Tournament Battle Report 3- White Scars vs Dark Angels

Game 3 of Caledonian Revolution saw my White Scars taking on Lee’s Dark Angels army. Lee’s army was absolutely stunning as you will see in the photos below. The third mission had The Scouring as the primary mission and Deadlock as the maelstrom mission (6 cards on turn 1, 5 on turn 2, etc).  For more battle reports, analyses and reviews, check out the Tactics Corner.

As a reminder, my army consisted of:

• Game 1 can be read about, here.
• Game 2 can be read about, here.

Scarblade Strike Force

Hunting Force

• Khan- Moondrakken (with CS or K)
• Command Squad- Bikes, Apothecary, 4 grav guns, 4 storm shields, Banner of the Eagle (CS)
• 6 Bikers- 2 grav guns, sergeant with power axe and meltabombs (BS1)
• 6 Bikers- 2 grav guns, sergeant with meltabombs (BS2)
• Attack Bike- Multimelta (AB)
• 6 Scout Bikers- 2 Grenades launchers, sergeant with meltabombs and homing beacon (SB)

Stormbringer Squadron

• 5 Scouts- bolt pistols, combat weapons, sergeant with meltabombs (S1)
• Landspeeder Storm- Heavy Bolter, Cerberus Launcher (LS1)
• Landspeeder- Multimelta, Typhoon Missile Launcher (L)

Combined Arms Detachment

• Chaplain- Bike, Hunter’s Eye, Meltabombs (with CS or C2)
• 5 Scouts- Bolters, sergeant with meltabombs (S2)
• Landspeeder Storm- Heavy Bolter, Cerberus Launcher (LS2)
• 3 Bikers- 2 meltaguns, sergeant with meltabombs (BS3)
• 3 Centurions- Grav cannons and grav amps, hurricane bolters (C)
• Drop Pod (DP)
• Stormhawk Interceptor- TL assault cannon, Skyhammer missile launcher, Las-talon (ST)

My warlord was Khan.

Lee’s army consisted of:

Combined Arms Detachment

• Librarian- Auspex, Meltabombs (with TS2)
• 5 Tactical Marines- Meltagun, sergeant has Combi-Melta (TS2)
• Drop Pod (DP1)
• 5 Tactical Marines- Meltagun, sergeant has Combi-Melta (TS1)
• Drop Pod (DP2)

Ravenwing Strike Force

• Sammael (with CS or S)
• Darkshroud (D1)
• Darkshroud (D2)
• 5 Black Knights- Grenade Launcher, Sergeant has Power Sword and Meltabombs (BK1)
• 5 Black Knights- Grenade Launcher, Sergeant has Power Sword and Meltabombs (BK2)
• 5 Black Knights- Grenade Launcher, Sergeant has Power Sword and Meltabombs (BK3)
• 5 Black Knights- Grenade Launcher, Sergeant has Power Sword and Meltabombs (BK4)
• 6 Ravenwing Command Squad- Ravenwing Company Banner, Grenade Launcher, Apothecary, Champion with Blade of Caliban (CS)

Lee’s warlord was Sammael. The Librarian got Righteous Repugnance and Mind Worm.

As a Dark Angels player, I know how tough Black Knights can be and I would be facing 5 units of them! The Librarian got Righteous Repugnance too, potentially giving a unit Rage. My Command Squad would be key in taking out the Black Knights with their Ignores Cover grav fire. I would need to try and deal with the Darkshrouds in combat, as the 2+ re-rollable cover save would be really tough to get through with shooting alone.

 

We set up the objective as shown below:

The shields represent the objectives. The first numbers are the maelstrom numbers, the number in parentheses are for the Scouring victory points.

I won the roll for deployment zone and chose the side with the most objectives in my half. I also won the roll for deployment and chose to go first. I deployed the Command Squad in the centre, ready to advance on any point of the battlefield. I put one biker unit from the Hunting Force on each flank and the three-man squad beside the Command Squad. I put one Landspeeder Storm on the back objective to stop the drop pod coming in on it. I then deployed my other units towards the right flank and decided to infiltrate the Scout Bikers and second Landspeeder Storm.

 

Lee deployed his Command Squad with Sammal at the back of his deployment zone. The rest of the Knights and Darkshrouds deployed in front of me, directly opposite my army.

