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| Ammoriss - Tau versus Space Marines | |
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| Topic Started: 1 Mar 2009, 01:48 PM (660 Views) | |
| hiveminion | 1 Mar 2009, 01:48 PM Post #1 |
Second Lieutenant
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Ammoriss Battle Report – Tau versus Space Marines “There is no salvation for those who stand in our way” – Storm Dragons Codicier Armandos, at the onset of the Ammoriss Crusade Game: Annihilation, Dawn of War, 1700 points Armies: Storm Dragons Librarian (Terminator Armour, Avenger, Null Zone) 10 Sternguard (4 Combi-Meltas, Heavy Flamer, Drop Pod w/Deathwind) 3*10 Tactical Marines (Sarge w/PW, Flamer, ML (one squad has Plasma Cannon instead), Rhino) 5 Assault Terminators (1*Lightning Claws, 4 TH&SS, Land Raider) Vindicator (Siege Shield) Tau Commander in Battlesuit 4 Stealthsuits 4 Battlesuits (3 with missile pods and plasma rifles, 1 with Fusion blaster) 2 Broadsides 2 Piranhas (Fusion blasters) Hammerhead 36 or so Firewarriors (1 Devilfish)  Deployment: I won the roll for deployment and gave the first turn to the Tau. He set up his Commander in the centre, and two Firewarrior squads on each flank. I deployed nothing.  Turn 1 - Tau The Hammerhead arrived on the battlefield, sheltering behind the Firewarriors on the Tau’s right flank. The Broadsides lumbered onto the field on the Tau’s left. All other Tau units remained in reserve. With nothing to shoot at, the Tau ended their first turn. Turn 1 – Storm Dragons With a crash the Drop Pod landed in between the Hammerhead and the nearby Firewarrior squad, deploying the Sternguard and the Librarian.  On the other side of the battlefield the Rhinos, Vindicator and Land Raider thundered forward at full pace, one Rhino staying behind the Vindicator to protect its rear armour from any Deep Strikers. The Land Raider and Vindicator popped smoke.  Using combat squads I fired the four Combi-Meltas at the Hammerhead, blowing it sky high, while the Librarian summoned his ethereal powers to slay four Firewarriors, with the remaining Sternguard killing another two, causing the enemy squad to flee. Turn 2 – Tau Tau reserves arrived in the shape of a Piranha squadron, who hastily joined the fight against the Sternguard, while Tau Battlesuits leapt from the sky to open fire on the Astartes’ tanks.   The lonely Battlesuit carrying the Fusion gun scattered behind the ruins in the middle of the field, trying to pop the nearest Rhino but failing to hit. Firewarriors hiding in the forest also fired on this Rhino and managed to Shake it. Missile pods from the Battlesuit team rained down on the Vindicator’s hull but couldn’t harm its mighty front armour. The Broadsides fired on the Rhino approaching on the left flank and Immobilized it. Combined fire from the Piranhas, Commander and fleeing Firewarriors saw the Sternguard squad carrying the Combi-Meltas whittled down to one Astarte, but he stood his ground. Turn 2 – Storm Dragons  The Land Raider rumbled forward to cover the Vindicator’s advance. In the meantime the Tactical Squad onboard the Shaken Rhino disembarked to fire on the Battlesuit close by. Meanwhile, being the sole survivor of his squad, the Sternguard on my left flank moved to charge the Piranhas, while the Librarian led his Sternguard veterans further into cover, out of sight from the Tau Commander. The disembarked Tactical Squad opened fire on the Battlesuit but failed to do any damage.  The Immobilized Rhino tried to repair itself but failed. I fired the embarked squad’s Missile Launcher at the Broadsides but failed to hit. The Land Raider’s machine spirit fired one Lascannon battery at the Broadsides and killed one despite its cover save. The survivor passed his Morale Check, however. The Drop Pod opened up on the retreating Firewarriors, but the shot scattered on top of the Sternguard veteran! Fortunately, he passed his armour save. He charged the Piranhas, but couldn’t do anything to them.  Turn 3 – Tau The Piranhas unleashed their Drone squads to attack the pesky veteran lobbing krak grenades at them, while moving up to destroy the Drop Pod with their fusion guns.  The Battlesuits jumped out from their hiding places and prepared to once more cover the advancing tanks of the Astartes in a fiery deluge of shots. The Fusion suit missed again, but the Missile Pods and Plasma volleys Wrecked the Rhino on my left. The Gun drones took down the Sternguard veteran while the Piranhas failed to even hit the Drop Pod.  