Thone of Skulls Game 1: Renegades vs Ravenguard

 Game 1 of the July throne of skulls event and my renegades and heretics take on the forces of the Ravenguard aided by an armoured company. Its a very compact and hard hitting list so I will need to make my numbers count if I am to win.

The Armies

Renegades and Heretics: Combined arms detachment (primary detachment)

Renegade Command Squad – 90 (warlord: night attacker)

5 disciples, covenant of nurgle, lascannon, krack grenades

Renegade Infantry Platoon

command squad – 100

20 men, demagogue, chaos sigil, militia training, krack grenades, 2x flamer

Infantry squad – 85

20 men, chaos sigil, militia training, krack grenades

Infantry squad – 60

10 men, 2x melta gun, militia training

Chimera – 70

autocannon, heavy flamer, militia training

Infantry squad – 60

10 men, 2x melta gun, militia training

Chimera – 70

autocannon, heavy bolter, militia training

40 Plague zombies – 120

Renegade tank squadron – 280

2x battle tank

Demolisher – 170

militia training

Heavy ordinance battery – 90

militia training, medusa siege gun

Chaos Daemons: Combined arms detachment

Herald of Nurgle (the fool of nurgle) – 95

locus of fecundity, level 1 psyker [enfeeble, smite]

20 plaguebearers – 180

3 nurglings – 45

soul grinder – 180

daemon of nurgle, phlegm

soul grinder – 180

daemon of nurgle, phlegm

Total: 1875

 

The beautifully painted ravenguard

Ravenguard: Combined Arms detachment (primary detachment)

Chapter Master – 250 (warlord: move though cover ruins)

Artificer armour, bike, The shield Eternal, Thunder hammer

Tactical Squad – 75

5 man, melta gun, combi-melta, melta bomb

Razorback – 95

twin-linked lascannon

Tactical Squad – 75

5 man, melta gun, combi-melta, melta bomb

Razorback – 95

twin-linked lascannon

Tactical Squad – 75

5 man, melta gun, combi-melta, melta bomb

Razorback – 75

twin-linked heavy bolter

Comtemptor Mortis Dreadnought – 235

2x kheres pattern assault cannon, cyclone missile launcher

Stormtalon Gunship – 115

skyhammer missile launcher, twin-linked assault cannon

Stormtalon Gunship – 115

skyhammer missile launcher, twin-linked assault cannon

Armoured Battle Group: Combined arms detachment

Company command tank – 205

vanquisher, beast hunter shells, camo netting, lascannon,

Vanquisher – 135

lascannon

Vanquisher – 135

lascannon

Vendetta – 170

Total: 1870

His whole force

The Mission

In this event the mission is rolled randomly before each game, and for game one we get the Mealstrom mission Deadlock, with vanguard strike deployment.

Rolling for deployment, the Ravenguard win and select to set up first. His deployment was quite quick, the two vanquishers are placed on the right and the lascannon razorbacks on the left. In the centre the command vanquisher and heavy bolter razorback are placed. The dreadnought and chapter master deploy between the razorbacks.  The flyers are in reserve.

My turn to deploy and I try to do it quickly as we only have a limited time to play. Both Chimera and a soul grinder go on the left hand side, and the battle tank squadron hide behind them. In the centre the medusa deploys behind the bastion. The infantry command deploys to the right with the plaguebearers on the extreme right. The zombies go behind the medusa and the other infantry squad goes on the right between the battle tanks and chimeras. I place the demolisher behind the building in the centre of my deployment zone trying to hide it. My warlord finally is placed inside the building in my deployment zone. I keep the nurglings and other soul grinder in reserve to deep strike them in. 

Night Fight: Turn 1 (night attacker)

Steal the Initiative: No

Each table has a special rule associated with it, reflecting a tank battle of note. This table had the special rule that if you roll a 5 or 6 when moving though cover you take D6 strength 4 hits. I can't remember the name of the battle but it was to represent units getting attacked by lictors in the cover. Because of this I avoid all cover as possible, and it doesn't really stop the marines.

