widely, but then a snap shot from the heavy bolter kills off the unit sergeant.

Assault phase and the defiler charges into the flier, grabs it out the sky and throws it to the floor exploding it. The explosion is 6 inches and wounds an ogryn, and kills a couple of the infantry nearby.

Elysians turn 2

 In from reserve, the talon deep strikes behind my lines getting placed behind my infantry, locking on. The vulture arrives as well but comes in from his table edge pushing up on my left, towards the sentinels. The tauros moves behind the ruins to be hull down while able to shoot at the defiler. Still reeling from the sudden impact on their transport, the scions jump out of the taurox, allowing the transport and other taurox to move into the woods. Not letting the scions go alone, the scion command group jump out to support them. The veterans on my left move up into the woods as well to gain cover as much as possible. At the end of his movement phase I intercept with the lascannon but I miss my mark.

Shooting phase and to start the stunned taurox uses its smoke launchers to avoid the same fate this turn. From its new hiding place the tauros aims its lascannon and two hunter killer missiles shoot at the defiler, blowing off one of its claws. Unloading everything into the infantry in front of it, the Talon only manages to kill 3 as one of the blasts scatters off massively. Unlike the other flier, the Vulture fires into the infantry on my left (melta gun unit) and it just cuts them down, killing 14! I roll for their leadership; they get 5, and run for it unsurprisingly. Taurox fire hits the infantry command and kills off the Demagogue and heavy weapon teams. Despite the loss of their commander, they hold. Fire from the snap shooting scions manages to kill off the chaos space marines with some very lucky rolls, and the command wrecks a sentinel. Sniper fire from the command hits the mutants killing 1, and pinning the unit. To finish the turn a veteran attempts to damage the defiler with a plasma gun, but the powers of chaos work in many favour, the plasma gun explodes killing its user.

Renegades and heretics turn 2

I attempt to rally the infantry but the just run off the table, worthless lackeys. With the imperial tanks moving into the woods they are almost within the defilers grasp, and it moves straight for them. The rest of my force again moves forwards, with the company command taking point and tries to take out the tauros. The chaos sorcerer leaves the ogryn and joins the infantry command squad, so his leadership can be used by other models thanks to the units command vox.

Psychic phase and it all goes badly with nothing getting cast.

Again the russ harasses the veterans on the right, again the cannon scatters but the heavy bolter kills two, even though its snap fires. Firing both guns, the chimera manages to shake the taros, reducing it to 1 hull point. The company command squad take two long range shots at the veterans in the woods and manage to down 2 veterans. Autocannon fire from the sentinels targets the scion command, and thanks to bad placement and troops unwilling to take a bullet, the commander gets blown to pieces.

Assault phase, the daemon engine roars in delight as it charges into a taurox and wrecks it with its single claw. Trying to finish the job the sentinel’s charge into the remaining scion command and take a single glancing hit for their trouble. End of the turn and the defiler regenerates a single hull point. 

Elysians turn 3

The final unit comes from reserve, the other scions deep strike in behind the defiler and again lock on, causing me some problems. The vulture moves around the table to see some more infantry to kill while the talon moves behind the mutants. In danger from being punched to death the last taurox gets the scions back in and goes as far from the defiler as possible. Tauros shaken, but not down, backs off.

The tauros goes flat out trying to get out of sight behind the woods in his deployment. The taurox goes flat out aiming for line breaker later, hiding behind the old imperial stronghold. Some sneaky sniper shots from the command kill a mutant but they aren’t pinned this turn. The vulture shoots at the sorcerers unit and kills all of the guardsmen. Melta guns prove useful from the scions who just deep struck in as they blow off the other claw. Again the talon proves disappointing and only kills 3 renegades. Once more the veterans try to use their plasma weapons, this time on the chimera, but chaos protects, and it explodes killing the user.

Combat between the sentinels and the scion command is a slap fight with nothing happening.

Renegades turn 3

Its possibly mid game so the ogryn go towards the relic while the defiler turns around. The only renegades left go through the swamp straight to the relic, while the mutants leave the side of the russ and make their way to the relic. Running round on his own the renegade psyker moves into the ruins.

Again the psycic phase holds nothing for me as I fail everything. I keep trying to perils the rogue psyker but it doesn’t happen.

