Showing posts with label Monster Rain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monster Rain. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
40K Video Battle Report: Necrons vs. Deathwing
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Destroyers. Why I Think I'll Keep Using Them.
I had a pretty long talk with Magilla Gurilla last night about the state of the current tournament scene, and how Necrons seem to be changing the face of the type of armies that can be found at events across the country. Land Raiders are becoming more and more popular, as the Necrons have trouble punching through that armor 14. Drop Pods seem to be making a comeback, and with the Bay Area Open-style missions, large numbers of troops on foot are showing up in ways that haven't been seen since the advent of the Lash of Submission. Basically, the Space Marine list I've been playing for three years is the Necrons' Achilles' Heel. Being the insufferable hipster that I am, I'm going to keep plugging away with my Heavy Destroyers in the face of such an anti-Necron paradigm shift. Here's why.
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Musings on Leagues and Tournaments, from a Necron Perspective
As regular readers of the blog will know, we've been playing in an escalation league for the last few months. It's going quite well for me right now (Number One, as the standings show /knock on wood) but there's still quite a long way to go! The last two months have been played at a 500 point limit and I've gone 5-1, my only loss being against none other than our very own Magilla Gurilla.
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Video Battle Report: Necrons versus Space Wolves
Can the interstellar robots hold off the might of Fenris?
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Off to Escalation League Month Two
Well, the entire crew is off to Thou Shalt Game for month two of escalation league today.
The league looks to have actually grown between month 1 and month 2 and we are now at 12 members!
Wish us luck....
...with 11 Models I am going to need it.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Decisions, Decisions
I have had a problem with the Necron codex since I first opened it, and that is the number of cool options in this book. I'll admit that this is a good problem to have considering that a lot of the complaints about some of the aging Codexes (Codices?) is that they are only competitive in one or two builds. This was certainly the case with the Necrons before their update! The issue is compounded by the fact that I have been collecting Necrons for years and have an overabundance of models that I have an inescapable craving to use, and yes, I've been buying the new model kits like a madman. With the introduction of the new FAQs I have even harder choices to make, specifically when it comes to the Headquarters section of the Force Organization Chart.
With the FAQ making Anrakyr the Traveller a bit less exciting, since he can't use his Mind in the Machine ability from inside the Catacomb Command Barge, I don't have as hard of a time deciding not to bring him. Still, that leaves Nemesor Zahndrekh, Vargard Obyron, and Imotekh the Stormlord. I'm even re-evaluating my stance on old Orikan the Diviner since it turns out that his Temporal Snares ability works in conjunction with Writhing Worldscape. This makes any game that features the Dawn of War deployment extremely risky during the first turn, and won't be a picnic for any opponent that relies on rapid movement early in the game. Last but not least is the Destroyer Lord, who when Deep Striking with some Canoptek Wraiths (particularly when they are brought in by Nemesor Zahndrekh into the perfect position) can be absolutely devastating on his own. Add Mindshackle Scarabs to make him even more brutal. Imotekh doesn't really require explanation; he brings Night Fighting, potential for devastating Lightning Strikes, and as time goes on I find myself more and more excited about the Staff of the Destroyer. His Bloodswarm Nanoscarabs even prompted me to pick up some Flayed Ones which are testing rather well so far, which made me have to further reconfigure my lists. Imotekh is actually a great example of what I'm talking about, here. He has great synergy with so many different units, even in the HQ section, that it's hard to decide on what to take. Do you bet that people are going to reserve many of their units to avoid the lightning and so pair him with Nemesor Zahndrekh? Do you use him as a central part of your army build in a more close combat/ short-ranged shooting army that will benefit from advancing under the cover of darkness? Whatever decision you make here will greatly effect the optimal loadout for your Royal Courts and the composition of the rest of your army.
Monday, January 09, 2012
Video Battle Report: DraigoWing vs Necrons
Monster Rain has been playing games like mad as he tries to come up with an effective all comers list. His list has since evolved, but this earlier version gives you an idea of the direction in which he is leaning.
