Hi, I am Jy2 and I used to write battle reports here on Dakka. It’s been a while though, but I’d like to kick it off again with a battle against my friend and fellow teammate, Jeremy aka the French Overlord (TFO) aka MikhailLenin. Check the Tactics Corner for more great battle reports!
Today he is trying out the new Curse of the Wulfen supplement and has asked me to be his “guinea” pig. Fine, I thought, but what better way to test out a deathstar than to have him face an equally strong deathstar? Heh heh….
Jeremy is an extremely good player and a multiple time GT winner. He brings/writes innovative lists and each time I’ve faced them, I’ve been quite impressed, though I must admit, the skill behind the list is more impressive than the list itself. On the 2015 ITC Overall Rankings, Jeremy finished 8th Overall. He is a very tactical and knowledgeable player. However, I am no slouch myself. I finished 10th Overall as well as winning ITC Best Army in 2 categories. I hope that my deathstar can give him a challenging fight.
1850 JY2’S CENTSTAR
Nemesis Strike Force:
Brother-Captain Stern
5x Strikers
Draigo
Red Scorpions CAD:
Sevrin Loth
Librarian – Lvl 1, Bike, Shield Eternal
5x Scouts – Land Speeder Storm
5x Scouts – Land Speeder Storm
5x Grav Centurions – Omniscope
Librarius Conclave – White Scars:
Librarian – Lvl 2, Terminator Armor, Storm Shield, Hunter’s Eye
Librarian – Lvl 2, Terminator Armor, Storm Shield
Librarian – Lvl 2, Terminator Armor, Storm Shield
1850 THE FRENCH OVELORD’S DANCES WITH WOLVES-STAR
Deathpack Formation: (SW)
Wolf Lord – Thunderwolf Cav, Powerfist, Stormshield, Helm of Durfast (reroll all hit rolls)
5x Grey Hunters
6x Thunder Wolf Cav – 3x Powerfists, 6x Stormshields
Murderpack Formation: (SW)
5x Wulfen – 2x Stormshields + Thunderhammers, 2x Great Frost Axes, Pack Leader w/2x Frost Claws
5x Wulfen – 2x Stormshields + Thunderhammers, 2x Great Frost Axes, Pack Leader w/2x Frost Claws
5x Wulfen – 2x Stormshields + Thunderhammers, 2x Great Frost Axes, Pack Leader w/2x Frost Claws
White Scar Librarian Conclave:
Librarians – Lvl 2, Bike, Force Axe, Meltabombs
Librarians – Lvl 2, Bike, Force Axe, Meltabombs
Librarians – Lvl 2, Bike, Force Axe, Meltabombs
Librarians – Lvl 2, Bike, Force Axe, Meltabombs
PRE-GAME ANALYSIS:
Now I admit that I am not too familiar with the new Wulfen book. My copy hasn’t arrived yet and I didn’t pay very much attention to all the rumours and then the leaks on the Interwebz with regards to their new formations. So I was going into this battle without much knowledge. Then when Jeremy explained their rules to me, it really blew my mind. Holy ship! I am looking at a deathstar that can very reliably make a 1st Turn charge in most cases!!!
Basically, how they work is this. Each turn, the Wulfen roll on a table. Most likely, they either get +3″ on their Move, Run and Charge distances. There is also a roll where they can move TWICE!!! Moreover, they can charge after running. So it’s either move 15″, run D6+3″ and then charge 2D6+3″ (with re-rolls on the Charge distance) for up to a 39″ charge on Turn 1 or move 24″, run D6” and then charge 2D6” (with re-rolls) for a 42″ charge! Mind = blown! The only way to NOT get charged is to pray you get Hammer-&-Anvil deployment or to bring a Null-deployment army (like drop pods). Perhaps deploying in the very corner of a Vanguard Strike deployment might help. Then again, if you deploy so far away, you are going to have trouble reaching the objectives, at least for most armies. Otherwise, something is going to get charged on T1. This army might just be one of the best Board Control armies in the game currently. It’s threat range is just ridiculous.
On top of that, you’ve got psychic buffs from 4 librarians who are casting on 2+’s! You’ve got guys who can attack even after they’ve died. And not just ordinary guys. I’m talking about guys with 3-5 S8 or S10 AP2 attacks potentially attacking you again after you’ve killed them (S10 in the ITC format)! Finally, you’ve got Hit-&-Run on the units due to the White Scars Chapter Tactics.