I infiltrated the Scout Bikers and Landspeeder Storm on the right flank to stop the bikers scouting forward too far.

Lee rolled to seize and managed to roll a 6! I won the roll for Scout moves, moving my Scout Bikers forward to cut down the Scout moves of many of Lee’s Black Knights. He Scouted most of his Black Knights and other units forward. I chose not to Scout any more units, hoping to charge in the first turn.

 

TURN 1- DARK ANGELS

This turn, Lee drew Objective 1, Objective 2, Objective 3, Objective 5, Objective 6 and Overwhelming Firepower (kill 3 enemy units in the shooting phase).

A drop pod arrived, crashing to the ground in front of the White Scars Command Squad, the tactical squad moving out to engage the White Scars. The rest of the Ravenwing forces advanced, moving up to target their foe.

The Ravenwing Black Knights (3 units) and Tactical squad opened fire on the Command Squad, killing the whole squad and wounding the Chaplain and Khan once each.

The Darkshroud fired at the Landspeeder Storm, taking one hull point from the skimmer. The Ravenwing Command Squad fired at the bikers in front of them, killing one of the jinking squad. A unit of Black Knights fired at the Scout bikers, killing one of the squad.

At the end of his turn, Lee scored First Blood, one kill point and Objective 1.

 

TURN 1- WHITE SCARS

This turn, I drew Objective 3, Objective 4, Behind Enemy Lines (have a unit in enemy board edge), Supremacy (hold 3 objectives), Blood and Guts (kill 3 units in assault) and Hungry for Glory (issue a challenge).

Reeling from the blow the Dark Angels had struck, the White Scars re positioned their lines. The drop pod carrying the Centurions landed in front of the Scout Bikers, the Chaplain moving to join the squad.

The Scout bikers and two units of bikers advanced towards the right flank, supported by the Landspeeders. One unit of Bikers moved up to join Khan and advanced on the Tactical Marines. The Landspeeder Storm moved up, turbo-boosting to get into range of the far away objective.

The Centurions fired at the Black Knights in front of them, wiping the unit out thanks to the Hunter’s Eye. The Landspeeder fired at the Darkshroud, hitting it once but failing to get past its cover save.

Khan’s unit fired at the tactical squad, killing two of the squad. The Dark Angels failed their morale test and fell back. Khan led his unit in an assault against the tactical marines, wiping the unit out in combat.

At the end of my turn, I scored Supremacy and Objective 4 for three maelstrom points, along with two kill points. I discarded Blood and Guts.

VICTORY POINTS:

Dark Angels- Maelstrom 1, Kill Points 1

White Scars- Maelstrom 3, Kill Points 2

 

TURN 2- DARK ANGELS

This turn, Lee drew Objective 2, Objective 3, Objective 5, Objective 6 and Overwhelming Firepower (kill 3 enemy units in the shooting phase).

The second drop pod arrived, scattering a huge 21″ thanks to the nearby Landspeeder Storm. The Librarian led the squad out towards the Centurions.

One unit of Black Knights and a Darkshroud advanced on Khan’s unit, the rest concentrated on the main body of the White Scars army. Sammael led the Ravenwing Command Squad to engage the Landspeeder creeping up behind them.

In the pyschic phase, the Librarian attempted to cast Righteous Repugnance on the nearby Black Knights, but the White Scars were able to deny the attempt.

The Tactical squad opened fire on the Centurions, the meltagun wounding one of the White Scars warriors, while the bolters of the squad took another wound, killing the Centurion. The squad’s drop pod fired at the nearby bikers and managed to slay one of the squad with its storm bolter.

 

The Darkshroud fired on the Scout Bikers, but failed to hit any with its snap shots. The Black Knights fired on the Centurions, killing one more of the elite warriors and the Chaplain. The Black Knights and Darkshroud fired at Khan’s unit, failing to kill any of the White Scars bikers, with one of the Black Knights falling to Gets Hot on its plasma talon. Another unit of Black Knights fired at the drop pod, immobilising it once and stripping two hull points from it.

The Ravenwing Command Squad fired at the Landspeeder Storm, penetrating it four times. The jinking pilot failed to save any of the damage and the speeder was wrecked. The Scouts inside were pinned as they scrambled from the wreckage of their transport.

