Damocles Crusade Campaign Battle 3

Clashing Battalions

Mission Source:     Chapter Approved 2019

Mission:                  Eternal War - Crusade

Points:                    1000 points

Armies:                   Imperial Fists / Tau Empire 

Following the severe beating the Tau took in the last battle, they have broken contact and withdrawn deeper into the city. The Imperial Fists are forced to send out smaller patrols to try to find and fix the Tau in place, so they can be crushed.

For this game, there was a restriction that both sides could only use a Battalion detachment.

Army Lists

Space Marines - Imperial Fists - PL 49 - 1000 Points
HQ Chapter Master Grav Pistol, Relic Blade
HQ Master of the Forge, Bolt Pistol, Servo Arm, Combat Blade

T 5 Scouts w/ Bolt Pistol and Combat Blade
T Tactical Squad, Meltabombs (Sgt), Gravgun, 3 Marines
T Tactical Squad, Meltabombs (Sgt), Gravgun, 3 Marines

HS Devastator Squad, 3 Heavy Bolters, Missile Launcher
HS Devastator Squad, 2 Lascannons, 2 Missile Launchers

DT Land Speeder Storm
DT Razorback, Twin Assault Cannon
DT Razorback, Twin Assault Cannon
DT Rhino

Imperial Fists Mechanized Infantry Battalion

Tau Empire - Tau Sept - PL 58 - 991 Points
HQ Commander Shadowsun (Warlord), Twin Fusion Blasters, 2 Shield Drones
       Command Link Drone
HQ Darkstrider, Markerlight, Pulse Carbine
HQ Longstrike, Ion Cannon, Smart Missile System, 2 Seeker Missiles

T Strike Team, 12 Fire Warriors
T Strike Team, 12 Fire Warriors
T Strike Team, 12 Fire Warriors

EL Dahyak Grekh, Kroot Rifle

DT Devilfish, Burst Cannon, 2 Gun Drones
DT Devilfish, Burst Cannon, 2 Gun Drones
DT Devilfish, Burst Cannon, 2 Gun Drones

Tau Sept Mechanized Infantry Battalion

Pregame

Warlord Traits
Imperial Fists: Master the Machine - +1 to hit for VEHICLES within 6" of Master of the Forge
Tau Sept: Exemplar of the Kauyon - re-roll failed hit rolls if she didn't move

Deployment
Alternated placing 6 Objectives, starting with Tau.

Imperial Fists won the roll off, and chose to be the Attacker.

Tau Sept chose Vanguard Strike deployment type and picked a corner.

Imperial Fists deployed their whole army first.

Taken from the left of the Fists line. Chapter Master and
a Tactical Squad in left Razorback. Master of the Forge and
the other Tactical Squad in the rear Razorback. Land Speeder
Storm ready to jump over the buildings and take the central objective.

Anti-tank Devastators cover the right flank.

Tau Sept deploy their whole army.

VEHICLES that can FLY, ready to advance.

Dahyak ready to claim an Objective for the greater good.

Darkstrider takes a position in the hab tower balcony.

Seize the Initiative
Tau Sept fail to Seize the Initiative, and the battle is on.

Turn 1 - Imperial Fists

Devastator Doctrine is active.

Chapter Master and Master of the Forge both dismount
and escort the Razorbacks into the central hab complex.

Land Speeder Storm and Scouts jump onto an Objective,
ready to claim it next turn, and damaging Longstrike with a
Multi-melta strike for 8W.

Heavy Bolter Devastators rain down fire on the Devilfish,
but even using the Signum and Armorium cherub, they cause
no damage.

The empty Rhino hides in the shadow of a building, ready
to claim an objective next turn.

Lascannons and missile launchers rip 10W off the Devilfish
they can see.

Score
Imperial Fists: 1 (First Strike)
Tau Sept: 0

Turn 1 - Tau Sept

Longstrike repairs 1W.

A Strike Team dismounts from their damaged transport and
engages the dug in Devastators, killing 2.

A second Strike Team dismounts from their damaged transport
and engages the lead Razorback, with supporting fire from
their Devilfish, but do no damage.