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Necrons versus Blood Angels: A Battle Report
Vargard Obyron, despite being possessed of a patience that only an existence of countless millenia can produce, could still find himself exasperated by his Nemesor's eccentricities. Despite the ability of the sensor arrays aboard their fleet's ships to display the entire surface of this dormant Tomb World in subatomic detail, Zahndrekh had insisted on venturing planetside to survey their discovery. Obyron was further confounded by his Overlord's insistence on being physically transported from orbit aboard a Night Scythe instead of simply making use of sophisticated Necron phasing technology. None of this was relevant to the mission at hand, however.
The Vargard had been dispatched with a phalanx of Immortals to locate the entrance to the subterranean catacombs. This had only taken the amount of time that was required for the information to be transmitted from the fleet above at faster-than-light speed, but Nemesor Zahndrekh would question the thoroughness of the search if the question was answered a moment before it was asked. As such, he stepped across the dimensions and he led his Immortals to a distant location to pass the time that a "proper" search might take. As he waited, he received another broadcast from the Tomb Ship. A Battle Barge bearing the heraldry of the Blood Angels Space Marine Chapter was currently, amusingly, attempting to hide its position from detection using radioactive interference from the system's sun. Obyron immediately flew across time and space to Zahdrekh's side.
"Nemesor", he spoke, "an enemy fleet has entered the system. They do not know that we are aware of them. Shall I give the order to engage? It would be prudent to seize the opportunity for a surprise attack."
"No, Vargard. Offer the rebels an opportunity for surrender as per the Protocols. I will not dishonor myself with underhanded tactics." Obyron, knowing the futility of arguing this point, simply gave the order.
"It will be done, Master."
_______________________________________________________________
I had the opportunity to play a great game against Snake Eyes. Here's how it went down.
My List:
Nemesor Zahndrekh
Royal Court: 2 Harbingers of Destruction, 1 Harbinger of Despair with a Veil of Darkness
Vargard Obyron
Destroyer Lord "Duendekh the Slaughterer"; Sempiternal Weave, Mindshackle Scarabs
5 Immortals
5 Immortals
7 Warriors
5 Destroyers; 2 Heavy
3 Canoptek Wraiths
5 Canoptek Scarabs
Annihilation Barge
Annihilation Barge
Monolith
His List:
Commander Dante
Librarian in Terminator Armor; Storm Shield; Blood Lance, Unleash Rage
5 Sanguinary Guard, Banner
7 Assault Terminators; 4 Lightning Claws, 3 Thunder Hammer and Stormshields
2 Sanguinary Priests; one in Terminator Armor; one Jump Pack
10 Assault Marines, 1 Melta, Razorback
10 Assault Marines, 2 Melta, Razorback with Twin-linked Lascannon
10 Assault Marines, 2 Melta (Jump Packs) This is the only squad that ends up with the Red Thirst, by the way.
__________________________________________________________
"Nemesor, we have received a message from the 'Separatists.'"
"Very good, Obyron! Have they seen reason?"
"You should hear this for yourself, Master." Vargard Obyron produced a holographic projector and played for him the recording of the Blood Angels' response. An image of a grizzled giant in golden power armor flickered into being. It spoke:
"I am Commander Dante, Chapter Master of the Blood Angels. I reject your 'terms of surrender' and will decline even to demand your own. We have come to cleanse this world of the Emperor of your xenos taint. Your own presence here only spares us the inconvenience of pursuing you across the stars. It has come to my attention that there is one among you known as 'Duendekh the Slaughterer', who is known by us as even more deserving of death than a typical alien. Let him know that his time his short."
"That is the end of the message, Nemesor."
"Very good, Vargard. If this 'Commander Dante' wishes a meeting with the Slaughterer, I see no reason not to oblige him. Transmit my coordinates to these barbarians, ready my legions, and send for Duendekh. I will defeat him on this very ground, according to the protocols of Honorable Battle. They will pay for their insolence!"
_______________________________________________
We roll for mission and deployment and come up with Seize Ground and Dawn of War. We place the 4 objectives.
