Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Blood Angels vs Necrons Battle Report 1500 Points

Blood Angels Battle Report


Blood Angels versus Necrons 1500 Points

I decided to get out and play some 40K last Saturday since the prior week was a double dose of the flu and a sinus infection and still the cough remains. When I got there I saw I was the sixth player and I was getting the feeling I would be paired with the not so loved Necron player and for the most part his Necron Air Force or whatever army list. Plus I have not played against him so this adds to the pool. Someone mentioned to me his list was a tough list. Either way I did not turn him down nor did I create anew or alter my standard army list I have been using lately. I even turned down an AA gun emplacement and vehicles. I think I had the mindset of seeing how this so called list works. This was my first game against Necrons, but I don't think it really shows what Necrons are.

Leonidas: "Necrons. We'll put their name to the test."




Army Lists


Blood Angels army list

Headquarters
(Warlord)
Librarian w/ JP w/ Psychic Powers - Blood Lance and Unleash Rage
(Joined to Assault squad)

Elites
Sanguinary Priest w/ JP
(Joined to Assault squad)

Troops
Assault Squad w/ 2x Melta guns, PW
Tactical Squad w/ Lascannon, Plasma Rifle, PW
Death Company x5 w/ PW
Dedicated Transport - Land Raider w/ Multi-Melta

Fast Attack
Baal Predator w/ HB Sponsors, Dozer blades
Landspeeder Squadron x2 w/ x2 Tornado pattern HB
Landspeeder Typhoon

Heavy Support
Devastator Squad w/ x4 ML.

Necron army list

By memory and what I could determine from GW's website this is what my opponent fielded. I asked for the army list to be emailed to me, but I have since given up on a timely response.

Headquarters
Lord (Traveled in a Night Scythe)
Cryptek (Joined to Warriors in Ghost Ark)

Troops
Ghost Ark (Troop boat) w/ <10 Warriors
Ghost Ark (Troop boat) w/ <10 Warriors

Elites, Fast Attack, Heavy Support WTF BBQ ???
Doomsday Ark (Gun boat)
Doomsday Ark (Gun boat)
Doom Scythe/Night Scythe (Gun flyer)
Doom Scythe/Night Scythe (Troop flyer) w/ <10 Warriors
Doom Scythe/Night Scythe (Troop flyer) w/ <10 Warriors

When examining the link below it makes me wonder why aren't there more units for variety? There are a total of six different units with everything else copied. Comparing this list to my Blood Angels list I use ten different units with a duplicate Landspeeder in a squadron. This list didn't feel like something created with thought, but rather a fiend born from the internet designed to suck your patience, dignity, and love for a good game.

GamesWorkshop Necron Product Catalog


Army Deployment


Both armies deployed up to 24 inches using opposite short table edges leaving the middle 24 inches of the table empty. It was mutually decided to just have small hills with trees treated as area terrain. This helped both armies for cover. The Blood Angels deployed everything first and then the Necrons deployed only their boats while leaving the flyer assets in reserve. The Baal Predator also made a scout move towards the Necron line

PO = Primary Objective

Blood Angel deployment

Left flank
Baal Predator stayed behind some trees facing the Necron right flank
Librarian, Sanguinary Priest, Assault squad stayed behind some trees facing the Necron right flank


Middle
Devastator squad deployed in a tree line
Tactical squad deployed in a tree line behind the Devastator squad
Landspeeder squadron deployed behind a tree line between the middle and left flank

Right
Land Raider deployed straight in front of the Necron's left flank
Landspeeder Typhoon deployed behind a structure

Necron deployment

Left flank
Ghost Ark deployed left of a large temple facing the Land Raider
Doomsday Ark deployed left of a large temple behind the Ghost Ark

Right flank
Ghost Ark deployed right of a large temple facing the Baal Predator
Doomsday Ark  deployed right of a large temple behind the Ghost Ark

Impeding Doom


Here is a turn by turn basis on what happened based upon memory and very crude graphics of the finest quality the imperium of man can offer. I am most likely off a bit on the flyer movement in the last few turns, but I remember what they did and one was destroyed.

Turn 1
Blood Angels
Necrons cast night fight on the Blood Angels
Blood Angels take one or two hull points from a Ghost Ark and a Doomsday Ark
Necrons
Necrons take two hull points from Baal Predator


Turn 2
Blood Angels
The Blood Angles destroyed a Ghost Ark and were awarded First Blood.
Necrons
Necrons receive a gun flyer and a troop flyer.
Necrons destroy the Baal predator, kill half the Assault squad, destroy the Landspeeder Squadron and the Landspeeder Typhoon, as well as stunning the Land Raider


Turn 3
Blood Angels
Getting frustrated. Either a Ghost Ark or Doomsday Ark was destroyed. Normally I carry a great deal of unnecessary fear in a game partly because games are balanced and its a matter of luck and strategy. This game I didn't have any of the fear at all. I only had the feeling of helplessness. I could do nothing except roll 6's. Sometimes I got to roll a 3, but then it was a follow up 5 or 6, his turn or mine.
Necrons
Necrons killed more of the Assault squad, some of the Devastator squad, and removed a weapon from the Land Raider. The lord was deployed right behind the Tactical squad. The Land Raider very well may have died this turn as it died due to hull point stripping if I recall. I believe the Death Company may have suffered a casualty.


