Upcoming Tournament Prep!

Posted by JamesI, Aug 17 2010, 12:59 PM

Just found out I have an event on September 11th and only 3 Mondays to prepare for it (my poor chaos army, neglected for months after the BA codex came out, brought out again recently, and now shelved in tournament prep).

Right now I'm assuming the tournament will be 1850, though it could be different.

So, working with an 1850 list, this is what I have been playing:

Angels Vermillion Chapter Master (counts as Astorath the Grim)

Sanguinary Priest with power sword and jump pack

10 RAS, 2 meltas, fist, hand flamer

10 RAS, 2 meltas, thunder hammer

10 Tacs, fist, stormbolter, plasmagun, plasma cannon
Rhino, searchlight

6 Devs, 3 missile launchers, lascannon
Razorback with twin-lascannons

2 Vindicators, dozer blades

2 attack bikes, multimeltas

3 attack bikes, 2 multimeltas, 1 heavy bolter.


I haven't been loving the devs or the tacs in my recent games, so both are being considered for replacement.

Today Astorath Killed...

Posted by JamesI, Aug 17 2010, 03:32 AM

In a really fun game (I lost due to 2 really boneheaded maneuvers, but I'll wait until I get time for a full bat-rep to let you all know what they were), Astorath was clearly my MVP.

He killed:
3 command squad marines (including the apothecary and a powerfist)
2 terminators (finishing the squad)
A chaplain with jump pack
2 Assault marines (finishing the squad, including killing the powerfist sergeant)
9 Tactical marines from multiple squads
Space Marine Captain with lightning claws.

Every time my opponent got the opportunity to get a powerfist onto Astortath, Astorath managed to wipe out the squad before the fist could swing.

Also of my 6 squads, 5 fell to the Red Thirst. Only a unit of attack bikes did not fall.

First test with Astorath list

Posted by JamesI, Jul 13 2010, 03:45 AM in Battle Reports

Tried this list today, although it was only 1500 points of it.

The Tactical squad and razorback were cut, as was the heavy bolter attack bike. One dev with bolter was cut, leaving me 4 points over. Had I been thinking I should have also dropped the stormbolter and searchlight, but neither had any effect so I'm not too concerned, and Iwas trying to modify the list quickly to get a game in.

Game was 2 objectives, long table edge deployment against Deathwing. 2 Land Raiders with terminators (one a crusader with Belial and a chaplain) and a lascannony dread.

I deployed first, basically in one corner to hide behind a building. He went in the other corner to hide behind a forest. My devs had clear line to his Raiders.

Red thirst rolls. A record (for me) 2 squads fell to the red thirst. Both attack bike squads.

Turn 1
I moved up, fired my razorback at the land raider crusader. No effect. Fired my devs at it, nothing.

He swung into position without moving up much. Fired on my devs killing all but one missile launcher. Also immobilizes and weapon destroys my razorback.

Turn 2
My stuff moves closer, pretty much now on his side of the table in the center. One unit of attack bikes fires on his land raider crusader. Bounces off.

He swings out the Crusader, popping smoke. His lascannons melt my attack bikes that did nothing.

Turn 3.
I'm not in charge range, bring up the bikes to fire on his crusader. With luck, I wreck it despite the smoke. He hides hte terminators on the other side rather than face my Vindicators.

His terminators with Belial move into the forest where my lone dev is. Surprisingly, they kill him in combat. Come on, if one dev with missile launcher can fight off Belial, a chaplain, and 5 terminators with deathwing banner, what good is he? His terminators consolidate into the forest to get cover against my Vindis.
His other land raider moves up, drops out its terminators, go to charge my last 2 bikes. Miss by about an inch.

Turn 4.
Drive the bikes through a forest to get a nice close shot of the raider. Both within 12 inches. Both hit! Neither manage to even glance! One vindicator manages to shoot the terminators in the forest, but he makes every cover save. The other can't see them, but clips the Land Raider and immoblizes it.
I charge an assault squad at the terminators who failed to attack my bikes (kill one in shooting). I kill 2 terminators in close, he kills 3 assault guys, but we hold.

His Raider shakes a Vindicator. His terminators move through the forest towards my objective. His dread assaults my bikes, but having no Dreadnought CCW, they just bounce off each other. The fight continues, with luck I kill 1 terminator, he kills one guy.