I then actually, for once, win the roll to go first! Of course, I decline the opportunity. Snake Eyes decides to keep everything in reserve. Dante will be attached to the Sanguinary Guard with a Priest, the Terminator Priest will obviously be joining the Terminators along with the Librarian, and they will be Deep Striking along with the Jump Pack-equipped assault squad. The two squads in the Razorbacks will come in on the table edge. He also curses my Destroyer Lord with Dante, so he'll be at -1 attack among other things.
I then deploy:
I only place Zahndrekh and the Warrior squad with the attached Harbinger of Destruction. I attach the Destroyer Lord to the Wraiths and hold them, along with the Monolith and Destroyers, in reserve.The other two Crypteks join the two immortal squads. Everything else will be coming on in the first turn. Which happens immediately since Snake went first and had everything in reserve! I carefully bring on my Annihilation Barges on one side of the table and bubble-wrap them with Warriors, immortals and scarabs to prevent old Dante dropping in and popping one with a non-scattering infernus pistol. Vargard Obyron and a squad of Immortals comes in near an objective (the top of this next picture) and runs into cover.
At the top of the second turn, things started to get a little bit more interesting. The Terminators and Librarian come in, along with Dante and the Sanguinary Guard and the assault squad with the lascannon razorback. They combat squad, with one group heading toward a nearby objective and the other getting inside the Razorback that then pops smoke.
Here is Dante, and my response to things entering from reserve via "Phased Reinforcements." Duendekh the Slaughterer and his Wraiths get into assault position, and the Monolith lands directly on top of an objective.
The blood lance blows the tesla destructor off of one of the barges, and Dante and his squad run 1 inch and attempt to spread out a bit to avoid an unnecessary number of hits from the Particle Whip.
At the bottom of turn two, my Destroyers deep strike in and scatter into terrain and of course one of them is wounded. I give my Wraith squad Furious Charge with Zahndrekh, and remove it from the Sanguinary Guard (just in case.) I move away from the terminators with my Warriors and Immortals and shift the Monolith for a better shot at the Sanguinary Guard. Wraiths move up so that they can assault them, cleverly positioned so that I can move "closest to closest" with a wraith and then put the Destroyer Lord into base with Dante! I knock a few of them down after shooting practically everything in my army at them, but I do enough damage to make a big enough hole for my evil assault scheme to work out. Which it does, rather perfectly. Only Dante, one of the Sanguinary Guard, and the Priest, get to strike at the normal initiative due to whip coils. Ah, but since Dante is the only one in base contact with the Destroyer Lord he gets to play with the Mindshackle Scarabs! He fails his leadership test and kills two of his squad! To make a long story short, at the end of the combat only Dante and the Priest remain, which is disappointing because due to the fact that the squad had Furious Charge my Destroyer Lord had the potential to strike Strength 8, instant death-blow to Dante but he made his saves. I then remember that I should have taken "Hit and Run" away from that squad using Nemesor Zahndrekh. :facepalm: We then had a discussion over whose initiative is used when you hit and run in a squad that has two models, one with I6 and the other with I4. He rolled a 2, so it didn't matter, but perhaps one of you readers could clear it up for us? Here's a photo of Dante fleeing from the Wraiths! My squad consolidates 3 inches.
At the top of turn three the Deep Striking assault Squad enters play, but the other Razorback squad doesn't want to join the party just yet.
One combat squad decides to deep strike in what I consider a pretty ballsy spot:
The other comes in and decided to take down the Monolith or die trying:
Dante moves up and prepares to help the Terminators get into assault with my Warriors and Nemesor Zahndrekh by way of the old "Independent Character Slingshot" maneuver, which I'll admit caught me completely by surprise. The priest joins the newly arrived combat squad, while the razorback moves up 12 inches. The other footslogging combat squad attempts to hunker down on the objective while attempting to stay out of assault range of the Wraiths.
The most spectacular part of this turn was both melta guns from the assault squad missing the Monolith. The Razorback drops a Destroyer with the lascannon, who will, like his buddy that took a wound from Deep Striking, not make his Reanimation Protocols roll. Dante and the Terminators assault the warriors, and Vargard Obyron flies over thanks to "The Vargard's Duty" but he can't really help too much. I lose 5 Warriors and do two wounds in return, and while my Warriors and the Nemesor stay locked in, Vargard Obyron takes to his heels.