The Black Knights charged the drop pod, the Huntsmaster’s meltabombs blowing it up.

The other unit of Black Knights charged Khan and the White Scars bikers. Khan struck down one of the charging warriors. The White Scars and Ravenwing struck at one another, but neither could land a blow that felled their opponent. The White Scars won the combat, choosing to Hit and Run from the conflict to bring their guns to bear.

At the end of his turn, Lee scored 3 kill points and discarded Objective 3.

 

TURN 2- WHITE SCARS

This turn, I drew Assassinate (kill a character), Overwhelming Firepower (kill 3 units in the shooting phase), Behind Enemy Lines, Objective 3 and Hungry for Glory.

The lone Centurion advanced on the tactical squad, while the nearby White Scars surrounded the drop pod they arrived in. The Scout Bikers advanced on the Darkshroud.

 

On the left flank, Khan led his unit up to the Black Knights. The Landspeeder storm flew over the building, the Scouts disembarking to target the Darkshroud, while the Stormhawk Interceptor arrived to support them.

In the shooting phase, the Centurion fired at the tactical squad, killing 4 of them. The attack bike fired its multimelta at the drop pod, penetrating it once. The Landspeeder fired at the drop pod, but failed to cause any damage.

The nearby bike squad fired at the Black Knights in front of them, but failed to kill any of the jinking riders. The meltagun bikers fired at the drop pod, taking another hull point from it. The Scout Bikers fired at the Darkshroud, but failed to cause any harm.

 

The Stormhawk fired at the drop pod, but failed to cause any damage. The Bike squad fired at the Black Knights, but once more the cover save of the jinking bikers proved too strong.

 

As one, the White Scars launched their assaults. The Scout Bikers crashed into the Darkshroud, their hammer of wrath attacks proving sufficient to bring down the enemy skimmer. The Scout squad charged the other Darkshroud, blowing up the vehicle with the sergeant’s meltabombs at the cost of two of the squad.

 

Khan led his unit in an attack on the Black Knights. Their increased hammer of wrath attacks killed two of the squad, Khan cutting down the survivors to finish them off.

The Centurion charged the last tactical marine and Librarian, each side fighting to a stalemate. The attack bike and meltagun bike squad charged the drop pod, easily finishing it off in combat.

 

At the end of my turn, I scored Behind Enemy Lines and Assassinate, as well as 4 kill points. I discarded Overwhelming Firepower.

VICTORY POINTS:

Dark Angels- Maelstrom 1, Kill Points 4

White Scars- Maelstrom 5, Kill Points 6

TURN 3- DARK ANGELS

This turn, Lee had Objective 2, Objective 6, Supremacy (hold 3 objectives) and Overwhelming Firepower (kill 2 enemy units in the shooting phase).

The Ravenwing Command squad separated from Sammael, the Ravenwing master moving to engage the Scouts, while the Command Squad went after the Scout Bikers.

The other Black Knights moved up on the White Scars units that had destroyed the drop pod.

 

In the psychic phase, the Librarian cast Righteous Repugnance on one unit of Black Knights.

Sammael fired on the Scouts, killing one of the squad. The Command Squad fired on the Scout Bikers, killing two of the jinking bikers, but losing the squad’s apothecary to a weapons overheat. The Scout Bikers failed their morale check, falling back towards the White Scars lines.

One unit of Black Knights fired on the 5 man bike squad in front of them, killing 2 of the jinking bikers. The other unit of Knights snap fired at the meltagun bike squad, hitting with 6 of their 8 snap shots! Two of the squad succumbed to the plasma fire.

 

In the assault phase, Sammael assaulted the Scouts, killing two of the squad. The Scouts passed their morale test and hit and ran from the combat.

The Black Knights assaulted the bike squad in front of them and the Scout Bikers that were fleeing past them. The Black Knights struck at the two squads, killing two of the scout bikers and one of the White Scars bikers. Two of the Black Knights were slain in reply. The White Scars lost the combat, the Black Knights choosing to hit and run rather than being tied down in a protracted fight.

The other unit of Black Knights launched a multiple assault on the lone Biker, attack bike and Landspeeder. The Knights struck, penetrating the Landspeeder once and wounding the attack bike. The White Scars could cause no damage in return. The attack bike fell back from the combat, while the Black Knights hit and ran from the combat (Lee had won every Hit and Run roll off in the game so far!).

