The Long War Battle 2

Slaneesh Counter-attack

Scenario Source: Battle Missions

Mission: Black Crusade (Chaos Space Marines)

Points: 2000

Armies: Emperor's Shields / Slaanesh

Due to Lysander being a named character, and having been gravely wounded in the previous battle, he is unable to participate in this battle. So, even though the Marines won the first battle, and can't change their list, Lysander has been replaced by a Captain and a Chaplain, to see his company through this trying time.

Emperor's Shields

Gladius Strike Force

Demi-Company

Captain
Chaplain

5 man Tac Team w/ Flamer, Twin Lascannon Razorback

5 man Tac Team w/ Flamer, Twin Lascannon Razorback

5 man Tac Team w/ Flamer, Twin Lascannon Razorback
Squadron of Land Speeders (3) w/ Heavy Bolter, Assault Cannon
Devastator Team w/ 4 Plasma Cannons, Razorback w/ Twin Plasma Gun, Lascannon
Auxilliary
1st Company Task Force
Terminator Squad
Assault Teriminator Squad w/ Thunder Hammers & Storm Shieds
Assault Terminator Squad w/ Lightning Claws

Slaanesh

Demon Princess of Slaanesh
Chaos Lord on Steed of Slaanesh
5 Slaanesh Chaos Spawn
Emperor's Children Sonic Dreadnought
5 Possessed Marines, Rhino
Maulerfiend
Vindicator
3 Slaanesh Obliterators
10 Chaos Marines w/ Mark of Slaanesh
Helldrake w/ Baleflamer

Setup

This mission has a couple of special rules. First, all non-vehicle units that are destroyed come back due to War Without End. Also, all non-Fearless units have Stubborn, on both sides.

On the left, the Slaanesh force takes advantage of the available cover.

Left flank of Slaanesh deployment.

On the right, they are a bit more exposed, but also protected somewhat by their vehicles. Having to deploy first, the Slaanesh army isn't sure where the Marines are going to deploy, so they make sure they can reach everywhere relatively quickly.

Right flank of Slaanesh deployment.

The Marines deploy in more of a block formation, rather than a line. Hoping to be able to bring their firepower to bear en masse, the Marines take comfort in the close proximity of their battle brothers.

Densely clustered Marine deployment.

The normally nimble Slaanesh army fails to launch their assault at the proper time (by rolling a "1" to attack first) and the Marines charge up their lascannon generators.

Turn 1 Marines

The Marines surge forward. On the far left flank, the Land Speeders target the Chaos Marines' rhino, hoping to slow them down. They might have been a little too eager, and gotten a little too close. The best they can do is strip two hull points.

Speeders forget they have a 24" range on their weapons.

The dreads and razorbacks all target the vindicator, knowing how lethal its shells can be. Between not being able to penetrate the armour, or not being able to get through the cover, the Vindicator takes no damage.

The Vindicator on the bridge shrugs off 6 twin lascannon shots.

The 5 man tactical teams move up to support the Terminator advance.

Emperor's Shields: 0

Slaanesh: 0

Turn 1 Slaanesh

Furious that their offensive was mistimed, the forces of Slaanesh advance. The line moves up, taking advantage of cover and height, where available.

Left flank of the line advances.

Right flank advances, gaining good sight lines and cover.

The Vindicator is quite happy at the bunched up Loyalists in its sights.

The Chaos Marines disembark to bolter some way too close Land Speeders.

The obliterators tried to slag a dreadnought, but couldn't find a clean line through the cover. The Vindicator targeted the central Terminator in the building, catching some of the Devastators and another razorback as well, but the shattered building provided ample cover, seeing only a single hull point stripped from one razorback, shaking it. The Chaos Marines down 2 of 3 Jinking Land Speeders, but 1 remains to deny them that elusive First Blood.

Emperor's Shields: 0

Slaanesh: 0

Turn 2 Marines

The Terminators advance to meet the enemy. 

The firepower from Terminators strips 2 wounds of the Demon Princess.

Assault Terminators try to take down a Maulerfiend. 5+ invul saves the day.

The 3 Razorbacks again try to take out the Vindicator, and fail. The 3 dreads try to take down the Obliterators, even though they failed to hurt anything in their turn, but again the cover is just too strong. 4+ for a table full of ruins is a tough environment for shooting armies. The Sonic Dread, while Ignoring Cover, is having a hard time rolling high enough to hurt anything. 

Emperor's Shields: 0

Slaanesh: 0

Turn 2 Slaanesh

The Slaanesh Possessed disembark into the woods, ready to Assault next turn.

The Slaanesh Lord on Snake-steed and Slaanesh Spawn retinue trying to find an approach vector.

The Demon Princess moved toward the Terminators, preparing to assault. The Vincicator fired another blast into the ruins, killing 4 Devastators and glancing a different razorback.. The Sonic Dread glanced a razorback and the Chaos Marines tried to finish off the last speeder, but failed to hit it at all this time. And to top it all off, the Demon Princess failed a 4 inch charge.