Not pictured: Obyron hauling his metal butt toward my table edge.
The bottom of turn 3 begins with Obyron running off the table. And the squad of Immortals that was thankfully out of assault range from the terminators travels over to the Monolith thanks to the dimensional corridor. The Wraiths move toward the Combat squad on the objective, the Destroyer Lord moves toward the newly-arrived combat squad nearest him (the brave Deep Strikers) and the Monolith prepares to unleash its particle whip. The Destroyers move away from the hullabaloo going on over near the terminators toward the ruin in the center of the table. My annihilation barges shift to get line of sight on the razorback while the scarabs move out of the ruin where they have been hiding up to this point and prepare to munch on the razorback as well.
Thanks to a 12" scatter roll, my Monolith fails to scratch the paint on those five assault marines' power armor. The Barges manage to do nothing, even after giving the undamaged one Tank Hunters. The Destroyers and the lonely Immortal squad and their cryptek shoot at the Assault squad nearest the Monolith but only manage to kill one due to hideous dice.
The assault phase is much more fun: Between Mindshackle Scarabs, Warscythes with Preferred Enemy and Fearless Wounds I wipe out a combat squad with the Destroyer Lord and the Wraiths win combat on the other side of the table by 3. The Marines stick around, but I don't really mind since we're going into Snake Eyes' turn. The Scarabs rush the Razorback and thanks to Entropic Strike manage to wreck it. The squad inside makes their pinning check, but the scarabs have done their job for this game. The Terminators predictably savage the Warriors in CC with them, and though Zahndrekh doesn't get hit himself he runs away. The terminators consolidate toward the barges.
Turn four sees the final assault squad come in. The razorback moves up 12 and the squad stays intact and moves toward an objective. Dante and the recently dismounted assault squad move to beat up my poor scarabs, and the terminators make further preparations to attack my Annihilation barges. The Combat Squad near the Monolith moves into cover and gets ready to try again with those melta guns.
The monolith ends up immobilized, and shooting largely fails against the Scarabs (not that it will matter in a moment.)
In assault, Dante and the assault squad make short work of the scarabs, the Wraiths finish off the squad they were battling and the terminators explode one barge and shake the other. Yes, they shook it. I rolled a 1 for living metal! :D The newly arrived assault squad doesn't roll high enough to get into assault with the Wraiths.
My turn! My Harbinger of Despair and the Immortals move around the immobilized Monolith in order to shoot at that assault squad. The destroyers move to help. The Wraiths move up to threaten the 10 man squad while Duendekh the Slaughterer pursues his friend Dante across the table. The largely ignored squad of immortals on the hill just shuffle closer to their objective, while the shaken annihilation barge moves 12 inches away from the terminators.
The particle whip blasts 5 of the 10 man assault squad, making them much easier for the Wraiths to consider assaulting. The Harbinger of Despair kills a Marine with his Abyssal Staff (a nice little piece of gear, I find) and the Immortals and Destroyers reduce the squad down to 2 between them. Yeah, again, pretty bad dice there.
The Destroyer Lord assaults Dante, which ends up as a complete slap-fest and no one is wounded. Dante jumps away. The wraiths kill 3 Marines without taking a scratch, though the Blood Angels make their morale check.
In Snake Eyes' turn 5, there isn't much left to do. His Razorback shoots forward and pops smoke, likely to help hold an objective if there is a turn 6. The combat squad from the wrecked razorback move toward their objective. The terminators, being far out of position, decide to try and keep the tesla destructor quiet.
The one remaining melta gun in the squad that is harassing the Monolith blows the particle whip off of it. The Combat squad on foot unloads on the Destroyer Lord and does a wound with the Melta Gun. (Why GW? Why no Phase Shifter?) but as we will soon see they might have been better off running. Dante charges the Destroyer Lord, passing the Mindshackle Scarab check, but still manages to lose combat by one. He makes his morale check. The terminators assault the remaining Annihilation Barge, but since it moved 12 inches they can't land a hit.
My turn 5! Well, this could be the last turn, so I guess I should make it count. I move my Harbinger of Despair and the Immortals onto the objective near the damaged Monolith, and the Destroyers move up to help clear the area. The Wraiths cruise over near the Dante/Duendekh combat and footslogging assault squad and appear that they will be able to just barely get an assault, pulling them away from their objective.
