+ Speed Lord Battles On +

Took my Chaos lads to the FLGS and got two 1500 point games in, against Templar and Tau. For the record I was using the current rules, though I may be testing new chaos rules out sooner than I like ... Break it down!

Undivided vs. Templars [1500] - Fought these templar in megas all the time, but never in 1v1. His cut down 1500 list was chappy (2 wounds) + 9 marines (melta, fist) in rhino; chump + 9 marines (melta, fist) in rhino; 6 marines (plasma, missile launcher); dread; pred (lascannon + heavy bolters); 10 assault marines (2 plasma pistols, fist). I deployed 10-man in cover far left and the 1k Sons in the open, with the dread about a foot to their right, and then everything else in a tall building far right. The 8-man infiltrated into a building along the right side. He deployed 6-man and pred across from my left, with rhino on the other side of terrain from my dread, and then assaulters, rhino, dread nearish my right side.

I got first, and from here a trend of rolling exceedingly badly was started. I never rolled higher than 3 for penetrating vehicles, and generally missed when possible. Somehow I did what I needed to though, as the game tipped towards Chaos in the last turns. Both squads of girls hit the chappy's disembarked squad on the right, with the speed lord zipping in to snipe out the chappy. He tagged him for one, then 6 demonettes hit him with 18 attaks and took him down. They scooted into the assault marine remnant (1 fister), which had been decimated by an early charge by the infiltrators. From here, the girls ate the dreadnought and the fister, but the lord and other ladies didn't fair so well, losing all the girls to the marines. Turns later, my lord finally failed his aura saves (I made a lot against a fist) and went down, and the last girl on the board popped. My obliterator stumbled over late game and hit the powerfist templar with his chainfist, though he was instand deathed in the process :'(

Other side of the table, the 1k Sons did their thing and sucked it up, only glancing the turret off the pred and losing models every turn to heavy bolters and krak. The chump's squad hoped out and blasted them too, but in return the rhino squad were hammered down to chump, fist, bolter. The templar headed for the dread - which only the first could hurt thanks to mutated hull - but the dread was too quick and stomped everyone but the chump. After rolling 3 1's to wound the chump - O_O - the dread finally smashed him to paste. Game ended with a weaponless rhino and banged up pred tank shocking my 10-man, and then me failing to hurt them next turn with a LOT of firepower, including a charge from the dread. Win for Chaos all the same.

Undivided vs Tau [1500] - Rematch time, though he had new sniper drones to try out. He brought shas'o (CIB, plasma, shield drone, etc), 3 crisis (plasma, flamer, 1 shield drone), 3 crisis (fusion, plasma), 5 stealth (1 fusion), 6 vespid, 3x 12 fire warriors (marker), 3x sniper drone team. He deployed across his zone - vespid, FW (in trees), drones (in trees), FW (in ruins), drones, drones (atop temple), suits (behind temple), FW. I deployed more concentrated center - 10-man posed to move into ruins first turn, speed lord behind them, dread, oblit (behind dread), havoks (in ruins), 1k Sons, noise marines (in trees). He infiltrated stealths into my zone far left, and I had to infiltrate my 8-man to try to catch them and their JSJ schenanigans. He kept the fusion suits to deep strike and try to kill my dread ;)

First turn to chaos, and pretty uneventful. 1 shield drone died, 1 sniper drone died, maybe a FW died. The 10-man moved up into the ruin, bringing them into range of 24 pulse rifles O_O
Tau let me have it in their turn, killed 9 of the 10-man and leaving just the kai gun AC! He's undaunted, as are the 8-man when they lose 2 to the stealths, who jump behind the impassable side of the big hill in my deployment zone. Sniper drones started hitting the 1k Sons, knocking off wounds like they will from here on. Vespid zip up and fleet to meet the stealths in their hidey spot by the cliff.

Chaos two, and the girls want to play. A lucky scatter sends one squad off the speed lord's ikon and over to easy reach of the vespid! The other girls scatter poorly off the 8-man and basically play no part in the game. Judging the distance to be right, the speed lord takes off for the sniper team across from him, as I saw one drone base was sticking out of cover! A good fleet roll later and he's in, and easily trashes the squad. He's now 5.5" away from 12 FW, and I knew he was gonna die UNLESS ... 6" massacre roll and the game has totally changed. The girls trash the vespid for 1 loss, and then consolidate into the stealths, shutting them down too. Concentrated fire on the center FW squad sends half the squad off the board. The oblit takes the last shield drone from the crisis suits.
Tau two, and the fusion crisis drop right in front of the dread. A couple pens later, and the dread is shaken - but I learned from last game against this guy, so extra armor means my dread is just plain pissed! Snipers hit the 1k Sons more, but I don't care as the speed lord breaks and catches the FW and then consolidates to take down the crisis team tickling his dread. Girls devour the stealths and catch those that break.

Chaos three, the dread rages into the crisis, ready to get his 7 attaks on. Kai gun taps a wound off a suit, and then the speed lord and dread slam in. The speed lord swings his 5 attaks, hits with all, wounds with all, and guts the squad. He massacres behind the ruins and sets up to kill another drone team. The 1k Sons can't see the snipers killing them, and I should probably have started moving my noise marines and 8-man lascannon to get shots later in the game, but meh.
Tau three, he's running out of options with chaos closing in around his 2 drone teams, 4 crisis suits and FW squad. He scoots the FW around the edge of the temple to hit the 1k Sons next turn, and the suits begin JSJ-ing around the temple. Shots at the 1k Sons damage them further, probably down to sorc + 2 or 3 rubrics.

Chaos four, the speed lord strikes again, hitting and fragging his second drone team. This strands him in the open, but I'm so happy with his performance that I concede it's his time to die. Dread and oblit wander toward the temple, 1k Sons shuffle more (I rolled 2" on 2 dice most every turn), and frag missiles pound the FW. Enough tau die for a test, and they break and head back around the temple toward the edge.
Tau four sees the FW run more, but stop before the edge. Crisis JSJ and kill the speed lord with plasma death. Good ride speedy ;D Sons take some more fire.

Chaos five. No speed lord means I don't have many options to reach around the temple that he's JSJ-ing around. The dread gets frustrated and fire frenzies, and with no enemy targets the oblit takes 2 plasma cannon shots and 2 heavy flamer blasts! Wounded but alive, the oblit shuffles away from his ex-buddy.
Tau five, FW rally at last. Crisis JSJ and dink the Sons again.

Chaos six, and "final" turn. Can't do much of anything, so back away from the temple and move the Sons back into cover.
Tau six. FW move back toward where they were on the temple steps. Crisis team JSJ and kill 1 more Son, leaving sorc + 1 rubric. Win for Chaos ... but we battle on!

Chaos seven - ten. Jockeying for LOS to behind the temple with oblit and noise marines, and at this point the kai gun AC and the 8-man are getting close to the action!
Tau seven - ten. JSJ kills the Sons at last, and drops 2 noise marines when they left their woods for a turn. FW move up to the temple steps and peek out ...

Chaos turn eleven. The FW suck loads of fire, dying and breaking. The blastmaster marine gets a shot on the crisis suits, shattering one with max power and breaking the unit off the board!

Chaos Win for real.

Building: Land raider
Painting: Eshin bases, termi lord, defiler