The Battle

Ravenguard turn 1

All of the transports move up towards my line, and on the left the tactical marines jump out into the ruin. The chapter master goes straight towards my infantry. The vanquishers move about to get better line of sight and unfortunately can see my demolisher.

Targeting my infantry on the left the chapter master calls down a orbital bombardment and it locks on, killing 3 of the infantry. Shots from the vanquishers target the demolisher and shakes it.

Score: 2 cards

Ravenguard: 2 – Renegades: 0

Renegades turn 1

I don't have much of a plan at this point so I run straight at his lines, I need the daemons and infantry to get close if they are to do any real damage. Hiding from fire, the demolisher moves back while the tank squadron come out of hiding.

Battle cannon shots from the leman russ tanks targets the two razorbacks and they manage to do a couple of hull points to each. One of them is then finished off by the chimera autocannons, wrecking one of them and reducing the other to 2. With infantry on the ground the soul grinder then targets them and kills off 3 of them. The medusa targets the dreadnought and manages to blow off the cyclone missiles.

Score: First Blood, 1 card

Ravenguard: 2 – Renegades: 2

Ravenguard turn 2

In from reserve comes a vendetta which goes for the russ squadron and a stormtalon which aims to get the side armour of the soul grinder. Chapter master carries on its course straight for the infantry on the right. The vanquishers again move about. The unit forced out moves into the ruins and gets close to the chimeras.

Chaoter master vs infantry

All three lascannons from the vendetta manage to just wreck a single leman russ and the stromtalon only takes a single hull point off the soul grinder. Again the demolisher is just in sight and gets shaken again. The command vanquisher targets the plaguebearers with its instant kill rounds and kills off a couple of them ignoring feel no pain. Aiming both assault cannons at the medusa, the dreadnought kills off a crewman and deals 2 wounds to the gun. Melta gun shots and lascannons wreck a chimera forcing the infantry out but thankfully they aren't pinned.

Assault phase and the Chapter master charges into the infantry and kills 4 of them with ease, he takes no wounds back and they fail their moral test but the banner keeps them in place. The tactical squad charges into the soul grinder and they take 2 losses leaving only the sergeant alive, thankfully he misses with his melta bomb.

Score: 3 cards

Ravenguard: 5 – Renegades: 2

Renegades turn 2

Both units come in from reserve, the nurglings take an objective and the soul grinder deep strikes behind the vanquishers to force some decisions. The plaguebearers move to the chapter master aiming to support the infantry. On the left the infantry move past their wreckage getting their melta guns in range of the razorback. Shambling forwards the zombies cover the medusa from harm. The other chimera pushes towards the dreadnought.

Melta guns shoot from the back of the chimera but both miss the dreadnought. The medusa shoots at the command vanquisher and shakes it. The battle tanks manage to reduce the las razorback down to 1 hull point. The chimera fails to do anything to the dread.

Assault phase the infantry on the left charge the razorback and wreck it with their grenades. The soul grinder misses all of its attacks, so the melta bomb gets clamped in place and it explodes. In the explosion 15 infantry out of the 17 die in the explosion as well as a few of the other unit. The plague bearers can't charge but the chapter master kills off 4 more of the infantry. They run this time but manage to escape.

Score: 2 cards

Ravenguard: 5 – Renegades: 4

Ravenguard turn 3

The final stormtalon comes in from reserve on the right behind the nurglings. The vanquishers turn to face the soul grinder, needing to kill him this turn before something happens. Not letting his pray escape the chapter master chases the running infantry.

Bolter fire guns down infantry on the left hand side, not that having them all explode was bad enough. Both vanquishers target the soul grinder and only manage to blow off its harvester cannon. The dreadnought takes another wound off the medusa. The vendetta explodes the last battle tank while the first stormtalon does nothing. On the right the nurglings get ripped to shreds by the new stormtalon, I lose all 3 bases.  

