Chaplain Cassius

Chaplain Cassius is consider one of the best chaplain you can field for the Space Marine codex. For the price of 125 pts you actually get alot of stuff. A regular chaplain without upgrades is around 100 pts.

He has all the features of a regular chaplain along with this extra like he has a combi flamer that fire hellfire rounds, He is toughness 6 and have feel no pain.

So what makes him unique is that he carry a combi weapon and mantain his bolt pistol. Regular chaplain would had to surrender that pistol to gain the combi weapon. So in an assault he can still have +1 Attack for carrying 2 close combat weapons in the field. Another thing is since he has toughness 6, feel no pain and Rosarius. Against weapon like missile launcher a regular chaplain would die on the spot if he fails his 4+ invul regardless of how many wounds he left. Cassius can do his 4+ invul then 4+ Feel no pain. Which this grants him a 75% chance of survival than 50% from a normal chappy. Even his chance of surviving a normal save is 83.333% that almost like a Terminator armor save. So potentially you can actually lock enemies with no power weapons in a close combat, since your enemy have to go though toughness 6, 3+ armor save and 4+ feel no paint while u can slowly slice them with your crozium.

Even the combi flamer he carries is useful, You can use it to soften your enemy for your assault team or if there several squad on the table.. Cassius can split up and burn any weak enemies that hiding in cover. Sparing your assault team unnecessary risk or hassle to take care of them. The hellfire round he carry comes in handy dealing with Daemon prince or Monster Nids. Just stay back and fire away.. force them to make armor save.

Generally my recommendation is to attach Cassius to a squad of assault terminators. Regardless of size preferable no more than 7... since u may need a Land Raider unless u have some strategy that include walking. Get some a good mix of Lightning Claw terminator and Thunder Hammer with Storm shields. Now Lightning Claw terminators enjoys reroll to hit and wounds.. forcing your enemy in a world of hurt. Ideally thunder hammer is more for to allocate ap2 shots on them, Instant Deathing IC or multiple wounds squad or anti vehicle ( Yes Liturgies of battle allow you to reroll to hit rolls on a vehicle.. So even if your enemy move cruising speed.. u can get to reroll that 6+ to hit). If they are MC around, keep cassius away and let him fire his hellfire round while your terminators finish him off.

Purgation Lords Battle Log 20110123 - A clash with the Smurfs

This last weekend I had the rare chance to finally play my local big blue boy after eons since our last engagement. It has been rare to see the big blue in person and rarer still to get to play him in this sector of the world so I took out my highly experimental list and eagerly meet the Ultramarines in the field.

My army: Purgation Lords first company "blink" list.

HQ
Librarian in terminator armor, epistolary. stormshield, gates on infinity, vortex of doom.
Librarian in terminator armor, epistolary. storm bolter, gates on infinity, nullzone 
.
Elites:
Terminators (gosh) 10 men, 2 cyclone launchers, 1 chainfist
Assault Terminators 10 men, 2 LC, 8 TH/SS
Dedicated transport:
Landraider Redeemer with Extra armor, MM, storm bolter

Troops:
2 x Scouts with sniper rifles, camo cloak, Sergeant with combi plasma, teleport homer.

My opponent's list:

HQ:
Chaplain Cassius

Elite:
Assault Terminators 5 x TH/SS
Sternguard squad on a Drop pod
A dreadnought with mm on a Drop pod

Troops:
Scouts with sniper rifle
Tactical 10 men with lascanon, meltagun and PF

Fast attack:
2 Landspeeder typhoon
Attack bike squadron with 2 MM bikes
Heavy Support:
5 men devastator squad with 4 ML with a rhino
A God Hammer pattern LR

****************************************

Purgation Lords Scout Sergeant Vallo has returned from his pre engagement reconnaissance and heading to brief his superiors on the top of a snowy cliffs overlooking the whole battlefield. On top of the small hill after rows of battle brothers clad in terminator suits stood 2 imposing figures also clad in personal dreadnought armor, but instead of the jet black color of the rest of the first company, these two were in ultramarine blue advertising their ranks as the librarians of the chapter.

"Brother Librarians." addressed Sergeant Vallo to the pair of commanders, it occurs to him the irony of the situation considering their chapter color scheme is black but at the moment led by commanders clad in blue while their adversary, the Ultramarines which were stationed some where below the snowy valley, clad in blue which is their chapter color scheme but that the moment led by a figure in jet black color -- the famous chaplain Cassius himself.

