PROLOGUE
Prior to the Reclamation Wars of the Orberus Sector, a number of Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-Priests and Skitarii Cohorts were dispatched to the world of Python III in hopes that they would be able to decipher and discern the function of the technology used by the Silent King and his Necron legions, and in doing so halt the implacable expansion of the Pariah Nexus. This strategy proved to be folly as the Protocian Dynasty descended upon the planet and proceeded to eradicate a large portion of the Mechanicum population with only several pockets of survivors left to fight back.
Though it took time for Imperial reinforcements to arrive thanks in part to the Daemonic incursions wracking the nearby moon of Vector Alpha, the Necron advance had been slowed by the arrival of a relief force consisting of Astartes from the Angels of Vengeance chapter and regiments drawn from the Nulla Facultan 1st. For the first time since they set a necrodermal foot on the planet, the Protocian Dynasty were at a disadvantage.
Realising the strategic importance of Python III, the Silent King had redirected several allied forces to fend off the Imperial counter offensive; specifically the Night Lord mercenary warband known as “The Pillage” and the Khertet Dynasty. Whilst the Pillage utilised the hit and run terror tactics against the straggler warbands that had survived the Protocian Dynasty’s purge, the Khertet Dynasty tackled the Angels of Vengeance head on in an attempt to destroy the Silent King’s biggest threat to his efforts on Python III…
THE ARMY LISTS
The Khertet Dynasty
Detachment: Awakened Dynasty
- Warlord
- Wargear: Staff of Light, Ressurection Orb
- Battle Trait: Endless Legions (Necron Codex)
- Crusade Relic: Crimson Medallion of Bastior (Crusade: Tyrannic War)
- Wargear: Overlord's Blade, Tachyon Arrow
- Battle Trait: Martial Apotheosis (Necron Codex)
- Crusade Relic: Treasure of the Technomandrites (Crusade: Pariah Nexus)
- Wargear: Overlord's Blade, Resurrection Orb
- Wargear: Enmitic Annihilator, Hyperphase Harvester, Flensing Claws
- Wargear: Plasmic Lance
- Weapon Modifiers: Plasmic Lance - +1 BS, +1 Attack
- Battle Scar: Fatigued (Crusade Core Rules)
- Wargear: Staff of Light
- Wargear: Staff of Light
- Enhancement: Metalodermal Tesla Weave
- Battle Scar: Battle-Weary
- Wargear: Enmitic Disintegrator Pistols
- Weapon Modifiers: Enmitic Disintegrator Pistols - +1 Strength, +1 AP
- Battle Scar: Fatigued (Crusade Core Rules)
- Wargear: 1 x Gauss Destructor
- Wargear: 1 x Gauss Destructor
- Wargear: 1 x Gauss Destructor
- Wargear: 10 x Warscythes
- Wargear: 20 x Gauss Flayers
- Wargear: 10 x Tesla Carbines
- Battle Traits: Undying Revenants (Necron Codex), Will to Serve (Necron Codex)
- Wargear: 6 x Skorpekh Hyperphase Weapons, 2 x Plasmacytes
- Weapon Modifiers: 1 x Skorpekh Hyperphase Weapon - +1 Strength, +1 Weapon Skill
- Battle Trait: Battle-Scarred Resistance
- Wargear: Synaptic Disintegrators
- Wargear: 3 x Vicious Claws, 3 x Particle Casters
- Wargear: 3 x Feeder Mandibles
- Wargear: 3 x Feeder Mandibles
- Wargear: 2 x Atomiser Beams
- Wargear: Doomsday Blaster, Twin Gauss Flayers
- Weapon Modifiers: Doomsday Blaster - +1 Damage, +1 Ballistic Skill
- Battle Trait: Self-Replicator Nodes (Necron Codex)
- Warlord
- Wargear: Relic Weapon, Combi-Weapon
- Enhancement: Deathwing Assault
- Weapon Modifiers: Combi-Weapon - +1 Attack, +1 Damage
- Battle Trait: Arch Acquisitor
- Wargear: Crozius, Relic Shield
- Wargear: Master-crafted Power Sword, Relic Shield, Neo-Volkite Pistol
- Weapon Modifiers: Master-crafted Power Sword - Precision, +1 Damage
- Wargear: 5 x Bolt Rifles, Grenade Launcher, Power Weapon
- Wargear: 5 x Bolt Rifles, Grenade Launcher, Power Weapon
- Battle Trait: Indomitable Conquerors
- Wargear: 5 x Heavy Bolt Pistols, 5 x Chainswords, 1 x Plasma Pistol, 1 x Thunder Hammer
- Battle Trait: Indomitable Conquerors
- Wargear: 3 x Melta Rifles, 3 x Bolt Pistols
- Wargear: 5 x Plasma Incinerators, 4 x Bolt Pistols, 1 x Plasma Pistol
- Battle Traits: Marksman's Honours, Aquila Imperialis
- Wargear: 5 x Marksman Bolt Carbines, Infiltrator Comms Array
- Wargear: 4 x Missile Launchers, Combi-Weapon, Power Sword