 

The Centurion, tactical marine and Librarian struck at one another to no avail, resulting in another drawn combat. The Centurion once more failed to Hit and Run.

 

At the end of his turn, Lee scored no points.

 

TURN 3- WHITE SCARS

This turn, I drew Ascendancy (hold at least 2 objectives and twice as many as opponent), No Prisoners (kill 3 enemy units), Hungry for Glory (issue a challenge) and Objective 3.

The Scout Bikers and Attack Bike advanced on the drop pod, while Khan led his unit against the nearby Black Knights. The Stormhawk moved up on the Ravenwing Command Squad, while the other White Scars bikers moved back towards their lines.

The Scouts fired at Sammael, but failed to cause any wounds. The Scout Bikers fired on the drop pod, glancing it once. The attack bike fired at the pod, but its multi-melta failed to hit. The Landspeeder fired at the Black Knights, but failed to harm the jinking riders. The Landspeeder Storm fired at the unit, killing one of them.

Khan’s unit fired on the Knights in front of them, killing one of the jinking bikers. The Stormhawk Interceptor fired at the Command Squad, but failed to harm any of the Ravenwing.

 

Khan and his bikers assaulted the Black Knights, their hammer of wrath attacks killing one of the bikers. Khan issued a challenge that the Huntsmaster accepted. Both sides struck at one another, but failed to cause any damage. The Black Knights failed their morale check, but were locked in combat. The Knights hit and ran from the combat, away from the White Scars warlord.

The Scouts, Scout Bikers and Attack Bike assaulted the drop pod. The Scout Sergeant’s meltabombs blew up the Dark Angels’ vehicle. One of the Scout Bikers died in the explosion.

 

The combat between the Centurion and Librarian continued, neither side able to harm the other.

 

At the end of my turn, I scored Hungry for Glory and Ascendency, as well as a kill point.

VICTORY POINTS:

Dark Angels- Maelstrom 1, Kill Points 4

White Scars- Maelstrom 8, Kill Points 7

 

TURN 4- DARK ANGELS

This turn, Lee drew Objective 6, Overwhelming Firepower (kill 3 units in the shooting phase) and Supremacy (control 3 objectives).

One unit of Black Knights advanced on the Landspeeder, while another advanced on the Landspeeder Storm. Sammael advanced on the Scouts once more.

The Black Knights fired at the Landspeeder, but failed to harm the jinking speeder. The Command Squad snap fired at the Stormhawk, glancing and penetrating it once. I failed both re-rollable Jink saves and the flyer was destroyed. Sammael fired at the Scouts, but failed to cause any damage with his snap shots.

In the assault phase, Sammael charged the Scouts, killing one of the squad. The Scouts hit and ran from combat towards the nearby ruins.

One unit of Black Knights attempted to charge the Landspeeder, but failed to reach the target. The other unit of Black Knights charged the Landspeeder Storm, easily destroying the vehicle. The combat between the Centurion and Dark Angels was once again fought to a stalemate. The Centurion failed his Hit and Run roll once more.

At the end of his turn, Lee scored Supremacy and two kill points.

 

TURN 4- WHITE SCARS

This turn, I drew Big Game Hunter (destroy a vehicle), No Prisoners and Objective 3.

Khan led his unit up to the Black Knights holding objective 3. The Scouts moved to grab another objective, the surviving bikers moving to support them. The Landspeeder moved away from the approaching Black Knights.

The bikers fired at the Black Knights, killing one of the squad. Khan then led a charge on the squad, wiping them out with their Hammer of Wrath attacks. The Centurion combat was once more a bloodless draw.

At the end of my turn, I scored Objective 3 and discarded Big Game Hunter, as well as a kill point.

VICTORY POINTS:

Dark Angels- Maelstrom 3, Kill Points 6

White Scars- Maelstrom 9, Kill Points 8

 

TURN 5- DARK ANGELS

This turn, Lee drew Overwhelming Firepower and Objective 6.

The Ravenwing Command Squad advanced on the Centurion, the other unit of Black Knights moving to engage the Landspeeder.

Sammael fired on the Scouts, causing no harm to the unit. The Black Knights fired at the Landspeeder, killing the enemy skimmer.