Shadowsun and her Drones leap over the building, and
she Fusion Blasters the lead Razorback for 5W, which had also
been Markerlighted by Darkstrider, and it was subsequently
hit by Seeker missiles for 2W.

IFV taking a beating as it delivers its' payload to the front.

The Sergeant and the Missile launcher are the first to die.

Longstrike vaporized the Land Speeder Storm, earning First Strike. It exploded,
though noone was near enough to take damage, and 2
Scouts died before making it out of the fireball. They are on
an objective for next turn though.

Score
Imperial Fists: 1 (First Strike)
Tau Sept:        1 (First Strike)

Turn 2 - Imperial Fists

Devastator Doctrine is active.

Objectives are secured at the start of the turn.

Rhino secures Obj 5.

Surviving Scouts secure Obj 1.

Rhino moves to Obj 2, ready to claim it next turn.

Devastators come down off the roof to be ready to claim Obj 5,
supported by the Chapter Master, and they fired up a Strike
 Team, killing 5.

Damaged Razorback gets as close as it can to be able to target
Shadowsun, but fails to wound her. Also, at the end of the Movement
phase Dahyak uses his Concealed Booby Traps to inflict
2 MW on the Razorback.

The second Razorback, aided by the Master of the Forge,
(+1 to hit), scythes down 7 members of the Strike Team to
its front.

Also, the other Devastator squad shot up the undamaged Devilfish, inflicting 9W.




Score
Imperial Fists: 3 (First Strike, Sec Obj 1, 5)
Tau Sept:        1 (First Strike)

Turn 2 - Tau Sept

The Tau Sept also captures some objectives.

Longstrike heals 2W.

Dahyak claims Obj 4.

Both Devilfish capture Obj 6.

Longstrike captures Obj 3. He also Overcharges his Ion
 Cannon, and inflicts 3W to the Razorback.

Strike Team returns fire on the Devastators, but fail to harm
any. (2+ Cover)

Devilfish fails to damage the Rhino.

Shadowsun nukes the first Razorback. It does not explode...

...but three Marines die in the guttering wreck.

During the Charge phase...

...2 of the Drones survive Overwatch and block the front...

...while Shadowsun locks the Rhino in place. Nobody manages
to hurt the enemy in this battle of futility.

A Devilfish rams the Rhino to contest the Objective. No damage
was dealt either way.

Score

Imperial Fists: 3 (First Strike, Sec Obj 1, 5)
Tau Sept:        4 (First Strike, Sec Obj 3, 4, 6))

Turn 3 - Imperial Fists

Devastator Doctrine is active.

Being Troops, the two Tactical marines claim Obj 3 from
the Tau.

While claiming Obj 5, the Devastators unload on a nearby
Strike Team...

...leaving a sole survivor, due to his Honour Blade rule.

After throwing a Meltabombing Longstrike's Hammerhead,
the Maines charge in, losing the Gravgunner on the way,
but fail to finish off the hero of the Tau.

The Master of the Forge fires his bolt pistol, then charges
Shadowsun with his power axe, but they exchange blows
to no effect.

Score

Imperial Fists: 5 (First Strike, Sec Obj 1, 3, 5, 5)
Tau Sept:        4 (First Strike, Sec Obj 3, 4, 6))

Turn 3 - Tau Sept

Longstrike heals another 3W.

Dahyak claims Obj 4.

The severely damaged Devilfish claims Obj 6, and the sole
surviving Fire Warrior moves to assist in claiming next turn.

Shadowsun jumps into position to claim Obj 1 next turn,
and also rain down fire on the Chapter Master. Alas, one
shot failed to wound, and his Iron Halo saved him from the
other.

The last Strike Team dismounts their Devilfish...

...and make a daring push toward Obj 5 between two
Devastator squads. They fired up the anti-tank Devastator
squad, killing 4.

Longstrike and the damaged Devilfish slide over and unload
on the Razorback...

...causing it to explode, and catching the Master of the Forge
in the blast. Also, one Marine died in the fireball.

That lone surviving Fire Warrior? He sniped that Marine.
He never even saw it coming.