"Aye brother Vallo," said one of the librarian, "how was the survey?"
"The enemy is in position, so far my scouts haven't notice any plasma canon nor vindicator within their ranks."
"Good!" boomed another librarian. The memory of their last engagement with spacewolves still fresh, when a plasma canon round detonated in the closed packed  terminators rank resulting in needed to resolve 8 invul saves was an experience no one here was eager to repeat, despite the fact the Lords did later emerges victorious against the wolves.

The snow fall was intensifying and Sergeant Vallo found himself looking at the down fall with frown forming in his forehead. "Something you wish to add, brother?" asked one of the librarian, Vallo's surface thought clearly registered with the potent psyker.

"This snow, I fear it will some how emulate the weather on Ultramarines' home planet of Macragge, I am afraid they might have some advantage." Reasoned Vallo.

"Indeed." the librarians agreed. "But we are beyond the point of return, we should mobilize now."
"Purity through purgation! We move!"

****************************************

Game Objective: Kill Point
Deployment: Pitch Battle

Big blue won the roll off and take a side of the battlefield. His devastators took hold in a ruin on center, his landspeeders taking cover behind a building on the right flank and a proud landraider with Cassius and gang inside stationed between the devastators and landspeeders on plain show field. A squad of tactical marine stationed taking cover from the building on the left flank with attack bikes behind them. His squad of scouts was on the far right near the rhino that is the dedicated transport for devastator, apparently keen to stay out of the fight to deny me kill points. He then nominated his dreadnought will be coming in first on drop pod and his sternguards in reserve.

I placed my Landraider with 5 men assault terminators inside across the snowfield facing his devastators, the 10 men terminator squad attached to storm bolter wielding librarian.Storm shield librarian in front attached to a 5 men assault terminator team. Infiltrating one squad of scouts in  a crater  in the middle of the field and another behind a barricade.

Game start, first blue drop pod broke the skyline and landed in front of my landraider, a multi melta blast later the venerated mobile shrine went up in a big fire ball. Both librarians looked back with frowns forming in their foreheads; there goes the main assault element. The rest of the ultramarines moved out guns blazing but ill equipped with little low ap weapons the terminators shrugged off the incoming fire. Behind the barricade Sergeant Vallo's squad lost 2 members as the attacks broke their flank and rain them with bolter and multi melta fire. Cassius ordered their now sole remaining landraider in the battlefield forward, crashing into the crater where a squad of scouts were stationed and charged out with his entourage of assault terminators. Cornered with no where to run the scouts bashed in with their sniper rifles, surprisingly bringing down a member of the elite Astartes before being turned to goo. Some where across the field Sergeant Vallo was watching the butcher with his binoculars and made the sign of aquila as the one sided melee was concluded.

Then the Lords made their move, the librarian unleashed their powers, lightnings cracked around them suddenly they were gone. Homing into the beacon carried by Sergeant Vallo who was by now moved to a crater the terminators rematerialized in front of their lesser brothers with the assault team in front and shooting team behind, the moment they appeared they unleashed a full hail of storm bolters n krak missiles towards the devastators who had attempted to torment them earlier falling a few of the blue armored bodies. In the front the librarian who was carrying a storm shield invoked his power again and drop a vortex on top of the blue raider which is now on the edge of the crater where the squad of scouts has fallen earlier. The arcane hull of Ultramarines' landraider held, and the damage to the devastators was less than expected (4 kraks missiles 22 shots storm bolter fell only 2-3 bodies, not entirely inspirational if u asked me). Things didn't look for the lords. Undaunted the assault terminators which had earlier lost their transport climbed out from the crater and charged the dreadnought, fully intend to make the giant pay for making them walk, in the ensuing melee they managed to hack off an arm from the armored giant.

Collecting himself from a bloodied mess, Cassius ordered his elite brothers back to the landraider, hell bend to look for a next target to flex their martial prowess. Just as then assault ramp of the landraider closed while attempting to pivot the mobile behemoth found itself stuck in the mud and ice, Cassius rolled his eyes inside his death mask and utter some subvocal profanity; the deadly passengers weren't going anyway for the rest of the engagement if they intend to stay inside the vehicle. 

