40k Redux: Deathwing Faces Off Against Sisters of Battle

Once more into the breach! Jon and I delved into the grimdark world of Warhammer 40,000 with a game last week. My Dark Angels Deathwing faced his Sisters of Battle in a 2,050-point, skull-filled encounter. As the two forces came to blows, a pair of encrypted communiques from the two warring factions relayed details of the conflict to their superiors.

Unconfirmed rumors of a device called as "Caliban’s Bane," an artifact of great import to the Ecclesiarch, missing for millennia, had brought the Sisters of Battle to the abandoned fortress on Exellus Secundus. As they approached, a haze obscured visibility on the battlefield, and suddenly the Sisters' units came under fire as armored figures appeared in their midst...
-- Ecclesiarchy Dictatus, Cipher Level Cerulean


The report mentioned the fugitive known to a select few as "Caliban’s Bane" was below on the planet protected by an unknown military force. An individual to be dealt with carefully and captured at all costs. The Deathwing planned and launch their assault, immediately engaging the enemy as they appeared through the haze…
-- Dark Angels after-action communique


Deathwing

• Belial - Master of the Deathwing 
• Interrogator Chaplain in terminator armor 
• Deathwing Command Squad 
• Apothecary 
• Deathwing Standard Bearer 
• Champion Assault Cannon 
• Deathwing Knights 
• 3 Deathwing Terminator squads 
• 1 Assault Cannon 
• 1 Plasma Cannon 
• 1 Cyclone Missile Launcher 
• Nephilim Jetfighter with twin-linked lascannon 
• Land Raider Crusader 

Sisters of Battle

• Canoness Persephone of Order of the Cobalt Torch
• Sisters Command Squad 
• Celestians 
• Sister Dialogus 
• Hospitaler 
• 1 Celestian Squad in Rhino Transport 
• 2 Meltagun 
• 2 Battle Sister Squads (1 in Rhino Transport) 
• 1 Storm Bolter 
• 1 Multi-melta 
• 1 Dominion Squad in Rhino Transport 
• 2 Flamer 
• 2 Meltagun 
• Confessor Maximillian Krator 
• Battle Conclave 
• Crusaders 
• Arco Flagellants 
• Death Cult Assassain 
• 2 Repentia Units 
• 1 Retributor Squad in Immolator 
• 4 Heavy bolter 

We played on a green planet that had been torn asunder by previous battles. There were abandoned bunkers, craters, and a large fortress spanning a river. For our game purposes, the fortress was just a large building with non-functional weaponry. Two bridges spanned the river on either side of the table.

Jon deployed first. The Sisters spread out across the deployment zone, mostly in tanks.

The Deathwing Land Raider was the only thing on the table. Inside were the Deathwing Knights, Belial, and the Interrogator-Chaplain. All other Terminator squads were in reserve for a second-turn Deathwing assault. The Nephilim jetfighter started in reserves as required.

The Deathwing failed to seize the initiative, so the Sisters of Battle started the turn.

Turn 1A - The Sisters moved their Rhinos forward. The Exorcist missile launcher shot at the Land Raider, and got a lucky shot, glancing 1 hull point from the tank.

Turn 1B - The Land Raider moved 6 inches forward, putting its multimelta in 12-inch range of the forward Rhino. A penetrating hit resulted in an explosion. Four of the squad inside were killed as a result, and one more trooper was taken out with bolter fire, but the squad remained on the table hoping to get their vengeance in return.

Turn 2A - The Sisters maneuvered their vehicles and took another shot at the Land Raider. This time they hit, failed to damage the hulking armored behemoth.

