+ DREADTASM ROLLS ON: CHAOS VS SISTERS +

As mentioned in the previous post, the on-going conflict with the Witch Hunters continued yesterday, with another 1850 battle. This time we started working through the missions for Da Boyz GT over in Rochester, NY in mid-October, rolling up the "Escort the VIP" mission. Essentially, we each had an extra VIP model (T3, W2, 4+ inv) that had to be attached to a squad (which became Fearless) and walked off the enemy table edge, taking his escort with him.

Anarchonquistadores vs Sisters [1850]

I used the same dreadtasm + deathscreamer list from last time, he used a tweaked up version of his last list:

Cannoness - MC blessed weapon, book, auto-pass faith thing
Cannoness - eviscerator, jump pack, 2+ armor, mantle
5 Dominions - 5 storm bolters, priest; immolator w/ MM
10 Sisters - heavy flamer, meltagun, VSS w/ eviscerator; rhino
10 Sisters - heavy flamer, meltagun, VSS w/ eviscerator; rhino
15 Sisters - heavy flamer, meltagun, VSS w/ eviscerator
7 Seraphim - 2x flamers, VSS w/ eviscerator
5 Seraphim - 2x inferno pistols, VSS w/ power weapon, melta bombs
Exorcist
Penitent
Penitent

Might have been another Sister rhino squad in there, but I think he had to drop it to buy more seraphim. Regardless the mission was looking bad for him, as his only options for moving the VIP up was to attach to the big foot squad (which he did, with Cannoness along too), dismount an embarked squad and walk it, or walk the seraphim (who wanted to strike as usual).

Deployment: Table edges
Primary: Escort VIP off the enemy's edge. If he dies, his body becomes an objective that if claimed counts the same as walking the VIP off.
Secondary: Have more units above 50% in the enemy deployment zone.
Tertiary: Have more scoring units within 3" of table center.

Bonus points for not putting the VIP in a transport, killing the enemy, walking off the table with your most expensive unit, etc. All pretty low compared to the primary.

Sisters win The Roll, give it to Chaos so they can go second at end of game.

Early Game
Deathscreamer stomps the yard with the shooty CSM squad, so that the VIP can ride with the flamey CSM in their rhino. They advance up the western flank, under cover of the noise marines, havoks and an obliterator, thoroughly discouraging the enemy from intercepting (a penitent rushes the rhino, doesn't kill it and is kraked for his troubles). 'Screamer, shooty CSM and melta CSM in their rhino push the center, removing the dominions and their ride turn one, the other penitent turn two (at the cost of the melta dudes' ride) and immobilizing both rhinos. Retaliation by the other two mounted sister squads is fierce, reducing the melta CSM to 2 models (AC + melta), but the arrival of the demons adds even more pressure against the middile.

Dreadtasm got off to a fine start, rolling 2 fire frenzies and unloading 4 plasma blasts into the lone sane dread, who popped smoke and survived the lovefest with just a shaken result. They would remain mostly sane for the rest of the game, with no more fire frenzies rolled ..

Mid-Game
The flamer CSM's cruise up the flank was interrupted by the inferno seraphim, who wrecked the rhino but would be clubbed to death the following turn, putting the VIP and friends within easy reach of the board edge. The deathscreamer and his squad assaulted the remains of the foot cannoness' crew with VIP (they had taken a brutal blastmaster shot turn 1, losing 7 girls), and over a few rounds of burning faith chaos came out on top, leaving the deathscreamer (1 wound taken from his own weapon), the autocannon and the power weapon AC to take up firing positions amidst the corpses.

With furious rolling the demons repeatedly broke one sisters squad, eventually wiping it out (leaving 4 demons, not enough to occupy his edge but enough to grab the center), whilst a blood raging dreadnought + the remnants of the melta CSM broke the other 10 woman squad (losing the dreadnought very easily to the eviscerator), but failed to catch it. The other dreads contented themselves with throwing out the odd plasma template between assaults, which was all the one immobilized by the exorcist could do. Also at this point the exy had pasted the obliterator whose lascannon couldn't hit or pen it all game.

Late Game
The other seraphim finally showed and attempted a daring table edge drop to stop the flamer CSM, but a mishap allowed the forces of chaos to misdirect the angelic flyers. They were plopped down amidst the fire lanes of the noise marines / havoks / obliterator, and despite SotM being as irritating as possible the squad was hammered down to 1 girl, who fled and would be tagged by the autocannon marine. The eviscerator cannoness struck solo, absorbed a turn of aggressive fire with 2 wounds (2+ inv is DRUNK) slaughtered the havoks and ran them down, charged a dread and copped a giant chainsaw to the chest.

With little in the way of opposition left, the flamer CSM walked their charge off the table, the melta CSM legged it when the lone eviscerator VSS shot the AC in the head, the demons stabbed that VSS to death and would end the game happily frolicking on the center of the table. End game saw only 1 immobilized rhino and the untouched exorcist vs a good number of angry chaos boys (and 1.5 dreads).

CHAOS WIN: Primary, Tertiary, Random Bonuses

A sterling performance by the deathscreamer, with a good selection of rolls (just 1x 1, but 2x 6 and several 3-4), which is quite nice vs T3 power armored opponents (SotM or not). The dreadtasm had it's usual idiotic start, but besides the double blood rage turn (the immobilized dread wasn't angry enough to overcome his shattered legs) were remarkably behaved. As to what they actually did in the game, I suppose it was far less than 360 points worth, and I realized this game that the way I run them so close to each other makes it somewhat easier to limit their damage from fire frenzy (they just shoot the sane one, who can smoke) but also means they hardly move at all, not being able to consistently either march and fire or run up in a pack. Meh, I still like the lugs, and what would I take otherwise? Well, 1 unit of termiciders, and probably my possessed ;D Another excellent elites choice!

Painting: Irongut
Building: N/A