So pot, meet kettle. Just as nasty as his list is in assault, mine is arguably the nastiest shooting deathstar in the game. I’ve got 5 Stormshields in my star which gives those guys 2++ Invulnerables after I cast Sanctuary. I’ve got guaranteed Invisibility or Endurance due to Loth (I will be going for Endurance in this game). I am casting powers on 2+ as well with 3 of my librarians. I can leave combat via Gate. I ignore whatever cover you have due to the Hunter’s Eye. My list isn’t going to elicit any sympathy either….it’s probably one of the most hated deathstars in the game currently (along with the original Wolfstar and the Eldar Seer Council). Honestly, I’ve easily got the resiliency to survive his assault (I hope!)….that is, if I don’t get charged before I can get my psychic buffs up.
Too bad we are playing Dawn of War deployment. That’s bad for me and good for my opponent. HOWEVER, I won the roll to go 1st. That’s great for my army and bad for Jeremy. Now it’s going to be a question of how much damage I can do before I get assaulted. So place your bets people. Which of these bad boys are going to take it.
MISSIONS:
Primary Objectives: Crusade, 4-pts
Secondary Objectives: Modified Maelstrom, 4-pts
Maelstrom missions have been modified. Now, you don’t score them until the beginning of your next turn.
1. Hold Objective 1.
2. Hold Objective 2.
3. Destroy an enemy unit.
4. Destroy an enemy unit.
5. Have a scoring unit at least partially within the enemy deployment zone.
6. Have at least 3 of your scoring units and no enemy scoring units at least partially within your own deployment zone.
3-pt Maelstrom Objective #1 – If Maelstrom Objectives #1 and Maelstrom Objectives #2 are generated, they may be exchanged for: Hold 3 Objectives and earn 3 Maelstrom Points
3-pt Maelstrom Objective #2 – If Maelstrom Objectives #3 and Maelstrom Objectives #4 are generated, they may be exchanged for: Destroy 3 enemy units and earn 3 Maelstrom Points.
Tertiary Objectives: First Blood, Linebreaker, Slay the Warlord, 1-pt each
Deployment: Dawn of War
1st Turn: Jy2’s Centstar
DEPLOYMENT:
Warlord Traits – nothing useful.
Psychic powers – Centstar:
Loth – Endurance, Warp Speed, Iron Arm, Smite
Librarian, Lvl 1 – Life Leech, Smite
Librarian, Lvl 2 – Life Leech, Iron Arm, Smite (Warlord)
Librarian, Lvl 2 – Life Leech, Enfeeble, Smite
Librarian, Lvl 2 – Perfect Timing, Precognition, Prescience
Psychic powers – Space Wolves:
Librarian, Lvl 2 – Iron Arm, Warp Speed, Smite
Librarian, Lvl 2 – Iron Arm, Enfeeble, Smite
Librarian, Lvl 2 – Iron Arm, Life Leech, Smite
Librarian, Lvl 2 – Haemorrhage, Life Leech, Smite
Lol. We were both going for Endurance. After 13 attempts, neither of us got it.
My deployment. Scouts will Outflank. Strikers will deepstrike in via normal Reserves.
Jeremy splits up his guys and deploys them all separately, putting a librarian in each unit. He takes advantage of the Blocking-LOS (BLOS) terrain to hide his Wulfen. His lone Grey Hunter squad will walk on.
Jeremy decides not to steal the Initiative and we begin.
CENTSTAR 1
Maelstrom Objectives:
3. Destroy an enemy unit.
4. Destroy an enemy unit.
I take a risky Gate attempt and almost scatter off the table! I also get off Sanctuary, Endurance, Precog and Force on my deathstar but did not have enough dice for Prescience.
In the Shooting phase, Jeremy rolls very well for his 3++ guy as well as his FNP‘s. His Wulfens take the full fury of my firepower and survive!!! He only loses 4 models and his Librarian takes 1W. However, no First Blood and no Maelstrom points for me.
WULFENSTAR 1
Maelstrom Objectives:
3. Destroy an enemy unit.
5. Have a scoring unit at least partially within the enemy deployment zone.
Rather than to go after my buffed up Centstar with 2++ characters, Eternal Warrior, 4+ FNP and Force weapon activated, Jeremy decides to get the heck out of dodge. His Wulfenstar moves away from me. Wounded librarian joins the unit.