Turn 5.
I move Astorath, Priest and last assault squad straight for his terminators in the forest. Not sure I have charge range (especially with the need to roll for difficult terrain), I shoot my vindicator and squad at him, but do nothing in shooting except wound his chaplain. Roll the charge, I get the 6 and 1 model makes base contact (Astorath). His consolidate gets the rest of my squad but 2 guys into fighting range, including one who reaches my priest. Astorath at Initiative 6 kills 3 members of the terminator squad (the thunder hammer/stormshield guy makes his invul twice and is sadly in base with Astorath). The rest of my guys manage to kill the other terminator (from the Sanguinary Priest's claw). Belial kills a few of mine. His chaplain wiffs. My powerfist kills his chaplain. His thunder hammer gets one wound on Astorath, but I make my save.

At this point he concedes as I am in position to basically wipe him off the board.

I had been using a Reclusiarch for a while. But Astorath's higher strength and forced rerolls of invuls was great. I think Astorath will stick around, and hopefully do a bit better on Red Thirst rolls in the future (I think the Angels Vermillion may have found the cure to the flaw -my dice!)

Call of The Imperium July Update 2

Posted by JamesI, Jul 11 2010, 04:34 PM in Call of the Imperium IV

Finished the Vindicator, which was my additional unit after finished the first 3 I pledged.







So, I have now completed my call.

First 3 units, the Baal Predator, the Terminator Librarian and the Vanguard Veterans and now the additional Vindicator.

Astorath list attempt

Posted by JamesI, Jul 9 2010, 11:09 AM in Army Lists

Yes, this is another post about trying to work on a new list. I like to make lists.

I've been wanting to retry Astorath the Grim, and have been working on an idea to maximize his Shadows of the Primarch ability. Which means lots of Red Thirst rolls, and lots of units that will benefit from the fearless aspect of that.

So the current idea:

HQ: Astorath the Grim 220

Elites: Sanguinary Priest, jump pack, lightning claw, stormbolter 93

Troops:
10 RAS, 2 meltas, fist, hand flamer 245
10 RAS 2 meltas, fist 235
10 Tac, Melta (could change to flamer), power weapon, lascannon 200
Razorback with Twin-linked Assault Cannons. 90

Fast:
3 attack bikes, 2 multimeltas, 1 heavy bolter 140
2 attack bikes, 2 multimeltas 100

Heavy
6 Devs, 3 missile launchers. 136
Razorback with Twin Linked Lascannons, searchlight 91

The devs, attack bikes and tac squad (particullarly the lascannon combat squad) will benefit greatly from fearless as most of the time they take wounds to shooting and can not worry about running (well the half the games they make the Red Thirst roll).

Astorath and the priest join a RAS squad.

If I find that the Dev squad is unneeded (basically if I decide I need more assaulty and not so much shooty) I can drop the Devs and add either an Honor Guard or Sanguinary Guard in their place.

I could also turn the Tac razorback into a rhino (allowing me to not always combat squad) and then try to squeeze some points to get an extra sanguinary priest if I decide I need to.

July Update 1

Posted by JamesI, Jul 2 2010, 12:32 AM in Call of the Imperium IV

So, now its July and the final month of the Call. Down to just the unit I added when I finished the others, my Vindicator.

So here are some images of the Vindicator with some progress from last time (though not a lot due to extreme business at work and my daughter's birthday).





The stormbolter broke off, I need to fix that. And some painting, mostly details and finish the siege shield.

At least I can now use my nice new camera which made getting pictures easier.

List tweaking

Posted by JamesI, Jun 30 2010, 04:54 PM in Army Lists

I want to tweak my list, parly based on the FAQ, partly because I constantly tweak anyway.

So, option 1 (the current)
Reclusiarch, infernus pistol, jump pack 170
Sanguinary Priest, power weapon, jump pack 90
Sanguinary Priest. 50
10 RAS, 2 meltas, fist 235
10 RAS, 2 meltas, fist 235
5 RAS, melta power weapon, lascannon razorback, 180
Vindicator, dozer blades 150
Vindicator, dozer blades 150
Predator, autocannon, lascannons, 135
8 Vanguard, thunder hammer, power fist, power weapon, jump packs 310
Baal Predator twin assault cannon, heavy bolter 145

It works, but I am a little unsatisfied particullarly with the Priest in the razorback and I'm always questioning the Vanguard (some games great, some not so much) And the basic pred has been disappointing.