The remaining Broadside braced against the recoil of his mighty Railguns and let fly at the Land Raider, but even the mighty alien technology couldn’t penetrate the arcane armour. The Battlesuits drew back behind cover, ready to strike again in their next turn.  Turn 3 – Storm Dragons I moved up the remaining Sternguard and the Librarian to engage the Gun Drones but they struggled to get through the difficult ground. The Librarian tried to cast Null Zone but failed his Psychic test. I moved the Land Raider 6” towards the Firewarriors hiding in the woods, disembarking the Assault Terminators to charge them in the Assault Phase.  The Vindicator lined up to shoot at the 3-men Battlesuit team hiding near the Tau table edge, while the last mobile Rhino moved to continue guarding its rear armour. The stranded Tactical Squad moved into the ruins to their left to take up firing positions, but lost one battle-brother to crumbling masonry. Lascannon batteries, Krak missiles and a Demolisher round struck at the Tau lines but none found their mark. The Deathwind Launcher unleashed a hail of rockets at the Piranhas but couldn’t harm the skimmers’ armoured cabins. The Rhino to my far right still couldn’t repair its fuming engine. The Terminators lumbered forward, picking up momentum as they charged towards the Firewarriors, but a volley of photon grenades slowed them down and they couldn’t reach the aliens’ position. This was disastrous for me as now they would be exposed to a staggering amount of enemy firepower. Turn 4 – Tau The Tau’s last reserves entered the battle, a Firewarrior squad embarked on a Devilfish arriving on their right flank, deploying to face off against the Sternguard, while a Stealthsuit team Deep Striked behind the Astarte lines to let rip at the Vindicator’s side armour (my rearguard tactic with the Rhino paying off).   The fusion gun armed Battlesuit retreated behind the hill where his mates were hiding too, taking a pot shot at the Vindicator but failing to hit (again), while the Tau Commander and Gun Drones moved to open fire on the Sternguard. Combined with the pulserifles from the Firewarrior squad, they only killed three Sternguard, crucially leaving the Heavy Flamer unharmed. The Piranhas turned the Drop Pod into molten slag with their fusion guns, one nearby Firewarrior getting caught in the blast and dying. On the other side of the battlefield, pulserifle and plasma fire claimed the lives of two Assault Terminators, one of whom was the squad’s Sergeant. The Broadside once more targeted the Land Raider, and once more, failed to even glance. This failure was not mimicked by the Stealthsuits however, who, despite only being armed with burst cannons, succeeded in Stunning the Vindicator. Turn 4 – Storm Dragons I was lucky to still have my Sternguard and Terminators on the field, and I would now have to capitalize on that fortune as I could not expect them to hold out for much longer (especially the unsupported Sternguard). I advanced the Assault Terminators through cover, but they were again slowed down. The Vindicator couldn’t move so I left the Land Raider in place to hide it from the Broadside. My mobile Rhino moved towards the Stealth team and disgorged its Tactical Squad.  The Heavy Flamer armed Sternguard and the Librarian, casting Avenger, slew the entire Firewarrior squad opposing them.  Meanwhile the Tactical Squad set up in the ruins tried to kill the fusion gun armed Battlesuit but once again, couldn’t do a thing to it. The Land Raider split fire, killing one Battlesuit from the 3-men team but failing to harm the fusion gun armed Suit. That Tau pilot must’ve been Keanu Reeves! The disembarked Tactical Squad threw everything it could muster at the Stealthsuits in front of them and left none of them alive. At last the Assault Terminators reached combat, the Tau struck first but could do nothing against the might of tactical dreadnought armour, and in return six Thunderhammer blows left five Tau in bloody tatters. The Firewarriors fled, and quit the battlefield. Turn 5 – Tau As this could be the last turn of the game, the Tau army had to score some Killpoints as they were behind by one at this point. The Devilfish and Piranhas prepared to deal with the surviving Sternguard and the Librarian, while the fusion gun armed Battlesuit moved up to try and destroy the Land Raider.  