Sammael charged the Scouts, but failed to cause any wounds. The White Scars Scouts failed their hit and run roll (on a double 6!).

The Black Knights charged the Centurion, their hammer of wrath attacks wounding the warrior once. The Black Knights struck at the Centurion, finishing him off.

At the end of the turn, Lee scored two kill points.

 

TURN 5- WHITE SCARS

This turn, I drew Objective 6 and No Prisoners.

One bike squad advanced on objective 6, while the others moved into position for the end game.

The bikers fired on the Ravenwing Command Squad, killing one of them.

In the assault phase, Sammael killed the last Scout and consolidated towards the centre of the battlefield.

 

At the end of my turn, I scored Objective 6 and discarded No Prisoners. Lee scored one kill point for destroying the Scouts.

VICTORY POINTS:

Dark Angels- Maelstrom 3, Kill Points 9

White Scars- Maelstrom 10, Kill Points 8

 

TURN 6- DARK ANGELS

Lee drew Objective 6.

Sammael advanced on the second Scout unit, turbo-boosting to get in range. The Command Squad  and Black Knights moved up on the bikers holding objective 6. The Librarian and tactical marine moved towards their wrecked pod.

The Knights fired on the bikers, killing one of the squad. The Command Squad assaulted the lone survivor, killing the White Scar warrior.

At the end of the turn, Lee scored Objective 6 and a kill point.

 

TURN 6- WHITE SCARS

This turn, I drew Objective 1.

The Attack Bike moved to claim objective 5. The Scouts fired on Sammael, but failed to wound the Dark Angels’ Warlord.

At the end of my turn, I scored Objective 1.

VICTORY POINTS:

Dark Angels- Maelstrom 4, Kill Points 10

White Scars- Maelstrom 11, Kill Points 8

With that, the game ended. I claimed four objectives worth 8 points and 5 bonus points for killing fast attack units and Lee scored one objective worth 3 points and four points for killing four fast attack units.

At the end of the game, I scored 13 points for the primary mission, 11 points for the secondary and no tertiary points. Lee scored 7 points for the Primary, 4 for the Secondary and two tertiary (First Blood and Linebreaker). I won the game 24 points to 15. This equated to 15 tournament points for me and 5 for Lee.

AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS

Thanks to Lee for an interesting and tactical game.

I thought I was in big trouble after Lee seized the initiative. Fortunately, only the Command Squad bore the brunt of the attack, allowing my other units to survive relatively unharmed. From there though, I felt a bit on the back foot and focused on scoring maelstrom points, kill points where I could and keeping units alive until the end of the game.

Overall, I think my plan worked rather well. I was able to get a good lead in the maelstrom and able to deal with some of the Dark Angels elements in combat. With their re-rollable jink saves, I was going to be hard pressed to shoot the Ravenwing units off the board. The double Hammer of Wrath hits however were a different matter, able to inflict several casualties on the Black Knights. When they failed, Khan’s power sword and the meltabombs were able to deal with the rest. That is not to say that shooting did not have its place. Without the Black Knights jinking, their firepower could have caused a lot more damage.

I think that Lee decided to ignore the maelstrom cards in most of his turns as he did not go for several cards that would have been easy to score with his highly mobile force, but focused on trying to kill my units instead. This worked well for me, allowing me to grab more objectives and cards during the game.

I think one mistake was not to Scout my Command Squad back before the game started. I counted on their storm shields and Apothecary to bear the brunt of the Ravenwing attacks. They did, but the whole squad was wiped out. By Scouting back, I would have kept them out of rapid fire range of the plasma talons and they would have taken half the number of hits. Some of the squad may have survived to cause some damage in the following turn, though I would probably have still moved the Chaplain to join the Centurions.

On that, Grav Centurions are a very powerful unit, made even better by the addition of Hit and Run. That is, if you can pass the bloody test! That lone centurion was tied up in combat for 3 turns before being finished off by the intervention of the Black Knights. Had he managed to escape, I’m sure he could have finished off the Librarian and tactical marine.

So I ended the first day of Caledonian Revolution with two wins and a loss. That put me in pretty good standing for the next day, where I would only need one more win to achieve my goal for the tournament. I might even manage to get the first turn on day 2………

Remember, for more battle reports, check out the Tactics Corner (and my own blog, St Andrews Wargaming).

 

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