The Abyssal Staff finishes off the Jump squad (did I mention how much I love this thing?) so I have essentially wasted my Destroyers for this turn. Though, had I not moved them over there I imagine they would have been sorely needed. The Annhilation Barge, being far from anywhere that it can do anything truly useful (I don't dare shoot at the remaining Assault Squad, lest I kill too many of them and lose the charge from the Wraiths) opens up on the Terminators and kills one.
The Wraiths charge the assault squad, and though they lose, the one remaining Wraith pulls the Astartes well away from their objective. A dakka dice is rolled and comes up as a 2, thereby ending the game.
Objective 1: the one thing that this squad did in this game.
Objective 2: What you call "overkill", I call "surety." :D
Well, looks like a win for the Necrons. I think a lot of this game hinged on the "Dueling Dice Fails" between the Monolith and the Jump Pack Assault Squad, since the 'lith did so much damage late in the game and allowed my Immortal squad to teleport safely across the board [i]after[/i] the fateful second turn.
I [i]really[/i] like the "Phased Reinforcements" and "Adaptive Tactics" that Nemesor Zahndrekh brings to the table. Tank Hunting Destroyers, or scarabs, and Wraith Squads and Destroyer Lords with Furious Charge are just wonderful.
_______________________________________________________________________
Vargard Obyron, having strategically withdrawn from the front to direct the securing of the entrance to the Tomb Complex, returned to his Overlord's side and made his report. The few remaining Blood Angels, including their Commander, were surrounded and in disarray. Duendekh the Slaughterer would be particularly disappointed in what was surely to be Zahndrekh's next order.
"The rebels have fought well this day, Obyron. See that the survivors are afforded full honor as our captives. Particularly this brave and astute Commander Dante."
"They will be difficult to capture alive, my Lord."
"See to it yourself, Vargard" said Zahndrekh, coolly. "I have the utmost confidence in your ability."
"How many times have we had this conversation?" thought Obyron as he walked the non-euclidean geometries that would bring him instantly to the Destroyer Lord's position to personally deliver the order. "And now to once again arrange the deaths of Nemesor Zahndrekh's 'Honored Prisoners."
The Vargard had been dispatched with a phalanx of Immortals to locate the entrance to the subterranean catacombs. This had only taken the amount of time that was required for the information to be transmitted from the fleet above at faster-than-light speed, but Nemesor Zahndrekh would question the thoroughness of the search if the question was answered a moment before it was asked. As such, he stepped across the dimensions and he led his Immortals to a distant location to pass the time that a "proper" search might take. As he waited, he received another broadcast from the Tomb Ship. A Battle Barge bearing the heraldry of the Blood Angels Space Marine Chapter was currently, amusingly, attempting to hide its position from detection using radioactive interference from the system's sun. Obyron immediately flew across time and space to Zahdrekh's side.
"Nemesor", he spoke, "an enemy fleet has entered the system. They do not know that we are aware of them. Shall I give the order to engage? It would be prudent to seize the opportunity for a surprise attack."
"No, Vargard. Offer the rebels an opportunity for surrender as per the Protocols. I will not dishonor myself with underhanded tactics." Obyron, knowing the futility of arguing this point, simply gave the order.
"It will be done, Master."
_______________________________________________________________
I had the opportunity to play a great game against Snake Eyes. Here's how it went down.
My List:
Nemesor Zahndrekh
Royal Court: 2 Harbingers of Destruction, 1 Harbinger of Despair with a Veil of Darkness
Vargard Obyron
Destroyer Lord "Duendekh the Slaughterer"; Sempiternal Weave, Mindshackle Scarabs
5 Immortals
5 Immortals
7 Warriors
5 Destroyers; 2 Heavy
3 Canoptek Wraiths
5 Canoptek Scarabs
Annihilation Barge
Annihilation Barge
Monolith
His List:
Commander Dante
Librarian in Terminator Armor; Storm Shield; Blood Lance, Unleash Rage
5 Sanguinary Guard, Banner
7 Assault Terminators; 4 Lightning Claws, 3 Thunder Hammer and Stormshields
2 Sanguinary Priests; one in Terminator Armor; one Jump Pack
10 Assault Marines, 1 Melta, Razorback
10 Assault Marines, 2 Melta, Razorback with Twin-linked Lascannon
10 Assault Marines, 2 Melta (Jump Packs) This is the only squad that ends up with the Red Thirst, by the way.
__________________________________________________________
"Nemesor, we have received a message from the 'Separatists.'"