Emperor's Shields: 0

Slaanesh: 0

Turn 3 Marines

The lone speeder attempts to survive, while avenging his fallen brethren.

Assault Terminators have bitten off more than they can chew.

Preparing to deal with some Possessed.

The lone surviving Land Speeder attempts to escape while throwing some shots at the rhino to no avail. The razorbacks get ready to fire another volley at the Vindicator, but the first shots Explodes it, so they try to hurt the Oblits, but the cover they occupy is just too good. One dread does manage to kill a Possessed with a twin lascannon shot as he prepares to assault out the the woods. The Captain, Chaplain and remaining Terminators try to assault the Demon Princess. And fail, from just over an inch away. The lone surviving Assault Terinator Sergeant finally finishes the Maulerfiend and moves to intercept the Chaos Slaanesh Lord.. 

Emperor's Shields: 2

Slaanesh: 0

Turn 3 Slaanesh

Helldrake arrives from Reserves, and roasts a 5 man Tactical Team.

Moving as Beasts, the Possessed go around the tough units and try to Assault some Marines.

The Chaos Marines try to finish off the last speeder.

The Demon Princess meets her demise to Overwatch.

The Slaanesh Lord and friends jump a Dreadnought.

The freshly arrived Helldrake tossed his fireball at a 5 man tac team and they vanished in a searing flame. The Sonic Dread was Stunned by a Twin Lascannon shot, so tried to snap fire a missile at the Captain and his unit, but missed. The Oblits tried to melta a dread but missed. The Chaos Marines only managed to strip one hull point from the fleeing Speeder, leaving it limping along. 

The Possessed decided not to mess with the Dread they couldnt hurt, and went looking for some Marines to hurt behind the Dread and Assault Terminators. The Demon Princess tried to manifest Psychic abilities but was denied. In the Assault phase, the Possessed failed to reach the Marines, the Lord and Spawn did reach the Dreadnought, and when the Demon Princess tried to slither into the Captain and his unit, she was boltered down by Overwatch. This battle was very frustrating in the number of failed charges.

Emperor's Shields:3

Slaanesh: 1

Turn 4 Marines

Assalt Terminator Sergeant challenges the Slaanesh Lord.

Another 5 man Tac Team arrives to the battlefield, taking cover behind the wall.

The Possessed get cornered.

The Captain, Chaplain and Terminators try to take out the Sonic Dread.

Emperor's Shields: 3

Slaanesh: 1

Turn 4 Slaanesh

Demon Princess makes it into combat. Captain, Chaplain and Terminators die very messy deaths.

This was a brutally good turn for Slaanesh. The Demon Princess, which had re-arrived last turn made a long range assault to help out the sonic dread, taking out the Captain, Chaplain and remaining Terminators in a single round. That was 3 points. The Chaos Slaanesh Lord felled the Assault Terminator Sergeant for another point. The Helldrake flew off the table, Vector Striking the last Land Speeder on its way out for another point. And the Chaos Marines got into a bolter battle with the newly arrived Tac Team, and sent them retreating off the board for another point.

Emperor's Shields: 3

Slaanesh: 6

Turn 5 Marines

The Possessed try to hold out with their Demon saves.

Loyalists flooding across the road looking for anything to kill.

The Dread trying to fend of the Spawn and the Lords' melta bombs.

  

Yet another 5 man tac team, accompanied by a new Captain and Chaplain, and a new 5 man Terminator squad.

Terminators want to assault some Chaos Marines.

Razorback desperately trying to kill the Sonic Dread.

The Marines surged forward trying to kill the enemy as fast as possible, realizing the battle had somehow slipped away from them. But between cover, armour and not being able to hurt vehicles with twin lascannons, no points were to be had from shooting. In the Assault Phase, the Possessed finally went down to Dreadnought Powerfist attacks.

Emperor's Shields: 4

Slaanesh: 6

Turn 5 Slaanesh

Helldrake and Possessed re-enter the battle.

The Lord finally melta bombs the dread into submission.

The Helldrake re-emerged from on-going Reserves, and the Possessed re-entered the battle. The Chaos Marines boltered down the Captain, Chaplain and 5 man tac team, for another 3 point hit. And the Slaanesh Lord finally landed a melta bomb on the dread, wrecking it. It's a sad day for the Emperor's Shields. 2 Captains wounded, 2 Chaplains wounded, 2 dreads damaged badly, 5 Devastators down and their weapons damaged, and a Psychic Demon Princess (the third one) on the loose on the planet.

Emperor's Shields: 4

Slaanesh: 10

Summary

From an excrutiating slow start where things just seemed impervious, to the last turns where the Slaanesh assault units really started turning on, this was a roller coaster ride of a game. The immense amount of 4+ cover terrain on this table really allows assault armies to be viable in 7th edition. 

Until next time, happy gaming!