Landraider stuck, the beginning of misfortunes for the UM

The second blue drop pod fell down and landed right besides the black armored assault terminators who were shielding the bulk of terminators formation behind them, ironically the just arrived drop pod position blocked the tactical marines behind who were just readying their las canon. Brand dashing their lethal weapons they fired into the stormshield formation and caused massive damaged as the librarian leading them fell down, his ancient armor failed to protect him from deadly hell fire rounds (Many 1s I was rolling then, yes?). The rest of the Ultramarines joined in the shooting, but was rewarded with the constant sound of projectiles bouncing off terminator armor. Some how in the chaos Sergeant Vallo found himself alone as his squad mates were all cut down in cross fire, apparently easier target than his well protected brothers.

Back in the line behind the duel between thunder hammers and dreadnought concluded with the giant exploding into big ball of flames, the black armored victors walked out from the fiery display.

Pissed by the misfortune of his fallen comrade, the left over Lord librarian drove the anger of his brothers towards the sternguards who were responsible of his now sole authority of the battle force. So it was that then the members of power armor clad Ultramarine first company found themselves being charged by no less than 12 terminators of opposing chapter. The emperor's grace weren't on them by the time powerfists and thunder hammers stopped swinging. Behind the assault team who had finished on the dreadnought now went for its transport, destroying the immobilized drop pod in the process.

Now enraged beyond words, Cassius lead his elite companions through the side door of the stranded landraider and begins the long march towards the Lords. The bone crunching sound of sternguards still fresh from the vox, he vowed to made their sacrifice count. The rest of his brothers continue to shoot at the mass of black armored terminators now gathered in the center of the battlefield but to little effect. By now Sergeant Vallo has noticed some one from the other side has made further attempt to hasten his eventual meeting with the emperor and made a dive into the waters of the icy crater to save his skin (2+ cover save from go to ground in crater, yeah man!) Turns out Cassius was too far to made the charge after all but the chaplain let lose his flamer and scorched the already jet black armor of his opponents, none fell down. On the far side of right flank a squad of Ultramarines scouts has started their joy ride in a rhino and slowing cruising along the snow plain...

Cassius' failed attempt to charged head long into the Lord's rank had exposed himself terribly on the open, an opportunity too precious for the opposing Librarian to passed. Gathering his squad the librarian casted nullzone and pumped all the bolter rounds and krak missiles they could into the ancient chaplain, falling two of his companions. The assault team in the front now leaderless, charged into the squadron of attack bikes who ventured to near in their enthusiasm to shoot their multi melta. Behind the line another assault team marched forward, now needing to decide if to charged the sternguards drop pod or the tactical squad taking cover behind it.

The sole Librarian lead his brothers on a brutal charge on Cassius and his gang, powerfists and thunder hammers traded lethal blows. The leaders of both factions found themselves equal as none can best another but Cassius' companions fell through the effect of nullzone and by some odd luck none of the black terminators fell. The front assault team found themselves trading blows with attack bikers and stuck in combat.

Their leaders and brothers in the deep of the close combat the tactical marine found themselves looking at the forwarding assault team from behind and opened fire... to little effect. Meaning while Sergeant Vallo has emerged from the icy water only to find some hostile fire still coming at him, the veteran took another deep cold breath and went down again.

Cassius VS 18PF attack! On the left was Sergeant Vallo.

In the center the two leaders traded titanic blows as the showdown commenced, again none gave ground. "I grow weary of you!" Spatted the librarian, with a gesture his squad mates walked forward, powerfists swinging (18 pf attacks for the record ). By the time they continued to march on, they left behind the shattered form of Cassius in the snow.

The few following turns saw the Terminators rained down on the remnants of devastators, this time falling everyone in the process, after that they traded missiles with the cyclone landspeeder squadron. The front assault team concluded their skirmish with the attack bikes as tires were sent flying, the left flank tactical marines were routed and broke into a run after some of their squad mates met their demise at the end of thunder hammers. And with the rice roll the game concluded at end of turn 5, with the an Ultramarine rhino curiously cruising leisurely on the edge of the right flank.

 ****************************************

Sergeant Vallo popped his head out of the bitter cold water, a normal human would have died from the sheer shock of the extreme temperature he had endured, but the blessed form of a spheess mahreen has served him yet again. Around him the snowing was getting intense and he could hear shouting and gun fire from a distance.