- Battle Trait: Ever Watchful
- Battle Scar: Battle Weary
- Wargear: 2 x Power Fists, 2 x Chain Fists, Power Sword, 5 x Storm Bolters, Cyclone Missile Launcher, Watcher in the Dark
- Battle Trait: Staunch Hunters
- Wargear: 4 x Mace of Absolution, Great Weapon of the Unforgiven, Watcher in the Dark
- Battle Trait: Staunch Hunters
- Wargear: Storm Bolter
- Wargear: 2 x Storm Bolters, Ironhail Stubber, Belicatus Missile Array
- Battle Trait: Heavily Armoured
- Wargear: Twin Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon, 2 x Tempest Bolters, Ironhail Heavy Stubber, Icarus Rocket Pod
- Wargear: Ballistus Lascannon, Ballistus Missile Launcher, Twin Storm Bolter
- Weapon Modifiers: Ballistus Missile Launcher - +1 Ballistic Skill, +1 AP
- Battle Trait: Resilient Machine Spirit
- Wargear: 2 x Heavy Plasma Cannon, Cyclone Missile Launcher
PREGAME SET UP
Just like my game against the Craftworld Aeldari the other month, not only was this game not an official match up and was instead an additional game that was a long time in the making, being that my opponent was a very big part of the Echoes of Nihilus campaign with their Drukhari, but I never had the pleasure of playing them personally until now, so I was very much looking forward to this.
As already mentioned, this was not an official match up and as such we had no predetermined stance or mission to play. We chose our stances first, in secret, with me choosing aggressive and my opponent choosing defensive, meaning the Angels of Vengeance took the advantage. We then rolled for our mission and we ended up playing Tortured Worldscape, which needed some discussion before we started as the mission doesn’t state when VP is awarded for unit kills. After a brief chat, we decided that unit kills since the current player’s last command phase should count towards the “To Ashes And Embers” objective.
For leader assignments, having chosen the Awakened Dynasty detachment I had a veritable buffet of characters to assign, though I went with the obvious match ups with Banityn the Hidden and Rakantyr the Baleful leading the Immortals, Nemekh the Summoner leading the Warriors alongside Baltha’Zyr the Enslaver, Nemesor Phaen leading the Lychguard, Peletesz the Wretched leading the Wraiths and finally Szarazs the Charnel King leading the Skorpekh Destroyers (phew!). For the Angels of Vengeance, my opponent placed Lieutenant Gadriel with their Hellblasters, Master Israfil with the Deathwing Terminators and Interrogator Chaplain Camael with the Deathwing Knights.
For reserves, my opponent put both of their Terminator squads in Deep Strike reserve alongside their Assault Intercessors who were contained safely in a Drop Pod, whilst the Hellblasters began the game embarked on the Impulsor. I had only placed my Hexmark Destroyer in Deep Strike, everything else was deployed on the board.
With no Scouts or Infiltrators of which to speak we rolled off for first turn, which the Angels of Vengeance won. First turn went to my opponent!
BATTLE ROUND 1
The Angels of Vengeance eyed the Necron forces with a cautious eye and set their sights on the Doomstalker that towered above the opposing forces, and swore an Oath of Moment to destroy the Canoptek weapon platform. Realising it needed to be taken down before it had a chance to reanimate itself, the Gladiator Reaper and Devastator Squad positioned in the nearby building took aim and, with some minimal help from the Dreadnought on the opposite flank, took out the xenos walker with little effort.
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| The Hellfire Spyre didn't last long against the Astarte's firepower |
The Impulsor meanwhile fired at a Lokhust Heavy Destroyer lurking nearby and removed its fearsome Heavy Gauss Destructor as a threat in doing so. The Eradicators and the Infiltrators on the other side of the battlefield attempt to shoot at the Skorpekhs and Immortals but inflict minimal damage that was quickly nullified through reanimation. Finally the Intercessors, having escaped any damage that might have been caused by the treacherous and tortured earth below them, lay a claim to their home objective that would only be removed if their enemy were to counter claim it.