As I want the defiler to charge to avoid getting killed this turn, he flames the scions who deep struck next to him, killing 6 of them. A few shots from the renegade infantry drops another storm trooper. Both the ogryn and mutants run towards the relic. Holding his position, the chaos sorcerer uses the lascannon to shoot at the vulture but he jinks out the way. The russ fires at the elysian command squad, it locks on hitting them all but they go to ground and survive. Shooting from the chimera kills 2 veterans while the commanders shoot at another and bring down 1. This leaves a single veteran in the ruins next to the rogue psyker.

Assault phase, the defiler wants revenge for the loss of its second claw, and charges into the tempestus scions. 1 dies to hammer of wrath but the defiler fails to kill any more, and takes a glancing hit back. The slap fight carries on between the sentinels vs command.

Elysians turn 4

Dropping down into hover mode, the talon releases the drop sentinels which chase after the leman russ. Now it can shoot the Tauros moves to see the chimera. As the ogryns are the biggest target this turn, the vulture and veterans all get into position to shoot them. Hiding even deeper in my deployment, the taurox hides in the tunnel under the tower of the strong point. The scions jump out though and go straight for the chaos sorcerer.

A wall of hot shots comes from the scions killing off the chaos sorcerer. Two mulit-melta shots hit the rear of the leman russ and unsurprisingly it explodes, another tank dies to drop sentinels. Finally the tauros hits its mark and explodes the chimera, killing off 3 of the disciples from the command squad. I have just realised that the talon kills 8 infantry with its rocket pods, but it jinked last turn so it shouldn’t have been able to do that, never mind. They run from the casualties. Attempting to kill off the ogryns, the vulture shoots with its punisher cannons but only manage to inflict a single wound, the veterans open fire as well and do 2 wounds, but as they are on the other side a different ogryn takes the wounds.

Assault phase and a lone veteran charges into the rogue psyker but neither do any damage. Finally the sentinels kill off a tempestus command member, and take a glancing hit, drawn combat. The defiler combat ends with nothing.

Renegades turn 4

Grabbing the objective, the ogryn make themselves an even bigger target. Thankfully the running infantry rally so they aren’t out the game just yet, but they are next to the scions. My command, now on foot pushes forwards trying to do some damage to his command before dying. Hoping to hold them up, the mutants move back and block the drop sentinels.

Again the witch attempts to perils but fails. I do manage to get the psychic power off but it doesn’t help with anything.

Even though it’s only a snap shot the rallied renegades shoot at the scions but fail to do any damage. The commander open fire on his command but does no damage.

Assault, I make a mistake and charge the mutants into the drop sentinels, 1 mutant gets kicked in the face and they run and get cut down. They then consolidate closer to the ogryn. In the other combats the only note is the defiler kills a single scion, and they hold.

Elysian turn 5

Most of the army moves to target the ogryn, except for the talon and vulture which go after the renegade command.

Melta fire from the drop sentinels deals 2 wounds to the slightly injured ogryn killing it. The taros kills off the other injured ogryn, leaving 1 left. It takes all of the remaining veterans to down the final ogryn, making him drop the relic. With the newly rallied renegades in front of them, the scions have a brief period of target practice, killing them all. Doing what it does best, the vulture strafes my command and kills them all off with its 14 hits, re-rolling 2’s is harsh.

Assault phase and the defiler finally win the combat by killing off the scions.

Renegades turn 5

 

The defiler moves into the middle of the table, and fires its reaper autocannon at the elysian command killing 1.

In combat the witch and vet fight is a slap fest.

We roll to see if the game continues, it doesn’t.

Elysians: 3 (first blood, line breaker, slay the warlord) - Renegades: 0

Post-Battle

Well that went well. A lot of mistakes were made in this game, mainly in my deployment I feel, but also as the game progressed.

First I should have deployed first, I though seeing where he deployed would have helped but really I have so much stuff I had no option other than spreading out. Knowing this I should have selected to deploy first, spread out and see if then it would have been useful to go first or second. If I had gone first I at least would have had a shot with each of my battle tanks.

Placing my defence line in front of the relic while a good idea, meant it slowed me down when I had to move, and really I should have been moving from the start. My numbers where my advantage, so I should have swarmed the relic, and then moved it back towards my table edge. He can decide where to fight so I had to reduce the amount of room for him to deep strike into.

Towards the end charging the sentinels with my mutants was a mistake, I should have blocked them in, so they had to assault me or shoot the ogryn though my unit giving them a cover save. Such a rookie mistake.

Over all this game was fun if not badly played on my part. I think I am starting to get to grips with the renegades and heretics, but I don’t think I will be using chaos allies again for a while. They didn’t seem to add much, and I don’t really have different models to use.

Regardless I hope you enjoyed the report.