So, option 2
Reclusiarch, infernus pistol, jump pack 170
Sanguinary Priest, power weapon, jump pack 90
Sanguinary Priest. jump pack 75
10 RAS, 2 meltas, fist 235
10 RAS, 2 meltas, fist 235
5 RAS, melta power weapon, lascannon razorback, 180
Vindicator, dozer blades 150
Vindicator, dozer blades 150
8 Vanguard, thunder hammer, power fist, power weapon, jump packs 310
Baal Predator twin assault cannon, heavy bolter 145
Land Speeder Typhoon or 2 Multimelta attack bikes 90/100

This leaves 10/20 points left over for extras, such as perhaps add a storm shield to the Vanguard, siege shields to the Vindicators, dozer to the Baal. Meltabombs to various models stuff like that.

Could also cut 1 or 2 Vanguard, but sometimes I run my Vanguard as a VAS retinue for the Reclusiarch and would prefer not to shrink them for games I decide against using Heroic Intervention.

Option 3:
Reclusiarch, infernus pistol, jump pack 170
Honor Guard, Powerfist, Blood Champion, meltagun, jump packs 220.
Sanguinary Priest, power weapon, jump pack 90
Sanguinary Priest. 50
10 RAS, 2 meltas, fist 235
10 RAS, 2 meltas, fist 235
5 RAS, melta power weapon, lascannon razorback, 180
Vindicator, dozer blades 150
Vindicator, dozer blades 150
Baal Predator twin assault cannon, heavy bolter 145
2 Attack bikes Multimelta 100
Land Speeder Typhoon or 2 Multimelta attack bikes 90/100

This version leaves 25/35 points left over which could get me a chapter banner in the HG. Also, this version has more melta, and 3 priests (1 not an IC).
The extra points could be used to turn one unit of attack bikes into a librarian, or perhaps to upgrade the cheapest priest into Corbulo.

First game in a while, 1850 versus Sisters

Posted by JamesI, Jun 22 2010, 12:00 PM in Battle Reports

I played this list:

Reclusiarch, jump pack, infernus pistol.
Sanguinary Priest, Jump pack, Power weapon
Sanguinary Priest.
10 RAS, 2 meltas, fist
10 RAS, 2 meltas, fist
5 RAS, melta, power weapon, twin las razorback
8 Vanguard, thunder hammer, power fist, power weapon, jump packs
Baal, assault cannon, heavy bolters
Vindicator, dozer blade
Vindicator, dozer blade
Predator, autocannon, lascannons

I was against this (this is a massive estimate, could easily forget some stuff):

Cannoness, blessed weapon, infernus pistol
6-8 Celestians, power weapon, not sure what else they had.
Immolator (which looked so much like a rhino I had no idea it was an immolator until it started shooting me.)
Ordo Malleus Inquisitor Lord, Psycannon, 3 multimelta servitors, Mystic, 3 sages. Land Raider dedicated transport
7 Seraphim, flamer, infernus pistol, power weapon
10 Sisters, 2 flamers, rhino
10 sisters, 2 meltas, rhino
2 Exorcists
7 Grey Knights.

I'm sure I've forgotten some details, but I think I got all the units.

Mission was 5 objectives, long table edge deployment.

I set up first. For a change, I decided to keep my Vanguard in reserve to use Heroic Intervention (mostly because there was little I was worried about in combat).

I set up a tank wall in the middle of the board, Predator, Vindicator, Vindicator, Baal, Razorback. Thanks to terrain setup, it would not be easy for my opponent to get shots without me getting cover if he managed to steal the initiative. The two RAS were behind the wall, with the Reclusiarch and a priest with the same squad on my left hand side.

He set up his Inquisitor lord and retinue on the top of a building to make it hard for me to get to. Behind the building was the Land Raider (grey knights borrowed it on the first turn), and a rhino with the melta sisters. One Exorcist was on that side, but not well hidden. The seraphim load up far on my left to flank around me.
On the other side, behind an odd ruin he had his other rhino and immolator. The Exorcist out front (he was really counting on stealing the initiative in his setup.)

Which of course he does.

Turn 1.

Red thirst as always only affects the 5 guys in the Razorback. I don't know why I bother rolling, its always them! I forgot to scout my Baal.

One Exorcist opens up on a Vindicator, but the shots bounced off. The other on my Razorback, but only one hits and I make a cover save. His Land Raider drives out and immobilizes my Las/auto predator.