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| The Necron advance is implacable |
In response, the Necron forces emerge from their defensive positions with Plasmancer Rakantyr and his Immortals opening fire upon the Eradicators and destroying them in a single volley of fire, leaving the Skorpekhs to make a mighty charge against the Astartes Infiltrators and, in turn, wiping them out as well.
On the other side of the battlefield, the remaining Lokhust Heavy Destroyer moves out of cover and opens fire against the Impulsor, stripping chunks of plasteel plating from the armoured carrier and leaving it wide open for the Wraiths to close in. With the aid of Peletesz the Wretched navigating them through the ruins that they had hidden behind, the Canoptek constructs tear the Imperial transporter apart with their vicious claws and force the Hellblasters inside to make an emergency disembarkation as far away as they can.
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| The Wraiths swarm and destroy the Impulsor |
Nemekh and their Warriors meanwhile, having repaired all the damage done to them by localised tremors, stand firmly on their home objective as Phaen’s unit and several Scarab swarms advance in various directions towards the enemy.
BATTLE ROUND 2
With monstrous combat threats encroaching on both flanks, the Angels of Vengeance take an oath to wipe out the Skorpekh Destroyers on their left flank, and through a combination of various Dreadnought fire effectively mow down every Skorpekh in the unit aside from the Skorpekh Lord himself, who roars defiantly in his murder induced rage. Meanwhile, on the opposite flank, the Gladius Reaper opens fire on the Wraiths with it’s twin heavy onslaught gatling cannon and shreds the Canoptek constructs to pieces, allowing Gadriel to close the gap on Peletesz and, using the master swordsmanship his parent chapter is known for, cuts the Cryptek down despite his famed resilience. (DJ: Seems shared keywords work both ways - whilst I could move through the ruins freely thanks to Peletesz’s Infantry keyword, it also gave the Gladius Sustained Hits 2 against him and the Wraiths!)
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| Peletesz finds himself outnumbered by enemy Hellblasters |
The Angels of Vengeance then deployed their secret weapon - the Deathwing descended upon the battlefield. Master Israfil and his Deathwing Terminators teleported behind the Immortals whilst Interrogator Chaplain Camael led the Deathwing Knights from the Astartes frontline. Israfil pulls off a mighty charge into the Immortals rear, but through sheer luck the Necrons suffer only minimal casualties.
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| The Deathwing Terminators charge the Immortal'd rear |
Not standing for the affront to his Dynasty’s honour committed by Gadriel, Nemesor Phaen launches an assault against the Astartes Lieutenant and his Hellblasters. Whilst Phaen challenged Gadriel to single combat and bested the Lieutenant utilising the martial skills that he had honed millenia ago, the Lychguard effortlessly cut down the Hellblasters and suffer only a single casualty as the plasma wielding super humans committed their final moments to shooting their bolt pistols at the xenos guardians.
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| Phaen and his Lychguard take out the Hellblasters |
On the Necron’s right flank, the Immortals tactically fall back from the Deathwing Terminators, and order the nearby Canoptek Reanimator to take their place in an attempt to try and hold Master Israfil and his elites long enough for them to fulfil their mission in holding the nearby objective, and the Canoptek construct survives long enough to hold the Terminators in place for a while. Meanwhile Szarazs charges forth with reckless abandon against the Ballistas Dreadnought, and tears off a couple of plasteel plates off the glorified tomb.
As a swarm of Scarabs hurl themselves ineffectively against the nearby Deathwing, the Hexmark Destroyer enters the Angels of Vengeance’s deployment zone to take the enemy home objective, but is unable to claim it due to a previously inflicted engrammatic error. (DJ: I wish I remembered that battle scar that dropped my Hexmark’s OC to 0 before I committed to the Deep Strike! Thought I finally rid my opponent of that sticky objective!)
"This is a great idea!" (It was not a great idea)
BATTLE ROUND 3
The Angels of Vengeance swear bloody retribution against Nemesor Phaen for striking down Gadriel and pledge an oath of moment against the Overlord and his Lychguard. Through a combination of Devastator heavy weapons, Storm Bolter fire and the nearby Gladius wear the Lychguard unit down to just four, weakening them enough for the Deathwing Knights to finish them off with their maces of absolution and taking the nearby objective from the Necrons despite the fissure that had just opened up below them.