The other Battlesuit team jumped behind the woods and prepared to fire on the Assault Terminator. One Sternguard was felled by the Piranhas and Devilfish, leaving the Heavy Flamer armed veteran and Librarian by themselves.  Two more Assault Terminators died as the Battlesuit team opened fire on their squad, leaving one. The Broadside opened fire on the Land Raider again, and yet again it could do nothing to it. The Keanu Reeves suit at last hit, but then failed to penetrate the Land Raider even within Melta range! It jumped behind the Rhino wreckage for cover. Turn 5 – Storm Dragons I moved my mobile Rhino away to open up Line of Sight to the fusion gun Suit for my Tactical Squad.  I also withdrew my Vindicator to fire on this pesky Battlesuit should everything fail. Meanwhile the Librarian and Sternguard veteran moved up to try and score some Glancing hits on the Piranhas to keep them from firing, those two models were worth two Kill Points and losing them could mean a loss for me should we go to Turn 6 or 7. Meanwhile the single Assault Terminator moved up through the forest to engage the Broadside in battle.  I fired on the Fusion gun armed Battlesuit with my Tactical Squad, and failed to hit with the krak missile while the Bolter wounds were all saved. I then threw a Demolisher round at it and it finally bit the dust. Take that Keanu Reeves! The Land Raider split fire again between the Tau Commander and the remaining Battlesuits but failed to impress either. The Plasma Cannon toting Marine hit one of the Piranhas, but failed to even glance. The Librarian and Heavy Flamer added their firepower to the mix, but also could do nothing.  Turn 6 – Tau With nothing to lose and everything to fight for, the Tau planted their feet in the dirt and let rip. The Tau commander fired at the Marines hiding in the ruins and killed one Astarte, while the last Assault Terminator took a Railgun to the face and died. The Piranhas and the Devilfish opened fire on the Sternguard and Librarian, failing to hit with most of their shots but one Fusion gun scored a Wound. One failed save would mean a Kill Point for the Tau, so I decided to go to ground…I rolled the cover save…and it came up a 3. Bless the games developers for Go to Ground! My Sternguard veteran lived and though it could do nothing in my next turn there was a significant chance this would be the last game turn anyway. Turn 6 – Storm Dragons I tried to take out the Battlesuit team, firing everything I had at them. The Vindicator claimed one with a direct hit, but the Land Raider’s complete arsenal could do nothing but put one Wound on the remaining Suit with the Heavy Bolter. Fortunately, the Tau pilot subsequently failed his Morale Check and fled off the board. We rolled to see if the game ended, and it did, meaning the Storm Dragons had won the day, but at some serious cost. Conclusion: Sternguard for the win! They were definitely the men of the match for me as they not only destroyed the Hammerhead on Turn 1, but kept nearly half of the Tau army occupied on my left while the rest of my army dealt with the remainder on my right. The Heavy Flamer coupled with the Librarian’s Avenger power also dealt horrendous damage, resulting in two destroyed Firewarrior squads. My Rhino squads for the first time didn’t do much but they still drew sufficient amounts of firepower to be useful; one squad also worked excellent as a guardian unit to protect the Vindicator. The Tau army had some bad rolls throughout the early game when it came to dealing with the tanks, and losing the Hammerhead on Turn 1 didn’t help. However, despite this they stood up very well to my assault and during Turns 4-5 they took command of the game out of my hands for a while. I’ve rarely played an Annihilation mission that was this close and it was a fantastic game that calls for a rematch one day! PS: During the game a spectator remarked there was little terrain on the table (referring to it as planet Bowling Ball). When setting up I stuck to the 25% limit, since cover has become so powerful I've found anymore and it starts to signifcantly boost certain armies unfairly (Orks/Tyranids). I was wondering, is this my Marine bias talking? Or do people genuinely find 25% to little? How much do you use? Edited by hiveminion, 1 Mar 2009, 07:29 PM.
