Highland August – 1500 Purge the Alien, Azure Flames vs. Deathwatch and Imperial Fists

Time for Highland Game Club again!  I played two games.  My first was with a new player, Cam, who has only been playing for a few months but shows a remarkable familiarity and flow during play.  Most new players can’t remember what phase is which.  He brought the new Deathwatch models!  I’m lucky to get to play against an army so new!

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Bozeman – Azure Flames (Salamanders Flameblade from the Angels of Death supplement) – 1500pts

Flameblade Strike Force

• Battle Demi-Company
  • Leonidas, Captain of the 1st company (counts as Vulkan He’Stan)
  • Tactical Squad x 10, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Melta, Power Fist, Meltagun, Multimelta
    • Drop Pod
  • Tactical Squad x 10, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Melta, Power Fist, Meltagun, Multimelta
    • Drop Pod
  • Tactical Squad x 5, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Flamer, Power Fist, Flamer
    • Razorback, Lascannon and Twin-Linked Plasma Gun
  • Assault Squad x 5, 2 x Flamer
  • Devastator Squad x 5, 4x Heavy Bolter, Auspex
  • Ironclad Dreadnought, Ironclad Launchers, Heavy Flamer, Chainfist
    • Drop Pod
• Flamebringers Formation
  • Land Raider Redeemer

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Cam – Deathwatch with allied Imperial Fists – 1500pts

Deathwatch

• Deathwatch Formation
  • Librarian, Lv2, Terminator Armour
  • Aquilla Kill Team x6, 1x Bike, Special Heavy Bolter, Storm Shield, Xeno Blade, attached Librarian, Lv2
  • Land Raider (Phobos Pattern)
  • Furor Kill Team x7, 1x Terminator, Heavy Flamer, Melta-Fist, 2x Combi-Melta, 1x Frag Cannon, Blackshield, Attached Chaplain

Allied Imperial Fist Space Marine Combined Arms Detatchment

• Combined Arms Detatchment
  • Librarian, Lv2, Bones of Ossrak
  • Tactical Squad x 9, Drop Pod
  • Tactical Squad x 10, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Melta, Heavy Bolter
    • Rhino

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Mission – Purge the Alien (units destroyed = 1 VP)

Deployment – Dawn of War (long board edges)

Setup not pictured.  Cam put his Furor Deathwatch squad in the Land Raider, and also deployed the Imperial Fist squad in the Rhino.  For this game, thanks to the new Salamanders rules, Leonidas got an additional Warlord Trait and gained outflank, taking the Assault Squad and Land Raider Redeemer with him!  The Devastators and Flamer Squad in the Razorback deployed.

Lucky!  I seized the initiative!

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Turn 1 – Azure Flames

One of the Tactical Squads and the Ironclad Dreadnought deep strike.  The Ironclad gets a lucky shot and explodes the Land Raider!  The Tactical squad pours fire into the Deathwatch Furor team, but unbelievable invulnerable saves by the lone Terminator cause no casualties!  No other shots have effect.

The Aquilla terrain represents the ruin of a Land Raider.  The squad inside is unharmed, thanks to the Terminator tanking two Melta hits.

Turn 1 – Deathwatch/Imperial Fists

The Furor Deathwatch team enacts swift revenge on the Tactical Squad, wiping them out!  The other Imperial Fists squad arrives, and their Librarian casts Enfeeble on the Devastators.  Bolter shots kill one Devastator.  The Sergeant of the Imperial Fist squad in the Rhino fires his one-shot Melta out of the hatch, but misses the Ironclad.

The Imperial Fists arrive to make trouble on this side of the board

The Tactical squad pays the price of upsetting the Deathwatch!

Turn 2 – Azure Flames

Leonidas and the Assault Squad arrive in the Land Raider Redeemer, outflanking behind the Rhino.  The other Tactical Squad also arrives.  The Rhino is exploded, and the occupants are annihilated by the Land Raider’s sponson Flamestorm Cannon and the Dreadnought.  The 5 man Flamer squad wipe out the newly arrived Imperial Fists with amazing Flamers, Heavy Bolters, and the Las-Plas from the Razorback.

The black wall is the ruin of the Rhino, and its occupants have shared its fate.

The Tactical Squad fared no better, thanks to +1 strength on Flamers and the Tactical Doctrine.

Turn 2 – Deathwatch/Imperial Fists

Aquilla Kill Team arrives via deep strike and kills a few Tactical Marines, aided by psychic powers.  The Furor team advances and penetrates the Ironclad with a Frag Cannon shot that causes Crew Shaken.

The Aquilla team arrives, arranged painstakingly to maximize their ability to soak fire.  How did they get that bike in the Teleporter?  DON’T ASK.

The Frag Cannon makes use of rear armour on the Ironclad, but can’t do more than Crew Shaken.

Turn 3 – Azure Flames

Combined fire from several sources severely damages the Aquilla Kill Team, reducing them to two members and a wounded Librarian.  The Land Raider Redeemer advances cautiously and peppers the Furor team with fire, killing a few.  The Flamer squad charges the Imperial Fist Drop Pod, causing 2 glances.

The Dreadnought fails to charge after the Aquilla Team is whittled down.

The Land Raider is afraid of the Meltafist, and so maintains a discreet distance.

This Drop Pod is sturdier than it looks!

Turn 3 – Deathwatch/Imperial Fists

The Flamer Squad finishes off the Drop Pod.  The Aquilla Team makes use of a once-per-game ability, is removed, and re-Deep Strikes within 6″ of the Furor Team.

Not sturdy enough!

Emergency Teleport!

Turn 4 – Azure Flames

Fire from the Land Raider and Dreadnought kill the Furor Squad’s Terminator.  Turn not pictured.

Turn 4 – Deathwatch/Imperial Fists

The Aquilla Squad charges the first Azure Flames Drop Pod, and glance it once.  The Furor Squad, now three strong counting the Librarian Warlord, charge the Ironclad.  Re-rolling Melta causes the Librarian to die from Overwatch, and as a result, the charge fails!

Slay the Warlord achieved in Overwatch!

Turn 5 – Azure Flames

Leonidas and the Flamers destroy the remaining Furor Team, while the Ironclad and Land Raider destroy the Aquilla Team.  Tabled.

With the heavy hitters gone, Leonidas mops up the rest.

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Final Score

Azure Flames: 11 plus Slay the Warlord, First Blood, and Linebreaker = 14

Deathwatch/Imperial Fists: 1

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Cam is just trying out the Deathwatch list, and so didn’t access the full swath of cheese therein.  His list required units that perform specific things, like the Furor Squad which was meant to be a Death Star.  The Imperial Fists were a bit weak, as they didn’t have a clear battlefield role.  Cam also could have hid the Raider behind a hill, so that a deep strike to Melta it would have had to risk scattering off the board edge.

Next: another batrep!