Pulling himself out of the crater he voxed into his comm bead. "Where did everyone go?"
"Pursuing the members of first founding..." came a reply distorted by heavy static, no doubt from the interference of electronic warfare.

"Vallo is that you? Go secure the enemy leader, he should be just beside your vicinity, we had him incapacitated some time ago!" A familiar voice cut in.

"Affirmative, brother Librarian." replied Sergeant Vallo as he walked towards where he caught glimpse of  the melee between his air intakes. There on the snow field where the crippled Chaplain should have been, Vallo found nothing but broken ceramic plates, blood stain and random gore pieces. At the edge of the mess site a pair of rhino tracks lead off into whitening blizzard. "Huh." Sergeant Vallo said to himself.

They will be seeing the smurfs again.

Battle after thoughts:
- This list is just for pure shock value for people not expecting it, plus an excuse for me actually field terminators, which are rare sight indeed these days.

Quotable Quotes:
"I knew I should have packed vindicators today!"
-Big Blue, on seeing the terminators

Brag First Despair then..

"Heretics? Mutants? Xenos? No problem..."

Yes, The idea is that before you engage any future tabletop battles. You should brag or local term "Lan Ci" or trash talk before fighting someone.

However do to people who knows you enough that you are not being an asshole or a douche of the matter. Or at least apply to a level that people wont take it offensively but sufficient to show your point.

The point of doing this is like imagine if you are fighting some uber cheese army *cough* Obbys *cough* Peter.. So most people will either despair (if their army isnt up to the cheese) or react cautiously/ humbly(if they think their army has potential). So if you win great.. but if you lose... then it just lead to despair that you been obliterated( no puns intended)

So my tip is before you start the game... BRAG all the way..!! Whatever u want.. even tho it makes no sense.. either your unit capabilities or the fluff behind it even if you made it up..

So if you win.. Excellent then the reign of bragging continues and is reinforce. If you lose.. you may despair but atleast you still got some moment out of it.

So now lets look at the 2 scenario now, One is u despair before you fight then you despair again when you lose. Another is u brag, gloat and trash talk first then you despair from losing.. So since both action end you up the same hole. So why not brag now.. what you gotta lose, You gonna get your ass kick either way so enjoy the moment before it too late.

Actually there a deeper meaning in this action. Its not about being tactically superior or just being a complete idiot/asshole/douche. Its actually staying positive.. The bragging is not for your enemy is for yourself. So at grim moment you do this to have a positive mindset in the battle. It may keep you focus so may see an opening to sneak a victory from a vastly superior player.

That what all this is all about.. staying positive.

Cos when life brings you down.. Look on the bright side!.. You gone from nothing and you gone back from nothing. So what you lost? NOTHING!!

-Monty Python

Even in movies, Who get remembered.. The gung ho show off commander who overestimate his capabilities or The humble or cautious commander?... Since both of them are gonna get their ass kick from insane plot armor, plot ammo, highly accurate , skilled or well talented main characters. Of course the gung ho commander or else such quotes would never be remember.

So i shall leave you such quotes

" IS THAT YOU CAN CONJURE SARUMAN!!"

" Impossible, nothing can go though our shield"

" Evacuate? In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances.”

I am sure you can find such quotes of equivalent in any movies you encounter... So feel free to take them for your bragging moment...

P.s:... Honestly i not sure wether is this a motivation entry or simply pure humor... This was a crude joke i made with Wong and i have no idea what this post simply serve.. So anyone of you reading this it mean alot for me if you comment on what you think this entry is suited for.

Aggro

Everybody will be shooting at the Warhound titan, I feel safer already...

This is one element most 40K tactics video or blogger dont really talk about... The element of Aggro..

Actually in some way Aggro is term used in the PS3 game Army of Two. The idea of the game is the one with the biggest gun and loudest gun will generate Aggro. So when that happens all attention is diverted to that player leaving his teammate free to maneuver around for a flank.

Although Warhammer 40K isnt a real time game.. but in a way this application can be applied.. Example of unit with high aggro is a Space Marine Vindicator. A 24" STR 10 Ap 2 Pie template unit just it appearance alone already strike enough fear to your opponent. Almost alot of stuff even spread by cheese generate high aggro.. like Nob Bikers or a Falcon with Fire Dragons, or Land Raider with Assault Terminators.. These guys will generate alot of attention and will usually be rarely left alone.

