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
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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!"
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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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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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
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