The second batrep with the NetEA Death Guard 0.4.x list.
This was a more rounded list than the previous one, but was again trying out 'new' formations and units such as the Armoured Assault Company of Vindicators with a full set of Plague Hulks, Chosen with massed Chaos Spawn and Assault Dreadnoughts and also double Plague Zombie Infestations. We were also trying a variant scenario as a test for the upcoming Epic tournament in Exeter on May 20th, based on Border War from this thread.
Roughly speaking, the mission has four objectives which are scored at the end of every turn, based on the most unbroken units (not formations) within 15cm of that objective, with deeper than standard Deployment Zones. Due to slow play and an unusually busy club night we only managed two out of a planned three turns.
Near objective: 1 point
Midline objectives: 2 points each
Furthest objective: 4 points
Paul took a fairly normal Speed Freeks list.
Table & Deployment
Army Lists
Turn One
Start of turn: one formation of Plague Zombies teleports in to the middle of the table, taking two Blast Markers.
Strategy: As the player who finished deploying formations first, the Orks could choose who activated first, and chose to go first.
Turn 1 Act. 1, Speed Freeks: Three Fightas
Action: Ground Attack against Contagions
Result: One kill, leaving one unsuppressed artillery.
Turn 1 Act. 2, Death Guard: Four Fightas
Action: Ground Attack against Chosen
Result: Killed a Spawn.
Turn 1 Act. 3, Death Guard: Zombies
Action: Marshal - Move
Result: Remove all BMs.
Turn 1 Act. 4, Speed Freeks: Skorchas Warband
Action: Double against Zombies
Result: Kill six and break the Zombies who reposition to block my left flank.
Turn 1 Act. 5, Death Guard: Chosen
Action: Double against Skorchas Warband
Result: Kill a Warbike and a Nob!
Turn 1 Act. 6, Speed Freeks: KoS Warbuggies
Action: Double against Rhino Retinue
Result: A BM.
Turn 1 Act. 7, Speed Freeks: Outriders
Action: Double against Vindicators
Result: One BM.
Turn 1 Act. 8, Death Guard: Fester Titan
Action: Advance against Outriders
Result:
Turn 1 Act. 9, Speed Freeks: Blitz Gunwagons
Action: Double against Chosen
Result: Kill one Plague Marine.
Turn 1 Act. 10, Death Guard: Vindicators
Action: Engage against Gunwagons
Result: Lose two Plague Hulks but kill six Gunwagons from massed MW hits, winning combat by one.
Turn 1 Act. 11, Speed Freeks: Warband with Speedsta
Action: Double against Chosen
Result: One BM.
Turn 1 Act. 12, Death Guard: Contagions
Action: Marshal - Move
Result: Move into range to control the near objective, remove all BMs.
Turn 1 Act. 13, Speed Freeks: Blitz Brigade 2
Action: Double against Rhino Retinue, this was the last Ork activation of the turn.
Result: One BM.
Turn 1 Act. 14, Death Guard: Daemon Prince Retinue
Action: Double against Blitz 2, positioning for Supporting Fire.
Result: One BM.
Turn 1 Act. 15, Death Guard: Blight Drones
Action: Double against Blitz Brigade 2, positioning for Supporting Fire.
Result: Kill both Nobs!
Turn 1 Act. 16, Death Guard: Rhino Retinue
Action: Engage against EVERYONE!
Result: Death Guard kill 13 compared to 6, win by 6 and kill 8 to hack-downs! Chosen and Rhino retinue break from casualties.
This one needs some more explanation. Due to slight rustiness with his Orks, Paul unintentionally managed to end up with four intermingled formations. I decided to go for the high risk strategy and spent the last three activations punishing him for it by setting up supporting fire and then doing a semi-clipping assault with the Plague Marine Retinue in Rhinos, positioning helping formations so that units countercharging would get drawn away from the Rhino Retinue.
Intermingled formations were the Kult of Speed in the lower left of the photo, the Blitz Brigade behind them, the Warband spread across behind the ruins and the other Warband between the two woodlands on the right.
