Opening Day

LOOKING FOR BIG GAME RULES?  Go there directly on this blog:

http://excursionsbeyondthecall.blogspot.com/2013/01/big-game-planning.html

My friend J came over on Sunday, and we played three games.  It was a fantastic time.  He won all three games, but the second game was close (until in went an extra two rounds).  I've got a lot of practice ahead of me with my guard, for sure.

None of my models are painted.  Surely this compromises the color of these reports, my apologies.  The first game had us each with an objective in our own deployment zones.  My Guard on the left, his army on the right.

Deployment Game One

Creed, Kell, Astropath and Company Command Squad.

Heavy Weapons teams.

Sergeant of an Infantry Squad, seen below hiding behind the blue containers.

This squad ended up taking cover for several turns here, receiving an enormous amount of fire.  I used "Get Back In the Fight" orders from Creed to have them return fire after ducking.

J's Missile Launchers on the roof of the abandoned Imperial Outpost.  These guys were quite effective.

J's Sentinel and a team of mortars.  These mortars rained death on two infantry squads.

This is J's Psyker, he scared a squad off the table with his psychic attacks.

Very scared.  This squad fell back off the table from the psyker's terrifying gaze.

Hellhound arrives.  My hellhound outflanked (thanks to Creed's Tactical Genius) and spread flaming death across a squad just past the outpost.

My squads advance around the corner of the pumphouse.

Creed's last stand.

Flamer takes lives.  There were a few men here before...

Infantry Squad #1 in the Pump House.

Game #2 deployment.  Hammer and Anvil, Big Guns Never Tire.

Guard advance to Power Station 15.

A line of armor faces me.  Chaos Iron Warriors at their finest.

The alley of death.  We would spar in this corridor, losing many men within its confines.

Raptors!  Raptors deepstrike in and shoot melta guns at my leman russ battle tank.  The LRBT survives, but next round attempts to lurch forward and immobilizes himself. 

Iron Warriors advance behind their Rhino down the alley of death.

Creed's Tactical Genius this time brings on my newly-converted Leman Russ Punisher with Pask riding on board.  He lights up the other Raptors (seen just off the front of the tank), destroying the meltas in the squad.

Veterans advance up the opposite flank.  Yup.  Veterans on foot.

Infantry squad plants krak grenades on a Rhino blocking the alley of death.

End of turn two.  I've taken massive casualties, Iron Warriors look to be just fine (except for the destroyed Rhino on the bottom of the picture).

Raptors removed from my backfield with concentrated Front Rank Second Rank Fire.

Marneus Guardgar.  He's an Infantry Platoon Commander with a Power Fist and a bolt pistol.  He took on a challenge from the Iron Warrior Champion and came out victorious.

At this point in the game, if the game had stopped at turn 5 I would have won.

Game 3.  Capture the Relic.  My Marines Errant take the field.  I hastily composed a list full of expensive elements (Annihilator with Chronos, Honor Guard, Lascannon Razorbacks.)

The Iron Warriors deployment.

Both sides approach the relic, spraying a crossfire of bullets everywhere.

Tactical squad follows a Rhino into the fray.

Their Redeemer destroyed, the Honor Guard prepares to dive into the battle.  The destruction of the Redeemer was a turning point in this game.  If it had survived, it would have done massive damage to the marines standing in the background.

Marines clash in a titanic fight for the relic.

The Warpsmith defeats the Chapter Master...

... and is transformed into a Demon Prince!  Boon!  Things look bleak for the Marines.

The end of the day.  Marines lost big in this scenario.  Good times indeed.  Can't wait to take to the field again.