Adam from The Dice Abide blog has a battle report for us! Chaos vs. Sisters of Battle!
In my first battle report of 7th edition we put a classic matchup to the test, the devout Sisters of Battle engaging in a head on battle with the arch heretics, the Chaos Space Marines. Wanting to fully delve into the new 7th Edition we decided that we’d play a Maelstrom of War, at our usual game size of 1750 points.
Preparing for Battle
Chaos Space Marines
Warpsmith: 110
Warpsmith: 110
9 Chaos Space Marines: bolt pistols, close combat weapons, 1 meltagun, Aspiring Champion with lightning claw: 152
9 Chaos Space Marines: bolt pistols, close combat weapons, 1 meltagun, Aspiring Champion with power sword: 152
10 Chaos Cultists: 9 autoguns: 59
10 Chaos Cultists: 50
Heldrake: baleflamer: 170
5 Chaos Spawn: Mark of Nurgle: 180
5 Chaos Spawn: Mark of Nurgle: 180
Chaos Land Raider: dirge caster, dozer blade: 240
Chaos Land Raider: dirge caster, dozer blade: 240
Chaos Predator: autocannon, heavy bolter sponsons, havoc missile launcher: 107
Total: 1,750
Adepta Sororitas
Canoness: storm bolter, Book of Saint Lucius, Cloak of Saint Aspira: 95
Saint Celestine: 135
10 Battle Sisters: heavy flamer, meltagun, Veteran Superior: 150
Adepta Sororitas Rhino: 40
10 Battle Sisters: heavy flamer, meltagun, Veteran Superior: 150
Adepta Sororitas Rhino: 40
10 Battle Sisters: heavy flamer, meltagun, Veteran Superior: 150
Adepta Sororitas Rhino: 40
10 Battle Sisters: heavy flamer, meltagun, Veteran Superior: 150
Adepta Sororitas Rhino: 40
5 Battle Sisters: heavy flamer, meltagun, Veteran Superior: 90
Immolator: twin-linked multi-melta: 60
7 Seraphim: two hand flamers, two inferno pistols, Seraphim Superior: 155
Avenger Strike Fighter: avenger bolt cannon, 2 lascannons: 150
Avenger Strike Fighter: avenger bolt cannon, 2 lascannons: 150
5 Retributors: 4 Heavy Bolters: 100
Aegis Defense Line: 50
Total: 1,745
Mission: Cloak and Shadows
Deployment: Vanguard Strike
Sisters Warlord Power: Conquerer of Cities
Chaos Warlord Power: Intimidating Presence
Nightfight: Yes.
Deployment
Obi’s Sisters win the roll off to deploy and go first, choosing to make a fortified position around a ruins near the edge of their deployment zone, you can see the numbered objectives in pink (1-6).
- Sisters in Immolator
- Sisters in Rhino
- Retributors in Ruins with Canoness, Sisters in Rhino behind ruins
- Seraphim and Celestine
- Sisters in Rhino
My Chaos Marines (in orange) deploy more centrally, keeping the predator on the flank to try and get side armour shots to open up the rhinos. My spawn are dead center, taking advantage of the rubble for cover, making for a 3+ cover save due to night fight.
- Chaos Predator (and apparently my beer)
- Land Raider with 9 Chaos Marines and Warpsmith (warlord)
- Chaos Spawn of Nurgle
- Chaos Spawn of Nurgle
- Land Raider with 9 Chaos Marines and Warpsmith
Turn 1
Sisters Objectives: Secure Objective 4 (34), Secure Objective 4 (24), Secure Objective 5 (35)
Chaos Objectives: Secure Objective 4 (14), Secure Objective 5 (25), Secure Objective 1 (31)
I failed to seize, so the Sisters go first. Due to night fighting their shooting is largely ineffective, only stunning the Chaos Predator. In a bid to grab Objective 5, the Sisters closest to them advance full speed, just getting their rhino within the 3″ range to claim the objective, scoring the first Tactical Objective of the game.