So your opponent will do its very best to knock it down or at least avoid it... So a unit with high aggro can grab the attention of your enemy.. force him to divert his best forces to engage your high aggro unit.

Sparing your other unit from them like troops so they can hold objective while your opponent dukes out against your high aggro unit.

Understanding the Aggro level each unit in an army can help anticipate how your enemy respond to your army. So in a way you can always use it to your favor... like e,g.. Sending your Land Raider with Assault Terminator foward to the enemy while diverting your Marine in Rhino to secure an objective. So hopefully your opponent will panic and divert everything to take your Land Raider. Leaving your troops free reign on the objective. So even if your Land Raider and Terminator perish... You get to still hold the objective for another 1-2 turns..

A 40k Novel hobbyist Review - REDEMPTION CORPS by Rob Sanders

REDEMPTION CORPS is a imperial guard based novel centers on Major Mortensen, leader of a stormtrooper corp dubbed the "Redemption Corps". Attached to the 1001st Volscian Shadow Brigade which is mainly made up of murderous hive gangers so dangerous assassination of commissars is common occurrence, and the redemption corps are the tough guys there so go figures. As a side note for some one who is also reading the celebrated Caiphas Cain series I doubt the beloved commissar would even last working along some of these murderous scums, also noted another hero in the book, Krieg, is a commissar of sort.

But enough of the book's background, there are lots of review readily online and I am not going to join them throwing my 2 cents on the book, I am here to shared what a table top gamer would see in the book.

Of the main man Mortensen himself, well lets just say from a gamers POV he definitely have the Feel-No-Pain and stubborn (or fearless as some suggested, but I am more inclined to put the major in stubborn) USR. I have the impression the Major usually drink testerone for breakfast and eat steroid for lunch... well you get the idea.

Of the vehicles interestingly the corp's main choice of land transports comes in the form of  Centaur Light Assault Carrier instead of the run-the-mill chimeras. A non conventional tank that is currently not available in Codex: IG. These guys are usually drop in by Imperial navy Specter gunship escorted by Vultures and Valyrie. For the heck of myself I couldn't find any official data regarding this "Specter" class transporter. Must be a new addition or I am missing the elephant in the forest.

In hand held weapon wise in the novel things are pretty standard: las guns, hell guns for stormies, flamers, shotguns, stubbers... nothing much out of the ordinary, all your friends are here but they sure as hell dun melta spam like we do.

As for the novel goes one last hint: you would wonder what did the Major do to pissed off some people so high up to justify some seriously lopped sided investment. We are talking like paying 140++ points to get rid of a 16  points (okey, so he is a hero, another 40pts upgrade, may be?) model here and hell lot of troubles to get rid of him, but it is all fun-and-grim in the dark future.

Purgation Lords Battle Log 20110119 at Sectorium CM

Following my old pal's recent embrace of service to Imperial guard this Sunday I found myself deploying my fluff Space Marine list again VS his Imperial guards attached with a DH inquisitor on plasma guns / mystic retinue. He is planning to use this list to enter the incoming local league on March.

The lord of league being a member of Ordo Mallues himself has given him the green light to run alliance rule for one last time before the old dex is burn for good for the pending new grey knight codex.

My list has the following:
Captain (Chapter Master profile, Relic blade, articer armor)
Chaplain (Cassius profile, who else?)
Honor guard with chapter banner, thunder hammer on Chapter champion
On a Razorback with TL assault canon and dozer blade

Sternguard squad = 2 melta guns, 1 x combi plasma, 2 x combi melta
On a Drop pod

3x tactical squads with
Squad 2 - 10 men, melta gun, lascanon, Sergeant with PF and combi melta
On a Rhino with hunter killer missile
Squad 3 - 10 men, plasma gun, lascanon, Sergeant with combi plasma
On a Rhino with hunter killer missile
Squad 7 - 10 men, melta gun, multi melta, Sergeant with combi melta and combi flamer on a Drop pod

Thunderfire canon in a drop pod with locator beacon
Assault marines - 1 dude with plasma pistol, Sergeant with TH

Nothing too fancy as you can see in fact i would suspect someone reading this out there will scream about my apparent obtuseness on some choices i made, but bear in mind this list is about being "window display" army like those pretty pictures you see on codex, hence the name "fluff marine list".