One of his Libbies turbo-boost into my deployment zone for the Linebreaker Maelstrom. He won’t get it yet because he won’t score it until the beginning of his next turn. That means I get a chance to take out his Librarian.
CENTSTAR 2
I don’t get either of my Maelstroms.
Maelstrom Objectives:
1. Hold Objective 1.
3. Destroy an enemy unit.
All of my Reserves come in. Doh! At least both of my speeders come in on the flank with my Centstar. ObSec land speeder moves flat-out to claim Objective #1.
I make a mistake here. I split off my Biker Librarian and my Warlord from the Centstar. However, I forget about the Hunter’s Eye, meaning that my Centstar will not be able to Ignore Cover. Doh!!! Anyways, the reason why I split them off is to deal with his surviving Wulfen hiding in the building. He’s still dangerous though with Stormshield and a S10 Thunderhammer.
In the Psychic phase, I case Precog, Iron Arm and Force on my Warlord’s unit
The Centstar Gates to deal with his Librarian in my deployment zone. I do manage to cast Sanctuary. HOWEVER, I fail to cast Endurance. Uh oh!!!
Shooting kills the Librarian, netting me both First Blood and a Maelstrom point. I also kill 2 Thunderwolves (including 1 Power Fist) and put 1W on another Librarian. Damn….Jeremy rolled very well on his saves again to help minimize the damage.
Finally, Warlord and Biker Libby attempt to charge the lone Wulfen but fail their 7″ charge!
WULFENSTAR 2
eremy fails to secure a Maelstrom point this turn after losing his Libby to my Centstar.
Maelstrom Objectives:
2. Hold Objective 2.
5. Have a scoring unit at least partially within the enemy deployment zone
Grey Hunters come in. His Thunderhammer Wulfen goes after my speeder. He would later wreck it in Assault.
The Wulfenstar seizes their opportunity and assaults my Centstar.
Also, the unit of Wulfen makes a 9″ against my Strikers (after re-rolling their Charge move) and their Sargent (with the Wolf Claws) single-handedly wipes out all 5 Strikers by himself.
On the other hand, an Eternal Warrior Draigo with 2++ Invulnerable save and 4W can take a lot of S10 attacks. Despite my opponent activating Force on his Librarians and all those S10 hits, Draigo tanks a whole bunch of wounds before he is brought down to 1W remaining and has to Look-Out-Sir the rest. Stern is forced to take 4 saves before he finally rolls a 3 and gets crushed by the last S10 hit. However, I make another mistake here, forgetting he has a 3++ thanks to Sanctuary. Doh!!!
Still, I can’t complain. That was about 20 Insta-killing wounds my star just survived without Endurance and with only 1 casualty. I’ll take it!
CENTSTAR 3
I score both Maelstroms this turn. I kill his Librarian and my disembarked but ObSec Scouts are still holding Objective #1.
Maelstrom VP‘s – Centstar: 2, Wulfenstar: 0
Maelstrom Objectives:
2. Hold Objective 2.
3. Destroy an enemy unit.
Centstar successfully Gates out of combat. Once again, I do another very risky Deepstrike and scatter slightly. I am about 1″ from scattering off the table, but I am also within claiming distance to Objective #2. Whew….
Despite casting Perfect Timing, my star fails to kill off the unit of Grey Hunters with their shooting. Doh!!! 1 guy survives due to poor rolling on my part.
I also fail to take out his other unit of Wulfen, managing only to kill 3. Argh!
Fortunately for me, Jeremy, who has been rolling high all game, then fails his LD on the Grey Hunters. What’s more, he rolls a 10″ for the fallback distance and they run off the table. Lol.
Finally, my Warlord and Biker Libby, who joins up with the Scouts, charge the lone Wulfen and finish him off. Biker Libby absorbs the initial hits from his Wulfen and then the additional attacks after I kill off his Wulfen (I think that was 8 S10 AP2 hits that my Libby survived).
WULFENSTAR 3
Jeremy gets both of his Maelstroms as well. He has 1 unit of Wulfen (with only 2 guys left) on Objective #2 and another unit of Wulfen in my deployment zone.