Turn 2B - Things really started happening! The Nephilim jetfighter rocketed onto the board from reserves, spewing destruction across the battlefield. On the green fields below, the Deathwing arrived. The command squad and one tactical squad landed within 6 inches of Belial's teleport homer. The other two squads landed right in the backfield, but luckily they didn't scatter too far away. Taking advantage of "Vengeful Strike" (twin-linked weapons for the rest of the turn after deep-striking) and the Deathwing squad's ability to split their fire against two targets, these newly arrived squads did some damage. The Terminator armored with the plasma cannon destroyed the weapon on one of the Exorcist tanks, and the Nephilim's lascannon took out the other. A number of Sisters fell to storm bolter and assault cannon fire.

Turn 3A - Five Terminators from two different squads perished under a hail of meltagun fire from Celestions and Dominions, and two more died during the ensuing assault. The Terminators took some of the Sisters with them to the grave, but the Sisters still held fast.

Turn 3B - The Nephilim took out the remainder of a Repentia squad. The Land Raider advanced, opened its doors and disgorged Belial, the Interrogator-Chaplain, five Deathwing Knights, and a Watcher in the Dark. They did some damage with guns, then charged for the assault. The Sisters' overwatch only succeeded in removing a single Knight, due to the Toughness 5 granted to them by the "Wall Of Shields" rule. Since they were within 6 inches of the Deathwing standard bearer, they got an extra attack in close combat. The Dark Angels managed to score a devastating number of wounds, but the Sisters managed to make most of their armor saves, holding the bridgehead to block the advance for yet another turn! Melee combat ensued elsewhere on the battlefield, with the Sisters' command squad (and Canoness) perishing in close combat.

Unfortunately, at this point it was very late, and we had to call it a tie. Atmospheric conditions that had been scrambling vox frequencies cleared, and suddenly it became clear who the combatants were. Obviously, there must have been a misunderstanding, and Belial and the Ecclesiarcy Confessor went out for tea and cookies (burnt gingerbread psykers, of course) after they realized their mistake. Not that the new mistrust between them wouldn’t likely set them at odds again in the future. After all, there was no sign of that which each force sought to find on the planet below.

Josh's post game notes 
This was one of the most exciting games I have played. It was full of epic events and lucky rolls. This was the first time I played a game exclusively using my own terrain, and the table looked great! There were a few things that we goofed up on rules-wise, including one botched assault that might have made a difference in the tide of the battle, but we didn't realize it until after the fact, and decided to move forward.

It's too bad that we had to call it after turn 3... The game was still really up in the air at that point. It could have gone either way. I really enjoyed playing the all-Deathwing list, but I'm not sure that it's the best tactical option. If I hadn't been lucky with the dice, I could have run out of units very quickly due to the comparatively few models I had on the table. In addition, the choice to deep-strike the entire army was questionable, especially on this table. My strategy really depended on getting the Land Raider into enemy territory to use Belial's teleport homer to eliminate scatter.

Jon's initiative, coupled with the bridges, really caused a choke point. I couldn't move the way I wanted, and had to risk scatter instead. I got lucky here, but it could have been bad. It was also VERY risky to start the game with only 1 unit on the board. If the Exorcist had destroyed it and caused an explosion, the resulting wounds could have ended the game right there! The Nephilim jetfighter worked out very well for me. It was able to take out some key units early on and saved me a ton of pain. It was still a little expensive, but it is just too fun and cool to leave at home. All in all, it was a TON of fun, and I can't wait for the rematch!

Jon’s post game notes
It was definitely a very fun game, and the great layout added a lot to the enjoyment of the scenario as the armies raging across the tabletop looked very dynamic. The most difficult part about playing against an all-Deathwing Army (aside from the 2+ saves and the fact that my esteemed opponent forgot how to roll 1s this particular game) was not knowing where on the table the actual battle was going to take place. I could guess all I want during deployment, but was essentially guaranteed to have at least some of my units out of place when the deep strike occurred, and the time came for actual battle.

In hindsight, aside from adding some minor mobility, the transports were mostly useless. Though they did provide some cover, I'd cut a few of them out of the list in the future, and replace them with either Seraphim or another Exorcist.