"Very good, Obyron! Have they seen reason?"
"You should hear this for yourself, Master." Vargard Obyron produced a holographic projector and played for him the recording of the Blood Angels' response. An image of a grizzled giant in golden power armor flickered into being. It spoke:
"I am Commander Dante, Chapter Master of the Blood Angels. I reject your 'terms of surrender' and will decline even to demand your own. We have come to cleanse this world of the Emperor of your xenos taint. Your own presence here only spares us the inconvenience of pursuing you across the stars. It has come to my attention that there is one among you known as 'Duendekh the Slaughterer', who is known by us as even more deserving of death than a typical alien. Let him know that his time his short."
"That is the end of the message, Nemesor."
"Very good, Vargard. If this 'Commander Dante' wishes a meeting with the Slaughterer, I see no reason not to oblige him. Transmit my coordinates to these barbarians, ready my legions, and send for Duendekh. I will defeat him on this very ground, according to the protocols of Honorable Battle. They will pay for their insolence!"
_______________________________________________
We roll for mission and deployment and come up with Seize Ground and Dawn of War. We place the 4 objectives.
I then actually, for once, win the roll to go first! Of course, I decline the opportunity. Snake Eyes decides to keep everything in reserve. Dante will be attached to the Sanguinary Guard with a Priest, the Terminator Priest will obviously be joining the Terminators along with the Librarian, and they will be Deep Striking along with the Jump Pack-equipped assault squad. The two squads in the Razorbacks will come in on the table edge. He also curses my Destroyer Lord with Dante, so he'll be at -1 attack among other things.
I then deploy:
I only place Zahndrekh and the Warrior squad with the attached Harbinger of Destruction. I attach the Destroyer Lord to the Wraiths and hold them, along with the Monolith and Destroyers, in reserve.The other two Crypteks join the two immortal squads. Everything else will be coming on in the first turn. Which happens immediately since Snake went first and had everything in reserve! I carefully bring on my Annihilation Barges on one side of the table and bubble-wrap them with Warriors, immortals and scarabs to prevent old Dante dropping in and popping one with a non-scattering infernus pistol. Vargard Obyron and a squad of Immortals comes in near an objective (the top of this next picture) and runs into cover.
At the top of the second turn, things started to get a little bit more interesting. The Terminators and Librarian come in, along with Dante and the Sanguinary Guard and the assault squad with the lascannon razorback. They combat squad, with one group heading toward a nearby objective and the other getting inside the Razorback that then pops smoke.
Here is Dante, and my response to things entering from reserve via "Phased Reinforcements." Duendekh the Slaughterer and his Wraiths get into assault position, and the Monolith lands directly on top of an objective.
The blood lance blows the tesla destructor off of one of the barges, and Dante and his squad run 1 inch and attempt to spread out a bit to avoid an unnecessary number of hits from the Particle Whip.
At the bottom of turn two, my Destroyers deep strike in and scatter into terrain and of course one of them is wounded. I give my Wraith squad Furious Charge with Zahndrekh, and remove it from the Sanguinary Guard (just in case.) I move away from the terminators with my Warriors and Immortals and shift the Monolith for a better shot at the Sanguinary Guard. Wraiths move up so that they can assault them, cleverly positioned so that I can move "closest to closest" with a wraith and then put the Destroyer Lord into base with Dante! I knock a few of them down after shooting practically everything in my army at them, but I do enough damage to make a big enough hole for my evil assault scheme to work out. Which it does, rather perfectly. Only Dante, one of the Sanguinary Guard, and the Priest, get to strike at the normal initiative due to whip coils. Ah, but since Dante is the only one in base contact with the Destroyer Lord he gets to play with the Mindshackle Scarabs! He fails his leadership test and kills two of his squad! To make a long story short, at the end of the combat only Dante and the Priest remain, which is disappointing because due to the fact that the squad had Furious Charge my Destroyer Lord had the potential to strike Strength 8, instant death-blow to Dante but he made his saves. I then remember that I should have taken "Hit and Run" away from that squad using Nemesor Zahndrekh. :facepalm: We then had a discussion over whose initiative is used when you hit and run in a squad that has two models, one with I6 and the other with I4. He rolled a 2, so it didn't matter, but perhaps one of you readers could clear it up for us? Here's a photo of Dante fleeing from the Wraiths! My squad consolidates 3 inches.