Maelstrom VP‘s – Centstar: 2, Wulfenstar: 2
Maelstrom Objectives:
1. Hold Objective 1.
5. Have a scoring unit at least partially within the enemy deployment zone.
The Wulfenstar goes after my Warlord. Just their shooting alone takes out 3 Scouts.
The unit of Wulfen in my deployment zone goes to claim my Objective #1.
Combat!
Like a fething BOSS!!! The rest of my squad dies, but my Warlord tanks 18 wounds, of which 15 were Instant Deaths, with just his 3++!!! Being White Scars, he then Hit-&-Runs out of combat. BOOYAH!
CENTSTAR 4
I get both of my Maelstrom objectives again. My Centstar is claiming Objective #2 and I get my kill when Jeremy’s Grey Hunter ran off the table.
Maelstrom VP‘s – Centstar: 4, Wulfenstar: 2
Maelstrom Objectives:
2. Hold Objective 2.
4. Destroy an enemy unit.
My Warlord runs away from the Wulfenstar. I know he probably won’t survive but my plan is actually to try to lead his star away from the Objectives.
Land speeder would move flat-out towards the middle of the table and away from his star
Centstar moves. Loth breaks off from the unit and stays on Objective #2.
I have a decision to make here. I have 2 options:
1. Stay and finish off the unit of 2 Wulfens for the easy Victory Point, or…..
2. Do another risky Gate to try to kill off his unit of 5 Wulfens in my deployment zone. Doing so would deny my opponent both of his Maelstroms (Objective #1 and Linebreaker) as well as get me a Victory Point for killing a unit. However, I will need to successfully stick another risky landing and I need to kill a very resilient unit. It’s a Great Risk, Great Rewards option. Hmmmm…..
After successfully landing 2 very risky Gate attempts already, I decide not to push my luck. Besides, I’m not in desperation mode yet. The Centstar easily gets their Kill Point.
Because I decide not to block him, Jeremy gets both of his Maelstroms with his unit of Wulfen in my deployment zone and on Objective #1.
Maelstrom VP‘s – Centstar: 4, Wulfenstar: 4
Maelstrom Objectives:
3. Destroy an enemy unit.
5. Have a scoring unit at least partially within the enemy deployment zone.
As I anticipated, the Wulfenstar goes after my Warlord. One of his Librarians dies to Perils however. Cool, Kill Point for me.
Librarians split off from the main unit and turbo-boost. Wulfens go after my speeder.
Ah hell. Their reach is unbelievable. They easily blow up my Speeder. I make a mental mistake here, which we don’t catch until later. 3 scouts die in the explosion but I still put the full unit out there.
Finally, I don’t get lucky 2 turns in a row. The Wulfenstar takes down my Warlord.
CENTSTAR 5
I get both Objective #2 (with Loth) as well as a Victory Point for killing his unit of 2 Wulfens.
Maelstrom VP‘s – Centstar: 6, Wulfenstar: 4
Maelstrom Objectives:
4. Destroy an enemy unit.
5. Have a scoring unit at least partially within the enemy deployment zone.
Scouts go after the Librarian with 1W left. Centstar moves out.
PLAY OF THE GAME: I cast Gate and get 2 successes, only to have Jeremy finally manage to Deny it!
Let’s look at that again in slow-motion. I….cast…..Gate…..Jeremy….Deny….it!!!
Scouts shoot down the Librarian. But had I not cheated, I’d probably have killed him instead in Assault, or at least lock him in combat for a turn.
Jeremy and his super-saves, or should I say, super-FNP‘s. The full firepower of my centurions manage only to kill 3 Wulfen. WTF….
WULFENSTAR 5
Jeremy gets both Maelstrom objectives, killing a unit (my Warlord) and having the Wulfenstar in my deployment zone.
Maelstrom VP‘s – Centstar: 6, Wulfenstar: 6
Maelstrom Objectives:
1. Hold Objective 1.
2. Hold Objective 2.
Wolf Lord/Warlord breaks off from the unit of Thunderwolves and goes after my Scouts.
Wulfen goes after my Centstar. That’s a bold move, Cotton….
Librarian turbo-boosts to Objective #1 and then hides behind the BLOS terrain.
Wolf Lord makes the charge. Scouts didn’t stand a chance.
Wulfen, however, do not make their charge.