My initial strategy was primarily to test how well certain units did in this edition of the game. I found the Battle Conclave and the Repentia to be very effective, although the need to work in concert with each other or other close combat squads was clear, as only half of them actually made it into assault. One unit less of them and they would have been far less effective.

 I was disappointed with the Arco-Flagellents -- they did a lot of flailing with very little result, though that may be as much because I couldn’t make my Faith rolls to save my life this game. Not a single one succeeded. I think I may remove the Crusaders, and take only Death Cult Assassins (who proved very effective due to high initiative) and Arco-Flagellents next time. If I can make some Faith points, the results may be different. Finally, I will seriously have to consider some Skyfire allies next time (maybe a Hydra), as the Nephilim jetfighter was all too effective at removing my Exorcist from the equation, and killing the only entire unit that I lost. The rematch should be very interesting indeed!

-- Josh and Jon, Chicago Skirmish Wargames club members, with photos by Josh

Chicago Skirmish Wargames Goes Mainstream, Plays 40k!

You read it right, folks: We temporarily sidestepped our passion for independent, affordable gaming and spent some time in that grimdark universe where war is constant, money flows like water and cranial embellishments never go out of style.

This weekend, Karl and I got in a 1500 point game of the glorious carnage that is 6th edition 40k. My Dark Angels tried to take out Karl's Imperial Guard. Throwing caution to the wind, we both brought lists inspired by the fluff of our chosen factions. I brought an all-Ravenwing army full of new models and a brand new codex. Ravenwing is the mobile assault arm of the Dark Angel's Space Marine army, and nearly all units come from the fast attack category.

Sammael, Master of the Ravenwing, rode in on his jetbike, accompanied by:

• 1 Ravenwing Black Knight command squad with 1 grenade launcher
• 1 Ravenwing Champion, and a banner bearer 
• 1 Ravenwing attack squad (3 bikes) 
• 1 Ravenwing attack squad (6 bikes) 
• 1 Land Speeder Typhoon (dual missile launcher) 
• 1 Land Speeder with an assault cannon 
• 1 Attack bike with a multimelta 
• 1 Lascannon/missile launcher venerable dreadnought 
• 1 Deathwing terminator squad with storm bolters and a plasma cannon (started in reserves) 
• 1 Nephilim support jetfighter (started in reserves) 
• 1 Ravenwing darkshroud (a large land speeder that confers stealth to units in a 6-inch radius) 

Karl's Imperial Guard was a much larger force. Putting 80 figures and 5 vehicles on the table, he brought:

• 1 Command Squad with a Master of Ordinance 
• 2 Platoons with 3 infantry squads in each, half with a lascannon and half with an autocannon 
• 1 squadron of 3 Basilisk mobile artillery 
• 1 standard Leman Russ Battle Tank 
• 1 Leman Russ Demolisher 
• 1 squad of 5 ratlings 

Putting aside the random terrain rules in the rulebook, we setup a table thematically with the Imperial Guard holding the line against the Dark Angels, who were advancing through the remains of a village and a boulder field. We were playing a modified version of the "Purge The Alien" mission from the 6th edition rule book. Karl's army started in and around various buildings and ruins (including his new Mine Entrance terrain piece).

Most of the Dark Angels circled around the darkshroud unit in order to take advantage of the stealth feature. In hindsight, this may not have been the most tactically sound decision, but it looked awesome on the board as they rode up in style.

Turn 1 
Dark Angels seized the the initiative, and the bulk of them moved along the road and behind some rocks for cover. The attack bike and land speeders circled to the right to take the enemy by surprise while the dreadnought moved to cover in the backfield. Dark Angel fire shot up some of the Imperial Guard infantry, and took a hull point from a Leman Russ Demolisher. The attack bike and land speeder killed all but one ratling. The remaining ratling ran away, never to be heard from again.

The Imperial Guard immediately started dropping the pie plates, taking out Sammael and one of the command squad members who missed ALL cover save rolls. The dice were NOT with me! Shooting continued, resulting in another lost command squad bike, 4 bikes from one attack squad, and 2 from the other. It was a brutal start to the game.