Seeing him move up, I decide to take advantage of the speed my Chaos Spawn bring, moving up full speed. Since I also need to claim Objective 5, I spent most of my shooting failing to do much besides 1 HP of damage to the rhino now in the ruins. The Chaos Marines to my right disembark and charge the rhino, while one unit of Chaos Spawn charge the mid-field rhino and the other unit charges the Seraphim. In combat, the Chaos Spawn easily dispatch the rhino, while the other unit eats a single Seraphim, though they simply hit and run 14″ to safety after the fight. My Chaos Marine squad lays into the Rhino near Objective 5, wrecking it, which secures the objective for them. Finally, the apparently Sabotaged Objective 3 explodes, finishing off one Chaos Spawn.
Turn 2
Sisters Objectives: Secure Objective 4 (34), Secure Objective 4 (24), Secure Objective 6 (16)
Chaos Objectives: Secure Objective 6 (26), Behind Enemy Lines (42), Assassinate (64)
One of the Avengers makes it to the battle, while the Seraphim move up towards my Warlord’s Land Raider. Sisters disembark from several rhinos in an attempt to cleanse the Chaos Spawn units with holy flame and bolter. In the shooting phase, the Seraphim strip one Hullpoint off the Land Raider, while the Avenger’s lascannons fail to damage it at all. The Immolator again fires at the Predator, finding it’s front armour too think to handle at such long range. The squad of Sisters forced to disembark after their Rhino was wrecked found themselves in a great position to unleash a torrent from their heavy flamer, killing 4 of the Chaos Marines. Next, a squad of sisters, clearly guided by the Emperor managed to do an astonishing 7 wounds, 6 of which come from bolters, finishing off 3 of the spawn. Finally with one unit left to shoot with, Obi says a little prayer and fires the single Meltagun at my Warlord’s Land Raider… and those prayers were answered! A single shot, a single hit, and a 6 on the Damage roll. The resulting explosion claims 2 of the Chaos Marines, while the Retributors in the ruins open fire and kill 2 more. The Seraphim strike the squad now sitting in the crater that once was a Land Raider, Celestine single handedly killing all 5 marines in the process. The warpsmith lashes out killing 2 more, but that’s not enough and I fail my LD7 check, which results in him getting swept. The sisters score Objective 4 with 2 cards and do a little dance.
Not super thrilled about losing my Warlord so soon, the Heldrake decides to come on and avenge me, while a unit of cultists snuck onto the back of the board, hoping to shoot down some Seraphim. All that clumping up to unleash the most fire power from the sisters means I can get 8 under it’s flame template, even with the restricted arc, I choose to use the power of the Daemonforge and manage to annihilate all the sisters touched by the template in a ball of green fire. The Warpsmith near Objective 5 decides that he’ll answer fire with fire and kills 2 of the sisters which his flamer, while the rest of the squad fires ineffectively. My surviving Land Raider is in a position to fire at Celestine, both lascannons miss, and he fails one look out sir, but is protected by the will of the emperor, neither wound sticking. My lone Chaos Spawn from the unit that was almost totally annihilated charges into a squad of sisters, hoping to pin them down, but the emperor is still on his side, causing 3 wounds with overwatch to my T6 monstrosity, ARGH! On the other side, the Warpsmith and his heavily wounded bodyguard charge into the sisters, he easily cuts down 3 of their number while the marines kill 4, the last sister safely fled combat. The other spawn unit, having charged a unit of 10 sisters and a rhino, rip a chunk out of the rhino for a single HP of damage, kill only a single sister, but that’s enough to see them flee and be swept by the bloated beasts. Having killed 3 sergeants this round, I scored 3 Victory Points from Assassinate, as well as having a squad within 12″ of their board edge, and also claimed Objective 6, getting me a whopping 5 VP’s in one turn. Things are really looking up for Chaos, despite the heavy casualties.