Crap! If the game ends now, Jeremy will win. We are tied on Maelstroms. I have First Blood and Linebreaker. He has Warlord and Linebreaker. However, because he stopped my attempt at Gate, he now has 2 Crusade objectives (Wulfen, his Librarian) to my 1 (Loth). I need the game to go on.
Fortunately for me, it does.
CENTSTAR 6
I get both of my Maelstroms. Well, actually I got 1 (Linebreaker with Loth), but Jeremy gave me the other when his Librarian died to Perils.
Maelstrom VP‘s – Centstar: 8, Wulfenstar: 6
Maelstrom Objectives:
3. Destroy an enemy unit.
4. Destroy an enemy unit.
Centstar successfully Gates. Once again, I scatter, but it is enough to take me out of range of Objective #2. Arrggghhhh!
I make another mistake here. I poke Loth slightly out in order to cast Endurance on my Centstar (though he still is on Objective #2). What I should have done instead is to hide him behind the BLOS terrain completely.
So now, I am faced with another decision again. Do I want to focus my main firepower on his Wulfen holding Objective #2 or do I want to take out his Warlord?
I decide to go for Slay the Warlord. His Warlord actually almost survives due to some very good saves on Jeremy’s part. He makes something like 13 out of 16 3++ saves!!!
The Wulfen are unkillable as they pass all of their 3++ saves.
WULFENSTAR 6
Jeremy gets both Objective #1 (Librarian) and #2 (Wulfen) to tie up Maelstrom once again.
Maelstrom VP‘s – Centstar: 8, Wulfenstar: 8
Librarian turbo-boosts to grab the objective where my Centstar scattered away from. Le sigh…..
Wulfenstar goes to grab the Objective #1 (where his Librarian was just hiding behind).
Lastly, the Wulfen makes an 8-9″ charge against the idiot Loth and robs me of Linebreaker.
Game ends.
We tie on Maelstroms. I get First Blood and Warlord. Jeremy takes Crusade 2-0 and with that, the Game also, 6-4.
MAJOR VICTORY TO DANCES WITH WOLVES-STAR
POST-GAME ANALYSIS:
JY2:
No where is my list balanced, however, one deficiency stood out to me more than the others….my inability to accurately land with the Centstar. Due to terrain, I had to make really risky Gate attempts that normally would not be a smart idea. Moreover, had I been able to stick that landing on Turn 5, I would have contested the objective and the game might have been a draw. Oh wait, never mind because of my bone-headed mistake exposing Loth to get assaulted by his Wulfen. Each time, my Gates scattered. I am very fortunate that my Centstar did not mishap. In any case, I actually usually go for Levitate with Loth. That helps out with the mobility issues of my star. HOWEVER, because I couldn’t get Endurance at all with 5-6 attempts and with all of the S10 AP2 attacks in Jeremy’s army, I felt that I had to go for Endurance instead (and vice versa with Jeremy due to my Force weapons).
The other part that really surprised me was the resiliency of those Wulfen. Not once was I able to kill off a unit in just 1 turn of shooting. Each unit took at least 2 turns of firepower. 2 TURNS OF SHOOTING!!! Wow! Though I blame that mainly to good dice by Jeremy (actually, we were both rolling very well in this game), it still goes to show just how durable the Wulfen are.
I did make a couple of mistakes in this game as. Splitting off my Warlord was a bonehead move. So was exposing Loth to his Wulfen on the last turn. Those are the types of plays I need to clean up against another top-notch general. The Wulfenstar is scary, but IMO my Centstar is just as scary. So next time, I’ll get you back, Jeremy. Thanks for the game.
THE FRENCH OVERLORD:
Initially after not rolling any Defensive Powers, I was fairly sure that the TWC Star would crumble to one round of shooting from JY2’s centstar but due to some of the Maelstrom result turn 1, JY2 had to focus on the Wulfen who proved that with 3++ and FNP can take a beating. Due to the Psychic enhanced nature of his Deathstar and not mine I decided the game needed to be about clearing his non Deathstar unit, focussing on Maelstorm and position myself in a place where I could maximize on a stopped/failed defensive power.
The Wulfen were the real star in this game, their speed, durability and hitting power makes them a great msu option and man do they hit like trucks even at reduced strength.
I really do think that the list without the Libby Conclave as a core is solid and in fact would probably test other formation combination with them.