Turn 2
Deathwing Terminators dropped in on one of the remaining bike's teleport homers, and the Nephilim jetfighter zoomed in from reserves. The terminators and jetfighter massacred 2 full infantry squads in the shooting phase. The terminator's plasma cannon took a hull point from one of the Leman Russ tanks. The attack bike went further to the right side of the field, staying behind cover.

Predictably, the Imperial Guard's turn began with more pie plates, killing one of the attack squad bikes and immobilizing a land speeder. Concentrated fire from plasma cannons and lascannons destroyed the entire terminator squad.

Turn 3
Another squad was decimated by the jetfighter's dakka, and the dreadnought took out one of the Leman Russ tanks. The remaining bike and landspeeder boosted forward and shot into one of the bunkers, taking out some troops. The attack bike came around the side and multimelta'd the other Leman Russ. It exploded, taking out the attack bike, and most of one platoon command squad.

The Imperial Guard shooting phase took out the last bike and land speeder and a lucky snap shot took a hull point from the Nephalim fighter.

Turn 4
At the start of turn 4, the Dark Angels' only remaining units were the flyer and the dreadnought. The flyer zoomed along the Imperial Guard deployment zone and took out some more troops. The dreadnought also took out a couple more. The three Basilisks dropped some indirect barrage shots over the lonely dreadnought and managed to take a hull point and immobilize it. At this point, it was facing into cover, and would be useless for the rest of the game.

Turn 5

Little happened in this turn. The jetfighter zoomed off the board, into ongoing reserves. Imperial Guard troops on the right flank started moving forward, and another round of Artillery fire failed to further damage the dreadnought. We rolled to see if the battle was over, but it continued for another turn.

Turn 6 
The Nephilim flyer zoomed back onto the field, and took out some more troops. In a repeat of the previous turn, the dreadnought stared at the wall but was again unharmed by the Artillery barrage that rained down on (or should we say "near") his position. The flyer again remained unharmed.

We rolled to see if the game would continue, and the dice decided that the game was over! We tallied up the score, and the Dark Angels lost 8 to 10, only a minor victory for the Guard. I am surprised the score was so close, as it really felt like a massacre to me!

It was a great epic battle. I am looking forward to playing with this army list again. I am sure I can use the Ravenwing more effectively. I suspect that if I had turbo boosted the bike squadrons, I could have assaulted in the first round, and kept the bikes alive for at least another turn or two.

The Nephilim jetfighter looks awesome on the table, and was very useful in this game, but it costs a lot of points that may be better spent elsewhere. No matter what anyone says on the internets, my las/missile dread is one of the best performing units I have (plus, he has dangling skulls). I will always try to fit him into my lists.

Next time I fight Karl's Imperial Guard, I'll try fielding an all-Deathwing terminator army.

Here are some thoughts from Karl about the game: "This was a lot of fun, and reminded me of why I liked 40k. It was only my second game with the 6th edition rules, and Josh was patient through quite a bit of rule-checking, but they didn't seem overly complicated. I definitely saw the advantage of lascannons over autocannons against tough enemies. I've got the parts to do it, so maybe I'll go ahead and make lascannon teams for the rest of my infantry squads. The flyer rules really seem to add a new dimension to the game. One aircraft isn't a game changer, but if one player were to show up with two or more, and the other player didn't have any aircraft or any ground units with the "skyfire" ability, it could drastically tilt the game. I'm not sure whether this is a new and interesting addition to the game that will encourage balance between air and ground units or a cynical plot by Games Workshop to make players buy expensive new units. Perhaps it's both, but I look forward to seeing how it shakes out. It has definitely given me the desire to someday build and paint up the Hydra Anti-Aircraft Flak Turret decks (can be switched with my basilisks) and Valkyrie flyer that I have in storage."

-- Josh, Chicago Skirmish Wargames club member