Turn 3
Sisters Objectives: Secure Objective 2 (22), Secure Objective 1 (11), Secure Objective 6 (16)
Chaos Objectives: Scour the Skies (63), Hold the Line (43), Ascendency (44)
The second Avenger is on, and the Seraphim advance towards the fresh cultist blood. The first Avenger opens fire on my remaining marine squad, killing the rest of the squad, while the single fleeing sister takes a pot shot and manages to shear the final wound off my Warpsmith, 2+ save and all! Damn the Emperor! After having advanced a bit closer, the Immolator unleashes a gout of heat, reducing the Predator to a pile of slag. Without many targets left and the toads rapidly advancing on their position, the Retributors open fire, killing a single spawn. The Seraphim fire at, then charge the 10 cultists, easily wiping them out. Sisters score points for Securing Objective 1 and 2.
My second unit of cultists, possibly demoralized by watching the last squad get annihilated stays off the board. The Heldrake swoops at the Avenger, stunning it before it zooms off the battlefield. Wanting to be sure I score my Scour the Skies objective, the Land Raider pivots in place, opens fire and manages to score the last HP of damage needed to take down the Avenger. The Chaos Spawn easily charge into the Retributors, taking no wounds from them in combat and dishing out a massive 8, though 7 were saved thanks to the Canonesses re-rollable armour save. Not particularly liking my cards, I discard Hold the Line, but score a point for Scour the Skies.
Turn 4
Sisters Objectives: Scour the Skies (63), Behind Enemy Lines (42), Hold the Line (43)
Chaos Objectives: Overwhelming Firepower (51), Secure Objective 4 (24), Secure Objective 5 (35)
Fearing the Drake’s return, the Avenger flies off the board. Meanwhile, the sisters in the Immolator disembark to rummage through the ruins of the Aquila Lander, clearly knowing something I didn’t, it turned out to be an Archeotech! The last remaining full-strength sister squad disembarks from their rhino, seeing if they can bag a second Land Raider, and guess what… They did. Once again, the Emperor guides their single meltagun shot and explodes my last tank on the board. In combat, the Spawn managed only a single wound, while the Canoness also sliced into a spawn, leading to a drawn combat. The sisters have 3 units for Behind Enemy Lines, but only roll a 1 for the D3, also they have 3 Objectives, so score Ascendency for another 3 points, the score is close, 8 Victory Points to 9.
Finally the cultists arrive, this time near the Archeotech, hoping to claim it for Chaos. The Heldrake’s vector strike fails to damage the immolator, while it’s Balefire makes martyrs of 6 more sisters. Again, the spawn have a great round, causing 9 wounds, though again, only killing 2, and the Canoness doesn’t give ground. Not caring for my hand, I discard 24.
Turn 5
Sisters Objectives: Secure Objective 5 (15), Secure Objective 6 (36), Hold the Line (43)
Chaos Objectives: Secure Objective 5 (15), Overwhelming Firepower (51), Ascendency (44)
The Avenger returns to hunt it’s quarry, the Heldrake, while the wounded sister squad re-embarks in their transport and speeds towards Objective 6. The Immolator tank shocks the cultists, failing to chase them off, while the sister squad opened fire and torched 7 of their number. Finally the spawn break the Canoness, but fail to catch her as she flees. Sisters score Objective 5 and Objective 6 for 2 more points.
In a last ditch effort to get points, my Heldrake goes into hover mode to finish off a squad of sisters that had been reduced to 1 by it’s first incinerating blast of the game. The Spawn charge again into the Retributors, hoping to finally get warlord, though only managed to finish off the last Retributor, leaving the Canoness to continue the fight. I scored Overwhelming Firepower for one last point.
Results
Chaos scored 9 points from Tactical Objectives and had Line Breaker and First blood for a total of 11 points.
Sisters scored 11 points from Tactical Objectives, had Slay the Warlord and Line Breaker for 13 points. Victory to the Sisters.
It was an extremely entertaining game and the Tactical Objectives were just awesome to play with. We did house rule that you can discard any objective that would be impossible to score throughout the game, which just seems logical (how can I Hunt the Witch if there is no witch?).
Also, I want to point out that the iPad edition of the rulebook is pure fucking gold. It was fantastic being able to easily search rules, or have everything linked so you wouldn’t have to go from one page to another, it’s all just right there! I would 100% recommend it to anyone who was even just curious about getting it.