At the top of turn three the Deep Striking assault Squad enters play, but the other Razorback squad doesn't want to join the party just yet.
One combat squad decides to deep strike in what I consider a pretty ballsy spot:
The other comes in and decided to take down the Monolith or die trying:
Dante moves up and prepares to help the Terminators get into assault with my Warriors and Nemesor Zahndrekh by way of the old "Independent Character Slingshot" maneuver, which I'll admit caught me completely by surprise. The priest joins the newly arrived combat squad, while the razorback moves up 12 inches. The other footslogging combat squad attempts to hunker down on the objective while attempting to stay out of assault range of the Wraiths.
The most spectacular part of this turn was both melta guns from the assault squad missing the Monolith. The Razorback drops a Destroyer with the lascannon, who will, like his buddy that took a wound from Deep Striking, not make his Reanimation Protocols roll. Dante and the Terminators assault the warriors, and Vargard Obyron flies over thanks to "The Vargard's Duty" but he can't really help too much. I lose 5 Warriors and do two wounds in return, and while my Warriors and the Nemesor stay locked in, Vargard Obyron takes to his heels.
Not pictured: Obyron hauling his metal butt toward my table edge.
The bottom of turn 3 begins with Obyron running off the table. And the squad of Immortals that was thankfully out of assault range from the terminators travels over to the Monolith thanks to the dimensional corridor. The Wraiths move toward the Combat squad on the objective, the Destroyer Lord moves toward the newly-arrived combat squad nearest him (the brave Deep Strikers) and the Monolith prepares to unleash its particle whip. The Destroyers move away from the hullabaloo going on over near the terminators toward the ruin in the center of the table. My annihilation barges shift to get line of sight on the razorback while the scarabs move out of the ruin where they have been hiding up to this point and prepare to munch on the razorback as well.
Thanks to a 12" scatter roll, my Monolith fails to scratch the paint on those five assault marines' power armor. The Barges manage to do nothing, even after giving the undamaged one Tank Hunters. The Destroyers and the lonely Immortal squad and their cryptek shoot at the Assault squad nearest the Monolith but only manage to kill one due to hideous dice.
The assault phase is much more fun: Between Mindshackle Scarabs, Warscythes with Preferred Enemy and Fearless Wounds I wipe out a combat squad with the Destroyer Lord and the Wraiths win combat on the other side of the table by 3. The Marines stick around, but I don't really mind since we're going into Snake Eyes' turn. The Scarabs rush the Razorback and thanks to Entropic Strike manage to wreck it. The squad inside makes their pinning check, but the scarabs have done their job for this game. The Terminators predictably savage the Warriors in CC with them, and though Zahndrekh doesn't get hit himself he runs away. The terminators consolidate toward the barges.
Turn four sees the final assault squad come in. The razorback moves up 12 and the squad stays intact and moves toward an objective. Dante and the recently dismounted assault squad move to beat up my poor scarabs, and the terminators make further preparations to attack my Annihilation barges. The Combat Squad near the Monolith moves into cover and gets ready to try again with those melta guns.
The monolith ends up immobilized, and shooting largely fails against the Scarabs (not that it will matter in a moment.)
In assault, Dante and the assault squad make short work of the scarabs, the Wraiths finish off the squad they were battling and the terminators explode one barge and shake the other. Yes, they shook it. I rolled a 1 for living metal! :D The newly arrived assault squad doesn't roll high enough to get into assault with the Wraiths.