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| BDJV | 1 Mar 2009, 07:16 PM Post #2 |
Second Lieutenant
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Great Report! I love seein' the Tau getting smashed! 
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| ☺Easy E | 8 Mar 2009, 02:54 AM Post #3 |
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Captain
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Good report. I love it. The look of your Storm Dragons is very impressive and inspiring. As for terrain. I go by the old maxim- the more the better. I think it is a hang up from my days playing Necromunda and 1st edition 40K. However, you have to be careful about it's placement so that it becomes a factor, but not dominant. Also, I like to put pieces on the board that pretty it up, but don't necessarily "do" anything. |
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| Colonel Haizelhoff | 19 Apr 2009, 09:04 AM Post #4 |
Warrant Officer Second Class
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I like to have more than 25% terrain on the board, but I make sure that the cover is alinged as evenly as possible. 5 ed is all about cover IMHO with them being boosted to 4+ I think that the games developers wanted the cover to play a more significant role, even though it ruins ap4 weapons. Great report by the way! |
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| # Marovian | 19 Apr 2009, 10:55 AM Post #5 |
High Lord Admiral of the Imperial Fleet
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Nice report, the Tau stuck it out until the end. As for cover, looks about the right amount to me. I agree that too much favours some armies, and as a guard player I like a fair bit of cover myself. However, you're table looks pretty much like the ones at WHW so I'd say you got it right. |
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| owentillier | 20 Apr 2009, 03:47 PM Post #6 |
Warrant Officer Second Class
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Cover looks fine to me. Im an Ork player and I love the new cover rules but too much is ridiculous. I think above is just right |
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| ☺Dave38x | 21 Apr 2009, 07:11 AM Post #7 |
DubDubDubDubDub
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cover seems about right, i think its always good to have cover, but still have open sections on the board. I normally place objectives 50% in cover and 50% in the open just to stir things up a bit. Of course, if my friend who plays DE sticks one in the open, i just camp on it with a hammerhead, daring him to try it on with puny eldar! Taking second turn is a very tactically sound move in fifth ed ive found, especially when playing tau. Why? your opponent gets one turn to run onto your guns 
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| de Selby | 21 Apr 2009, 06:58 PM Post #8 |
Second Lieutenant
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Nice report, who were you playing against? Anyone we know? I like the pictures with captions, makes it easy to follow. As for the cover, it looks like there was enought to significantly affect the gameplay, which is good. One inportant thing is that it's not scattered round the edges of the battlefield, as in WFB. It's certainly not planet bowling ball. |
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| hiveminion | 21 Apr 2009, 07:29 PM Post #9 |
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Second Lieutenant
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Thanks for the replies guys. De Selby: The Tau player was one of the guys at my local store, I don't think he has an account on here. |
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| darkseer | 21 Apr 2009, 07:40 PM Post #10 |
Warrant Officer First Class
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Just one look at the Tau army list and I knew they were doomed 
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| ☺Dave38x | 21 Apr 2009, 09:35 PM Post #11 |
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DubDubDubDubDub
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in what way did you know that darkseer? Ive just spent a moment trying to work out how i would have modified the list myself, but having no experience of playing marines its probably not a good one. I would have: Removed the stealthsuits, got rid of the fusion blastered suit, put a fireknife in its place, lost the piranhas, added another hammerhead, removed one of the broadsides, probably about it really... suppose what i'm really asking is what would you have taken? |
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4:33 PM Jun 19