Score

Imperial Fists: 5 (First Strike, Sec Obj 1, 3, 5, 5)
Tau Sept:        6 (First Strike, Sec Obj 3, 4, 4, 6, 6))

Turn 4 - Imperial Fists

Devastator Doctrine is active.

The lone Sergeant, having been sniped by the Kroot, shot
by Smart Missiles and Burst Cannons, claims Obj 3.

Refusing to give way in the face of the enemy, the remaining
Devastators claim Obj 5.

The lone Sgt throws another Meltabomb at Longstrike, doing
more damage, but dies to the fusilade when he tries to charge.
The other Tactical squad stakes out Obj 3, and fails to kill the
Devilfish.

The Rhino charges into the rear of the Strike Team, and the
lasr member of the Devastaor Squad keeps moving toward
Obj 4, taking a potshot at the Devilfish along the way, dealing 3W.

Seeing his oppurtunity, Chapter Master moves to the base
of the hab-block, fires his Grav Pistol to no effect...

...charges up onto the roof...

...and gashes Shadowsun twice for 4W. She fails to do anything
in response. He's close enough to deny her the Obj on her turn.

Score

Imperial Fists: 7 (First Strike, Sec Obj 1, 3, 3, 5, 5, 5)
Tau Sept:        6 (First Strike, Sec Obj 3, 4, 4, 6, 6))

Turn 4 - Tau Sept

Shadowsun still has her two uses of Master of War ability. It's just so damn hard to use.

Longstrike repairs another 2W.

The damaged Devilfish and the sole Fire Warrior claim Obj 6, and Dahyak claims Obj 4.  The other Devilfish claimed Obj 2 for the first time. Apparently I forgot to to take pics.

The Srike Team Falls Back toward Obj 5, denying it to the
Marines next turn.

The other Devilfish, already having claimed Obj 2, gets
a really good bead on the last Devastator, but can't kill him. 

The Command Link Drone hops up to ensure the Marines
can't claim Obj 1 next turn. And Shadowsun leaps away
from the Chapter Master...

...down here, to nuke the two Heavy Bolter Devastators,
which she does handily.

Longstrike and the Devilfish, both crippled by multiple
Meltabomb and Gravgun hits, can only manage to kill...

...a single Marine with their shooting. And they still can't
claim the Obj from the Marines.

Score
Imperial Fists: 7 (First Strike, Sec Obj 1, 3, 3, 5, 5, 5)
Tau Sept:        9 (First Strike, Sec Obj 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 6, 6, 6))

Turn 5 - Imperial Fists

Devastator Doctrine is active.

Being Troops, the Tactical Squad claims Obj 3 again while
trying to not get run over and crushed.

Chapter Master, Master of the Forge and the Rhino all
converge on Obj 6.

Last Devastator contests Obj 2, but can't get the kill shot
on the Devilfish.

Score

Imperial Fists: 8 (First Strike, Sec Obj 1, 3, 3, 3, 5, 5, 5,)

Tau Sept:        9 (First Strike, Sec Obj 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 6, 6, 6))

Turn 5 - Tau Sept

Even though the Tau have it, the battle was fought out to the bitter end.

This dude earned 5 VP's just for standing here. He costs
20 points.

Double claiming Obj 5, and that Strike Team is just out of
being able to get Linebreaker as well.

The Chapter Master left, giving up a free VP. That was not
a good call on my part.

While they did sweep the enemy from Obj 6, they were all
too far away to claim it next turn, and the game ended anyway.

Score
Imperial Fists: 8 (First Strike, Sec Obj 1, 3, 3, 3, 5, 5, 5,)
Tau Sept:        12 (First Strike, Sec Obj 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6))

Summary
Well, that was a great game. Close, right up until the end and a couple poor decisions for the Marines. You really need to be in position to claim AT LEAST three objectives at the start of turn 2 in this mission. By only claiming two, the Imperial Fists were behind right from the start, and though they kept it close, they just couldn't overcome that damn Kroot guy just earning a VP every round.

It goes to show that a lot of un can be had at lower point levels running the less killy stuff available in your armies.

I hope you enjoyed reading/looking. It was a lot of fun to play.

Until next time, happy gaming!