Assault phase and the chapter master charges into both the plaguebearers and running infantry. I'm not sure if this is legal but we rolled for it and decided he can. The infantry rallies, so they can fight back. Raising his hammer in challenge, the demagogue accepts forcing his other wounds to spread onto them. I lose him and 2 more guys. The plaguebearers manage to get a single wound past his 2+ save, losing combat they still hold though. Tactical marines charge into the chimera and wreck it with their grenades.

Score: 4 cards

Ravenguard: 9 – Renegades: 4

Renegades turn 3

With it surviving its barrage, the soul grinder moves within 1 inch of a vanquisher ready to smash it to bits. Again the chimera gets very close to the dreadnought this time getting its melta guns within half range.

Psychic phase and the herald of nurgle casts enfeeble on the chapter master so he's easier to wound. However I get a double 6, so that's a peril of the warp, but papa nurgle favours his fool, and grants him a warp surge making him so much more powerful in combat.

Too much to handle?

Firing at the command squad the medusa scatters a little and the shot clips both the vanquisher and the razorback next to it. Both of them explode, and two of the marines in the razorback die. This time the melta guns hit the dreadnought and manage to explode it.

Assault and the soul grinder charges into the vanquisher right in front of it and explodes it. Surging with power granted by nurgle, the herald smashes the chapter master to bits killing him on his own (he fails all 3 3+ invulnerable saves).

Score: slay the warlord, 1 card

Ravenguard: 9 – Renegades: 6

Ravenguard turn 4

Leaving the table the vendetta wait to get a better target next turn. The storm talon on the left moves behind the demolisher, determined to kill it. The tactical left in the ruin on the top left moves though to towards the chimera while the dreadnought moves slightly as well.

As predicted the stormtalon wrecks the demolisher as its rear armour buckles under the pressure. The few infantry I have left get gunned down on the left.  

Score: 1 card

Ravenguard: 10 – Renegades: 6

Renegades turn 4

Zombies drag down their prey

The soul grinder goes after the marines on foot in front of it while the plague bearers try to destroy the tank commander. After being forces out of their transport the chimera infantry go after the dreadnought while the zombies swarm over to the marines.

The medusa attempts to kill another vanquisher but the shot scatters.

Ploughing into the marines the soul grinder kills off 1, the zombies do a lot better and drag down all of the marines that they charge. The plaguebearers fail their charge on the command tank.

Score: 2 cards

Ravenguard: 10 – Renegades: 8

Revenguard turn 5

Screaming back onto the table, the vendetta comes back and tries to take out the medusa.

Shooting and the vendetta kills off the medusa while the stormtalon takes down a few plaguebearers.

Score: nothing

Ravenguard: 10 – Renegades: 8

Renegades turn 5

slowly pushing forwards the plaguebearers are in an easy charge range of the tank.

Assault phase and the plaguebearers charge the vanquisher and wreck it while the soul grinder kills off its marine opponents.

Score: 1 card

Ravenguard: 10 – Renegades: 9

End of Game

We both get line breaker

End Results

Ravenguard: 11 – Renegades: 10

Victory to the Imperium

Post-Battle   

That was a very close game and if it had gone on to turn 6 or 7 I might have been able to take the lead as I had more units left to take objectives. Never mind it was very fun and such a beautiful army to play against.

The biggest mistake I made here was doing nothing with the demolisher, I couldn't hide it, and I couldn't out range him so I should have just had it at the front of my force and force it down his throat or die trying. Instead of trying to hide it (badly) and end up doing nothing with it.

I got very lucky with my deep striking soul grinder surviving; I never expected it to, more to just be a distraction to let the rest of my force have a turn of not getting shot at. I did like deep striking this unit and it made me do it in a few more games over the event, but you will find that out soon enough.

So I begin the event with a close loss, it’s not the end of the world.

How would you guys have played this game different?