On his side he has
DH ][ Lord on hood and psycanon with mystics and plasma dudes
CSS with plasmas and medic, astropath and officer of the fleet on a chimera
PSC with 4 naders in a chimera
2 x Infantry scouts in chimeras, each with an autocanon
1 x veterans with 3 meltaguns and 4 shotguns with a chimera
3 x Stormtroopers, 1 squad 2 plasma guns, 2 squads 2 melta guns each
1 vendetta
1 Medusa
1 manticore
1 Hydra

His list is pretty much shaped by models at his disposal so optimization is out of the question for the moment.

==========================================

Game sceario was capture and control on Dawn of war deployment. Winning my roll off on a plain field with one building on each end on middle i placed my objective there and he placed his directly across on third floor while mine was on the second.

Knowing the key to over power an IG army is to put the space marine's highest stats to good use, I committed tactical squad 7 and sternguards to first turn drop pod assault with Kassius leading squad 7 and the empty drop pod from thunderfire canon in reserve. Rest of the army would come in on turn one and running full speed towards his objective, hopefully flooding his line with power armored bodies, atleast that was the theory.

Seeing my deployment and fearing the worst, my old pal instead opt to put nothing on the table, a clear mistake of not utilising his DH lord with mystics and IG's codex strength of being full of canon fodders, but on hindsight this is the third time he ever play an IG army in my knowledge so I planned to take advantage on this, knowing well also a bloody nose is how he would prefer to learn from my pass experience.

So as first turn goes Kassius and friends all pod in well within the ground floor of building Prioritus with the objective on third floor. Hurdling themselves on the wall the chaplain waited for the inevitable engagement that would soon follow. Nearby the sternguard's drop pod landed slightly further from the intended drop zone. Running across the snow field they try to join up with the chaplain's gang. Behind on the space marines' line one razorback and 2 rhinos came in running full speed towards the Guards' line with a thunderfire canon crawling into position on the objective building on marines' fortified base.

Then it was the guard's turn and they came in with a bang, 4 chimeras coming in like hungry hounds looking for prey. The nearest came close to Kassius' squad 7 and spot light shinning, illuminating the chaplain amd his combat squad like a lighthouse in a storm.

And a storm did come in the form of massive amount of multi lazer, heavy bolter, las gun, plasma gun shots with storm eagle rockets to boot. The other combat squad the 5 marines of squad 7 that was armed with a multi melta absorbed half of that storm and by the time the dust started to settle none was left standing. On Kassius' squad only one has perished with the gang taking good use of their cover and armor but the chaplain was wounded after shielding his squad from medusa fire.The sternguard squad meanwhile was caught in the semi open and was brutally cut down to a man who refuse to back down.

The guards learning from their mistake of last engagement has diverted their forces with hydra and vendetta on marines' left flank and medusa with manticore on the right, trying to make the marines divert their precious resource no doubt, On the marine's turn a single drop pod has came in despite intervention from the guard's fleet but since it was an empty drop pod hardly any one make a fuss of it as the red hot transport raced across the sky and landed on an empty field.

Kassius and what was left of squad 7 broke off from their cover and charged the nearest chimera, melta/combi melta guns spitting death ray and destroying the tank, its horrified occupant evacuated from the burning husk. Meanwhile the command razorback and 2 rhinos continued to speed forward with assault marines closely following behind, blasting off their smoke grenades creating a massive cloud of smoke shielding their advances. The thunderfire canon found its mark on the opposing inquisitor and his retinue and fired up, strayed rounds hitting the guardsmen near by who earlier evacuated from a burning chimera, creating a mess. In the same time defensive machine spirit of the drop pods fired up, unleashing bolt rounds into the representatives of Inquisition. The inquisitor realising the mystics uses are spent, pushing them forward to shield himself and his gun wielding thugs. The lone sternguard charged wildly into a wall of chimeras firing his meltagun with vengeance in mind but not doing any damage as the heat ray bounce off the tank hull. Kassius and squad tried to charged the ex-occupant of the now burning chimera but failed to reach them across the burning hull, this would prove deadly in very near future.