My turn! My Harbinger of Despair and the Immortals move around the immobilized Monolith in order to shoot at that assault squad. The destroyers move to help. The Wraiths move up to threaten the 10 man squad while Duendekh the Slaughterer pursues his friend Dante across the table. The largely ignored squad of immortals on the hill just shuffle closer to their objective, while the shaken annihilation barge moves 12 inches away from the terminators.
The particle whip blasts 5 of the 10 man assault squad, making them much easier for the Wraiths to consider assaulting. The Harbinger of Despair kills a Marine with his Abyssal Staff (a nice little piece of gear, I find) and the Immortals and Destroyers reduce the squad down to 2 between them. Yeah, again, pretty bad dice there.
The Destroyer Lord assaults Dante, which ends up as a complete slap-fest and no one is wounded. Dante jumps away. The wraiths kill 3 Marines without taking a scratch, though the Blood Angels make their morale check.
In Snake Eyes' turn 5, there isn't much left to do. His Razorback shoots forward and pops smoke, likely to help hold an objective if there is a turn 6. The combat squad from the wrecked razorback move toward their objective. The terminators, being far out of position, decide to try and keep the tesla destructor quiet.
The one remaining melta gun in the squad that is harassing the Monolith blows the particle whip off of it. The Combat squad on foot unloads on the Destroyer Lord and does a wound with the Melta Gun. (Why GW? Why no Phase Shifter?) but as we will soon see they might have been better off running. Dante charges the Destroyer Lord, passing the Mindshackle Scarab check, but still manages to lose combat by one. He makes his morale check. The terminators assault the remaining Annihilation Barge, but since it moved 12 inches they can't land a hit.
My turn 5! Well, this could be the last turn, so I guess I should make it count. I move my Harbinger of Despair and the Immortals onto the objective near the damaged Monolith, and the Destroyers move up to help clear the area. The Wraiths cruise over near the Dante/Duendekh combat and footslogging assault squad and appear that they will be able to just barely get an assault, pulling them away from their objective.
The Abyssal Staff finishes off the Jump squad (did I mention how much I love this thing?) so I have essentially wasted my Destroyers for this turn. Though, had I not moved them over there I imagine they would have been sorely needed. The Annhilation Barge, being far from anywhere that it can do anything truly useful (I don't dare shoot at the remaining Assault Squad, lest I kill too many of them and lose the charge from the Wraiths) opens up on the Terminators and kills one.
The Wraiths charge the assault squad, and though they lose, the one remaining Wraith pulls the Astartes well away from their objective. A dakka dice is rolled and comes up as a 2, thereby ending the game.
Objective 1: the one thing that this squad did in this game.
Objective 2: What you call "overkill", I call "surety." :D
Well, looks like a win for the Necrons. I think a lot of this game hinged on the "Dueling Dice Fails" between the Monolith and the Jump Pack Assault Squad, since the 'lith did so much damage late in the game and allowed my Immortal squad to teleport safely across the board [i]after[/i] the fateful second turn.
I [i]really[/i] like the "Phased Reinforcements" and "Adaptive Tactics" that Nemesor Zahndrekh brings to the table. Tank Hunting Destroyers, or scarabs, and Wraith Squads and Destroyer Lords with Furious Charge are just wonderful.
_______________________________________________________________________
Vargard Obyron, having strategically withdrawn from the front to direct the securing of the entrance to the Tomb Complex, returned to his Overlord's side and made his report. The few remaining Blood Angels, including their Commander, were surrounded and in disarray. Duendekh the Slaughterer would be particularly disappointed in what was surely to be Zahndrekh's next order.
"The rebels have fought well this day, Obyron. See that the survivors are afforded full honor as our captives. Particularly this brave and astute Commander Dante."
"They will be difficult to capture alive, my Lord."
"See to it yourself, Vargard" said Zahndrekh, coolly. "I have the utmost confidence in your ability."
"How many times have we had this conversation?" thought Obyron as he walked the non-euclidean geometries that would bring him instantly to the Destroyer Lord's position to personally deliver the order. "And now to once again arrange the deaths of Nemesor Zahndrekh's 'Honored Prisoners."
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