I drive up my mobile vehicles and return fire. Razorback destroyed one Exorcist cannon. Baal kills some of the seraphim. Thats about it. Vindicator shells scatter just far enough off the land raider to do nothing. The predator fires on the other Exorcist, but fails to hurt it (one lascannon unable to fire due to angle)

Turn 2.
He drives his gunless Exorcist into my face, hoping to get in my way. Rest of army retreats to hide.

Exorcist with gun immobilizes and shakes a Vindicator. Nothing else happens (mainly due to the Multimeltas not being within 12 inches of the Baal, so he fails to hurt it).

Vanguard arrive. I really didn't want them yet. They deepstrike next to the Exorcist that still has a gun. Their scatter moves them into Mystic range, but still leaves them in charge range of the Exorcist. A lucky break for me is that only the psycannon can draw LOS, so I avoid much multimelta pain. One Vanguard dies to the Pyscannon.

Razorback runs up to the side of the gunless exorcist to get a shot on something else. Manages to immobilize itself on terrain. My RASs both fly towards the gunless exorcist as that is the only spot they can get some cover.

The Razorback kills a rhino, sisters climb out. Vindicator shell fires on the Land Raider, scatters into the sisters killing 2. Baal unloads on the Inquisitor Lord and retinue, killing the mystic, 1 multimelta and 2 of the sages. Immoblie pred fires on the Seraphim, but they have cover killing the one with the meltagun. Several meltas fire on the Exorcist, killing it.

Vangaurd assault and cause the Exorcist to explode, losing one guy to the explosion.

Turn 3.

Land Raider drives up towards my Vanguard, Grey Knights climb out. Immolater drives up towards my RASs, Celestians climb out. Seraphim fly up towards my Vindicators. Through shooting he stuns my Razorback and kills one of the 10 RAS from the squad not with the Reclusiarch.

Grey Knights charge the Vanguard, combat ends in a tie with 2 dead on each side (sadly one is my power weapon!)
Seraphim charge and kill the Vindicator that was immobilzed.

I send my RAS with Reclusiarch and priest to finish off the seraphim. other RAS positions itself around the Celestians. RAS in razorback climb out.

My remaining Vindicator kills the Land Raider. The Baal and Pred combine to take out the Inquisitor/retinue. With shooting, I kill a few Celestians. My walking RAS kills the Immolator.

I charge the Seraphim, wiping them out. Charge the Celestians, killing all but the cannonness, lose a few RAS in response. Vanguard have a horrible turn and get killed down to just the powerfist, taking only one more Grey Knight in return.

Turn 4.
Rhino drives up, unloads flamer sisters. Melta sisters move to an objective (notice how important those objective have been all game?) Grey Knights start to walk to another objective.

Flamer sisters get the 6s to wound are AP1 power to go off, and kill all but my Priest and Sergeant from the walking squad. Only 1 FNP roll made, that was for the priest himself!

Fighting the Cannonnes, I lost 2 assault marines, put 1 wound on cannonness.

Reclusiarch and squad fly up to deal with the sisters on an objective. Vindicator and Pred manage to fire on the Grey knights but get nothing.

Priest and sergeant charge the sisters. Kill several, sisters break. Powerfist finally gets to the Cannonness, she dies. Other sister squad charged by Reclusiarch, priest, 10 RAS (just unfair that). Wipe them out.

Opponent looks at the board. I have 3 scoring units, all near objectives, as well as a Vindicator and Baal mobile and 2 immobile vehicles. He has 4 grey knights, 4 sisters (who are running and can't rally), 1 rhino. Wisely he concedes.

I like this version of my list, though I am considering dropping the Vanguard to get a Sanguinary Guard and another priest. (Or I might cut the Predator for 2 attackbikes and give the last Priest a jump pack and power weapon)

Call of the Imperium June Update 2

Posted by JamesI, Jun 13 2010, 04:34 PM in Call of the Imperium IV

Working on the Vindicator, which is the added unit to my vow when I completed the original 3 units.





Sadly, I'm stuck with my not so good camera. Got a better one, but it was missing the cable to connect it to the computer. So trying to track that down and hopefully will soon.

Hopefully I'll have some battle results soon, but lately has been mostly spend on Mordheim, so no recent Blood Angels battles.

Call of the Imperium June update 1

Posted by JamesI, Jun 3 2010, 02:36 AM in Call of the Imperium IV

With this update I declare my vow complete.

Two pictures of my final unit, the Baal Predator (now rearmed to be assault cannon/heavy bolter after I decided I liked that version better than the flamestorm version)





Now, I would like to expand my vow to include a Vindicator. It is primed and ready to paint.