Battle Report: Jim Vs Richard

Jim's Army (back) (limitls)

Richard's Army (back) (limitls)

Report (back)

Report by: Simon
Truth be known, I wasn't there for all of the game, and the pictures are a bit random, so not the best report ever. Getting better though.

Setup

Jim setup a reverse defence system on the left facing away from the main city section to the right of the pictures.
Richard then chose to play corner to corner, the IG choosing the top right corner in the pictures. The red pencil sharpeners are the IGs markers, the green are the Marines markers; both placed in opposing manners. Jim placed his two IG markers as close as possible to the IG blitzkrieg. Richard went for the opposite tactic, both Marine markers on the opposite corners (top left and bottom right).

The Marines setup a rapid strike force along the flank, while the IG tank companies were put on either flank. The Warhound made its appearence near the end of deployment and the Marines knew it was going to be a tough nut to crack. Marine Break Their Spirit was setup on top of the blitzkrieg, while the IG had dual formations, both the tank companies.

Turn 1

The Marines won the strategy roll and pushed forward taking their right flank with a tactical, devestator and landspeeder formation. The corresponding tank company rolled up and unloaded on the devestators, forcing them to retreat into a near by building. The other tactical formation took the hill on the left flank, holding a Marines objective. Unfortunately the tank company and the stormtroopers moved forward to attack next turn. The HQ and sentinels moved into the centre to hold the line. The Warhound ended up being out of position and struggled to find a suitable target. The two basilisk batteries also under performed, simply pinging formations for blast markers.

As always for Marines, the first turn ends with everything in a vulnerable position. everything rallied all round.

Turn 2

The terminators made their appearence, both squads teleporting in around the tank company on the Marine right flank, with the landspeeders in supporting position this was looking dangerous. The captain squad escaped BMs, but the chaplain picked up two. With a combined assult of the three formations the odds were heavily in favour of the Marines. The outcome was inevitable, and was only a matter of damage, which was fairly good. The surviving tanks ran from danger.

Realizing some formations where going to faulter, the Marines marshelled two formations to try and keep them active after the soon to come IG firepower. The tacticals holding the hill and the tacticals holding the road both reduced BMs, but was it enough.

It was now that the Marines found they were slightly out avtivated for the rest of the turn. On the other flank the IG put their overwhelming firepower to use and shifted the dug in tactical squad. But with their other flank disintergrating thoughts turned to turn 3 and objectives. The IG blitzkrieg looked in danger, unfortunately there was little that could be done, the army too spread out or tied up with other Marine formations.

Rallying went well alround, the broken tank company came back and so did most other formations.

Turn 3

Desparate to win the IG began its push. They held defend to flag and that seemed to be it. Attempts to hold their table half failed when a landspeeder detachment speed through the centre of the board to try and contest the IG bunker (objective). However, they were broken later in the turn and the sentinels moved up to retake the objective for defend to flag.

The Marines pushed towards the IG blitzkrieg, the whirlwinds continuing to be a nucience to the centre of the table at the limit of their range, the IG basilisks firing second making the whirlwinds a lesser target, thus they continued to survive mostly unaffected.

The turn ended IG one, Marines 0. So on to the next turn.

Turn 4

It looked grim for the Marines, they lacked anything substantial left on one flank, but their right was looking most promising. Also the Marine break their spirit was sitting behind the defencive line on top of the blitzkrieg and had so far been untouched.

The IG realized the Marine backline was a lost cause, so turned to the rest of the battle. The IG won the strategy roll. Though nothing much came of it.

The Marines launched another engage against the tank company guarding the IG blitzkreig. After some great, substitue poor, rolling the tanks were wiped out and the Marines took the blitzkrieg.
Danger now for the IG. furious attempts to dislodge the Marines failed. Also, it was realized that no IG formations were across the halfway point, so currently they were down 0-3.
Succumbing to defeat, as a last act of defiance the IG moved the surviving tank company into the Marine half and the game ended.

The Marines claimed break their spirit and blitzkrieg after some do or die assults on the flank. The IG seemed to be in command on turn two, but stalled in the middle of the table after some excellent holding actions from the tactical squads.

Comments

The Warhound performed well, and when it did fire it was a healthy deterrent. The Marine backline, the devestator squad was not utilized at all, so for the Marines it was a waste of 425 points that could have been activily involved. For the IG, making no attempt to sieze the backline left one flank with little to do, and so many points were wasted dealing with a single tactical formation.
The teleported terminators again showed how dangerous and troubling they can be to the back line once the enemy has moved too far forward. A similar tactic against the Orks tied a great gargant up for two turns dealing with only two stands of terminators.

Result (back)

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