The guards retaliated with guns of all sizes, literally, from str 3 to str 10 (str3 lasgun, str4 heavy stubber, str5 heavy bolter, str6 multi lazer, str7 autocanon, str8 meltagun, str9 lascanon, str10 storm eagle rocket) as they unleash their punishment on the marines. Kassius and his men were cut down in a sea of  projectiles to a single marine who was holding a meltagun. Squad of guardsmen disembarked and finished off the last sternguard veteran execution style with first rank fire second rank fire command, the power armor failed to stand againt the abuse. On the marine line 2 squad of storm troopers grac chute down unleashing their deadly salvos on the base-guarding marines and thunderfire canon. Pinning the marines and destroying the canon with the techmarine surviving a miracle 1 to wound on plasma gun.

Stormtroopers saw plenty of action in this engagement

Noticing his own objective is now comprimized the captain order squad 2 return to base to assist with the assault marines flying back to deal with the storm troopers. The combi melta and powerfist fitted sergeant disembarked from his speeding rhino and with the asm head back charging to the elite guardsmen. The ensuing melee will see to the stormies turned into paste and techmarine killed. Hunter killer missiles, assault canon and lascanon would try to bring down the vendetta but only blowing off one lascanon.

The final squad of stormtrooper finally arrived and in an combined cross fire blowing up the command razorback with the nearby squad 3 rhino. Both transports goes up in fire balls leaving the Captain with his honor guard and squad 3 in smoldering craters. Squad 3 would later hit by 2 direct storm eagle missiles landing 8 wounds but by emperor's grace none succumb to the apocalyptic blast. The same squad would later endure another same trial with another 8 wounds this time losing a battle brother in the process.

Despite heavy loses the marines pushes on, assault marines and squad 3 would make a mess of the final squad of stormtroopers. The base guarding combat squad finally downed the vendetta gunship with lascanon fire, its cargo of surviving veterans mauled and fled in the face of massive casualties. The lone marine from squad 7 with meltagun crossed the long plain on the left flank, dodging heavy stubber fire and would eventually destroy the hydra flak tank and denying the squad of retreating guard veterans from regrouping, living up to space marines' classic epic heroic exploits.

The captain and his honor guards eventually made it to building prioritus, smashing through the weaker part of the wall and utterly butchered a squad of guardsmen who failed to take the climb despite 2 turns of marching drill ( Go go go! order rolls of 1, 1, 2 and 1, 1, 2 for two turns plus the movement roll of 1 and 2 for movement phase) before falling back to cover after a hail of plasma gun fire that followed, downing 2 honor guards including the banner bearer.

Their scoring unit demised and the platoon command squad still needing a full turn to reach the objective, the battle ended 1-0 with the Purgation Lords victories, but to the irritation of the Captain in the face of massive number of fallen marines.

==========================================

Battle after thoughts:
- This is my old pal's only third deployment on Imperial guard

Quotable Quotes:

"Wolao Wei!"
-Colonel Lexiss, on squad 3 tactical marines surviving 2 direct storm eagle missiles hits.

Stormraven Gunship

Well for once i wont be doing a sort of analyze of unit X on why they suck or rock.. However i want to talk about the looks of it. This picture was mistakenly added by GW in their website by mistake and was taken down quickly, However thanks to the internut its now freely distribute around da world.

So far this is more to an unofficial picture of this beloved plane.. which the moment fans laid their eyes on it. Some actually was at disgust as they felt it is to small for a transport plane. Going to extend saying more like a fish than a plane..

I know some may say that since its unoffical so it could be a prototype and the decision is not final. I guess in some way so long as they isn't a official model kit for sale then anything is still possible.

My take on why people is disgusted on it is the expectation that people had. As early rumors goes around saying its a flying land raider with 2 assault cannon. So instantly people grasp the concept that its a Land Raider with wings so they expect this Land Raiderish plane. So when they find out its a tiny flying troop transport they get turn off instantly. You can google Stormraven Gunship up and you see tons of scratch build version that involve taking the front of a Land Raider and blending it some flyer.

Well for me for the moment i feel the it actually look nice. It feel more like a high tech equivalent of a Attack Helicopter that drop troops and provide fire support than some Tank with wings. Maybe it just my references with Modern day Military vehicles that bring appeal to me..

Well i guess this is a short one for the moment.. I see if i can try to update more often.