Paul decided to go the whole hog and use countercharge moves on the right end to bring the Chosen into the fight as well, which would let the Outriders in the middle give some supporting fire.
Unfortunately for him, both Death Guard formations survived the initial assault so supporting fire came in from the Daemon Prince Retinue, Blight Drones and (because of the right end countercharges) remaining Plague Hulk and a couple of Vindicators.
Even though the DG Warlord went down, a massive thirteen kills by the Death Guard led to being five-up on the combat resolution roll, with predictable results - eight hack-down kills and four broken Ork formations! Although the Rhino Retinue were also broken from casualties.
Total time to resolve the assault was fifteen minutes, excluding fallback moves...
Turn One Endphase
At this point it was looking like an impossible situation for the Orks to come back from, as I had one point for my near objective and four points for the two midline objectives putting me on 5 to 1 for the Orks holding the far objective, but we decided to see how rallying went before giving up on the game.
Most of the Orks rallied and all DG except for the Zombies rallied, they moved forwards to help protect the left flank midline objective.
Turn Two
Start of turn: second formation of Plague Zombies teleports in to the middle of the table, taking two Blast Markers, but only get six units.
Strategy: Orks win and go first.
Turn 2 Act. 1, Speed Freeks: Four Fightas
Action: Ground Attack against Rhino Retinue
Result: Two Rhinos dead, DG broken and fall back to help prevent Orks getting to my near objective.
Turn 2 Act. 2, Speed Freeks: Three Fightas
Action: Ground Attack against Contagions
Result: Three hits, three failed armour saves, three failed INV saves, three kills! Formation gone.
Turn 2 Act. 3, Death Guard: Fester Titan
Action: Advance against Outriders
Result: Three kills, broken just from the BMs from Disrupt hits. 4 DC of Titan with full two Void Shields is now sitting right by the near objective.
Turn 2 Act. 4, Speed Freeks: Gunwagons 1
Action: Double against Vindicators
Result: Kill one Vindicator and the remaining Plague Hulk, formation one off breaking.
Turn 2 Act. 5, Death Guard: Vindicators
Action: Marshal - Move
Result: Remove all BMs after moving into supporting range of Gunwagons 1.
Turn 2 Act. 6, Speed Freeks: Warbuggies
Action: Double against Prince Retinue
Result: Kill one Plague Marine.
Turn 2 Act. 7, Death Guard: Prince Retinue
Action: Engage against Warbuggies
Result: DG win and get three hackdown hits, one from Nurgle's Rot.
Note - this involved some insane rolls, with both Spawn getting their full d3 Extra Atacks, and the whole DG formation being on 3+ to hit. Total DG hits looked like this:
And the Warbuggies then proceeded to save 2/3 of the normal hits on Armour 5+. Which wasn't enough to save them. In return, the Warbuggies managed only three hits on 18 x 5+, all three of which were saved...
Turn 2 Act. 8, Speed Freeks: Skorchas
Action: Engage against/through Middle Zombies
Result: Remaining Zombie is broken, Skorchas consolidate towards my objective.
Paul made some good use of countering Zombie Zones of Control via base contact with further-back units, letting the nearest units move through the gaps far enough that consolidation moves let them get up to my near objective.
Turn 2 Act. 9, Death Guard: Chosen
Action: Engage against Gunwagons
Result: DG win.
At this point I must have missed an Ork activation, as one of the remaining big formations of Orks Double round the right flank and manage to get 11 units in range of the right midline objective. The kill a Vindicator as well (one that was in range of the objective) but even without that they hade more numbers to take the objective.
Turn 2 Act. 10, Death Guard: Blight Drones
Action: Double against Broken Gunwagons and also position to hold the furthest objective.
Result: One kill from BM.
Turn Two Endphase
After a disastrous late turn one, Paul managed to pull things back pretty well, but I managed to get the Blight Drone to his near objective. Turn two points, 7-2 to Death Guard.
Overall result: 10-4 to the Death Guard, but without the intermingling mistake in turn one it would have been a very different game...
Ian
P.S. Death Gaurd army list conclusions to be added...