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| The Deathwing Knights close into Phaen's retinue |
Meanwhile on the other side of the battlefield, the Ballistas Dreadnought falls back from the murder hungry Szarazs and allows it’s nearby battle brothers to fire everything into the Skorpekh Lord. Despite his advanced reanimation protocols, the ex-Phaeron is finally brought down by the Astartes firepower.
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| Szarazs finally succumbs to the combined dreadnought firepower |
A screeching is heard in the skies above as an Angels of Vengeance Drop Pod plummets into the ruined square of the wrecked Imperial city, and out emerge a unit of Assault Intercessors who immediately hurl themselves into the Immortals in the nearby ruins, however whilst their efforts were valiant, the Immortals stand their ground and after a prolonged combat beat the Space Marine squad down to a man thanks in part to Banityn’s mighty warscythe.
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| Are you really Space Marine-ing without a Drop Pod assault? |
With little left to do on the Necron side of the battlefield, other than to lament the destruction of the Canoptek Reanimator, the Khertet Dynasty held fast and attempted to keep ahold of their objectives despite the advancing Terminators…
LAST TWO BATTLE ROUNDS
With most of the Necron forces removed from the battlefield, Nemekh and their Warrior retinue remained on the Khertet Dynasty’s home objective all game, never budging to ensure that they held at least some control over the battlefield. The Necron Immortals meanwhile were able to wipe out the Assault Intercessors in combat and held the right flank objective for a single turn before the Deathwing Terminators engaged them in combat and, though they and Banityn in particular put up a good fight, they were eventually taken out by the Astartes veterans who had targeted them for their final oath of moment of the battle.
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| The Deathwing Veterans close in for the kill |
The Deathwing Knights charge the nearby Lokhust Heavy Destroyer and obliterate it with their maces of absolution, holding the nearby objective unchallenged.
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| The Lokhust Heavy Destroyer finally meets his end |
The last, remaining Lokhust Heavy Destroyer attempted to destroy the Ballista Dreadnought in a last ditch effort to claw back some points for destroying enemy units but alas the shot went wide and failed to even hit the target. With nothing left to do on either side it was time to tally up the points…
ANGELS OF VENGEANCE VICTORY!
65 VP - 75 VP
POSTGAME ANALYSIS
Ya know… it would be nice not to lose by 10VP one of these match ups! That being said, watch me lose by more than 10VP next time…
So onto the actual analysis. Oddly, I haven’t actually played many Space Marine armies in 10th edition - I think I played Ultramarines and Blood Angels once each before but that is all and man, Oath of Moment is horrible to contend with as pretty much every unit that was targeted was completely destroyed by the end of the turn, even my Doomstalker which has survived every game in the campaign thus far was gone in the first turn. Very effective against Necrons who rely on reanimation protocols to stay in the game!
Unlike my previous game against Hive Fleet Ex Umbra I have a fair few notes on things I could’ve done better this game, for one don’t underestimate my opponent’s ability to make 9” charges! But on a more predictable note, if your opponent has Terminators in Deep Strike reserve, do not let them get behind your lines! Spread your units out, deny them drop points, my Scarabs would’ve done far more sitting in the corners of my deployment zones than attempting to chip away wounds off Marines. Also, whilst we’re on the subject of Deep Strike, if you’re attempting to steal an objective using this ability in Crusade, make sure your unit has at least 1 OC and hasn’t got the Fatigued Battle Scar. I made damn sure I repaired this straight after the game!
Another few points to take note - firstly, if you’re playing against Dark Angels, you are going to need to take the objective game seriously, I was completely (and some might say, foolishly) unaware of just how good they are at holding objectives and when the Unforgiven Task Force detachment is used in conjunction with the Intercessor’s “Objective Secured” rule, it is very difficult to wrestle control from them. Also do not underestimate Devastator Squads! They maybe First Borns but they pack a wallop, and Icarus Missiles really take advantage of the otherwise useless fly keyword.
Regardless, very enjoyable game and my opponent was an absolute pleasure to play against. Maybe the Khertet Dynasty will get their chance for pay back some time in the future...
drop pods are toptier marine transports
ReplyDeleteI loved Drop Pods back when I played Marines, such a simple but effective way of dropping troops where you need them!
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