Assassins

 

 

Here you can see the battlefield.

About half an hour ago, I finished a large game at my local Games Workshop, where our team were allowed to take 1250 pts each. I didn't take quite that much; I took:

• Inquisitor Coteaz
• Warband - 6 psykers, 2 servitors, 1 with heavy bolter, 1 with multi melta, 4 warriors, all with carapace armor, 1 with plasma gun
• Warband - 4 warriors, all with carapace, 3 with flamehtrowers
• Warband - 3 warriors, all with carapace
• Warband - 3 warriors, all with carapace, 1 mystic
• Vindicare Assassin
• Callidus Assassin

Our objective were as follows:
   1 VP for holding both (2) bastions (left in the picture)
   1 VP for killing the designated enemy commander
   1 VP for carrying the intelligence at the end of the game (located in the center crater, near a tall building)
   1 VP for keeping at least on scout* alive and on your team (Rhino is to the right of the picture)
* Five scouts were placed in the Rhino wreckage, 4 with bolters, 1 with heavy bolter. Scouts were captured if a model came within 3 inches and passed a leadership test. The scouts would then join the unit. Scouts could be taken from an enemy unit by standing nearby. Scouts do not count as moving when they are attached, even if the leader unit did (unless the scouts actually moved).
   In addition, the intelligence in the middle was surrounded by spore mines with modified rules.
   On our team, we also had:

•    5 Grey Knight Paladins, with halberds, 1 with warding stave
• GK librarian, with Level 3 and Quicksilver and Might of Titan
• 2 land raiders
• 1 land raider crusader
• I dreadnought with lascannon
• Tactical squad with missile and plasma gun
• SM commander
• Honor guard
• Assault terminators, some with hammers, some with claws
• Razorback with lascannon
• Terminators with missile launcher

From what I can remember, the enemy had:

• Guardsmen veterans with lascannon
• Leman Russ Eradicator
• Eldrad
• Dire Avengers
• Wraithguard (lots, like >8)
• 3 squads of fire warriors
• Commander Farsight
• 3 XV8 bodyguard
• Hive Tyrant
• 3 ripper swarms
• Eldar Falcon/Wave serpent with bright lance(?)
• Tyranid warriors, 1 venom cannon, 1 devourer
• Genestealers
• Gaunts, some with fleshborers, some with spinefists
• Vespid Stingwings

Onto the report, (or what I remember)
   The enemy got turn 1, even with Coteaz's initiative reroll. They blew up the land raider on the left, and destroyed an assault cannon on the other. The Eradicaor shot my psyker mob, killing a few of the warriors.
The Tyranids moved forwards quickly, while the neutral scouts randomly moved towards the enemy lines.
   On our turn, I blew the eradicator to pices using the Vindicare's turbo penetrator shot. The Hive Tyrant was gunned down as well, awarding us a VP. My flamer mob, with only one surviving member, moved forwards and torched the crater with the spore mines and intelligence, killing all but one. My psykers blew themselves up, due to having to roll 3 dice from some Eldar rule.
   Turn 1, Imperials, 1, aliens, 1 (from holding the two bastions).
   In the neutral phase, the last spore mine blew up my flamer guardsman, and the scouts continued to move towards the enemy.
   The enemy Tyranids continued to swarm forwards, when we realized the rippers only had a land raider to chew on. The Dire Avengers piled into the crater, where the exarch picked up the intel, and they blasted my mystic squad, killing all but 1 warrior. The wraithguard took control of the scouts.
   On our turn, my Vindicare failed to destroy one of the bastions, and my last guardsman failed to kill an Avenger. However, the Assault terminators slammed into the Wraithguard, along with my three-man warrior squad. The warriors did nothing, but took advantage of the consolidation when the terminators wiped out the wraithguard. The Assault Terminators then took control of the last two scouts.
 Score: Imperials, 2, aliens, 2
   Turn 3, the last turn.
   There were no more spore mines, and the scouts were under our control, so there was no neutral turn.
   The aliens continued to swarm forward, though the Tyranids couldn't assault.The DIre Avengers held down the crater, while the guardians and fire warriors fired at the terminators. Commander Farsight and his bodyguard turned up, firing on our commander and his honor guard, killing all but the Commander and one guard. The Tyranid Warriors finished off my psyker mob, leaving Coteaz on his own. The second last scout was killed, leaving the heavy bolter on his own.
   On our turn, I tried to put as much fire into the Avengers. The Vindicare fired at the Exarch, who was only saved by the reroll to his cover save granted by fortune. I attached the scouts to my last warror from the three man squad, and they jumped into a land raider, guaranteeing us at least a 2 all draw. Not good enough. My Callidus Assassin had turned up, killing 5 fire warriors in a bastion using polymorphine, and the neural shredder killed the second last fire warrior. The last fled the bastion, allowing the Assassin to contest the bastion objective, allowing us a win.
   Final result: Imperials 2, Aliens 1. Imperial Victory!

   I have to say that the Callidus Assassin finally paid off, winning us the game. I actually only took her to fill up points, but she is definitely going to be in future games. I noticed there was a group of Vespids, who had hid behind the Tau bastion the entire game, and did absolutely nothing. This was one of the most exciting games I have played in a while, where we almost lost. We only had one scout left, and our commander was down to one bodyguard, and being hunted down by Farsight. I'm so glad I had a plan B for when the Vindicare failed to kill the Exarch (who would have dropped the papers, costing them a point).
   So people should really stop saying the Callidus is useless!