Turn 4
Blood Angels
The Assault squad destroyed a flyer with a snap fired melta gun. The tactical squad killed the lord awarding Slay the Warlord. A Doomsday Ark was destroyed as well. The Death Company assaulted the Warriors from the first  Ghost Ark and utterly destroyed them. Either a Ghost Ark or Doomsday Ark was destroyed.
Necrons
The Necrons killed the rest of the Assault squad leaving only the Librarian and Priest remaining. A squad of Warriors on the opposite side of the Temple of the Death Company moved for the Necron's primary objective atop the temple. A squad of Warriors were deployed near the Death Company from a flyer. Another squad of Warriors were deployed from a flyer behind the Tactical squad in an attempt to contest the Blood Angel's primary objective.


Turn 5
Blood Angels
The Librarian and the Priest joined the Tactical squad and destroyed the newly recently deployed Warrior squad. The Death Company chose to risk the chance of a failed assault and assaulted the Warrior squad atop the temple. The Death Company lost a marine to overwatch, the two remaining Death Company one wielding a power weapon removed the Necrons from the objective and the temple.
Necrons
The Necrons attempted to kill some of the Tactical squad and the Devastator squad and the Death Company which were causing a Line Breaker.



End Game


Victory points

Blood Angels - 6

Primary Objective +3
First Blood +1
Slay the Warlord +1
Line Breaker +1

My opponent had a valid chance to reclaim his primary objective, but chose to try and shoot the remaining Death Company off the temple and failed. I am guessing the Necron Lord did not posses a shooting attack as he was deployed and left to await an entire enemy shooting phase. The Death Company are a non scoring unit so I am not sure if it matters for a secondary objective.

Necrons - 0

Here is a shot of what the table looked like at the end of the battle.


Librarian, Priest, Tactical Squad, Devastator Squad, and lone Death Company marine survive.

The Land Raider was a valuable asset and really helped keep the cargo of Death Company safe. The Death Company did quite well despite only small numbers and even smaller numbers.

The Landspeeders where useless save the Typhoon's missile launchers. I believe a possible weapon swap from dual HBs to dual MMs would have worked rather well. However I played the list as is. The HBs might have been helpful, but until the Ark's 13 armor was dropped to 11 they had to keep hidden and moving. Ultimately all the Landspeeders were destroyed in one turn. Keeping the Landspeeders in reserve might have been a good idea as well, but the idea did not come to my mind at the time. I might say they helped draw fire, but it would a sad excuse as they were wiped in one turn of shooting and the only turn they were shot at.

My Priests FNP was constantly being superseded by double strength weapons.However there were some rather awesome moments when I made those 5+ FNP saves completely denying death in direst of circumstances. I also felt a couple turns in the game all I was trying to do is roll 5's and 6's to do anything.

This produces the question of whether it was a fun game. Fun might have been if both sides were balanced. Point wise yes they were balanced, but this Necron list was a nightmare and everyone was very surprised a pulled not only a victory, but a major victory.



9 comments:

  1. ...and for those who didn't figure it out from the last photo, 'Hoth' is that snow covered hill with the snow frosted pine trees on it, lol!

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  2. This was a fun read. I like what you mean about variety in an army list. I think the Fenrisian Wolves suck, but I take them simply because they "make sense" to be there, not because they have some net-approved tactical edge or gimicky 'win-button' trick to them. Good to see that tactics prevailed over cheese!

    Strange that you have a post-game pic but not a pre-game pic! Sorry I didn't take any pics for you, I was getting my ass kicked on the table behind you! LOL!

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  3. Thanks neverness. I'm glad you caught on to the variety idea I was trying to point out.

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  4. The flyer warrior squads only had 5 guys each in them and the ghost arks only had 7.

    Neverness, I think the list is tough, but I have never thought of it as gimicky or "I-win" buttonish. It isn't even that net approved really. Hell, this game showed how cheese flyers are. The entire air wing killed 3 speeders, and 2 devistators. That was it. That was 505 points of models to kill all of that. Sure, they suck to shoot down, but they aren't that bad. It is why I run the rest of my army as strong ground. Tough, but manageable. I won't say it isn't cheesy because it is entirely subjective, but than again, if I brought a flyer, it would get considered cheese.

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  5. I was right about the <10 warriors, but I didn't think they were only 5 in some. Then again the last squad on the temple was never damaged, lol.

    Bringing a single flyer is not cheese so to say, bringing two flyers is not cheese either, but tough. Bringing three is cheese in the way they are not only duplicated at this point, but spammed. Then you have three units with incredible range and power, can drop troops on the dime, only hit on a 6, and then protected by a 5 or a maneuver like you did.

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  6. I try not to take 3 of the same unit in my armies. I had 2 different flyers. The other flyers people have are stronger. The good thing about necron flyers is the price and the ability to be given to moost of the codex and you have a spam unit. I take 2 at most. Only get 3 at 1850+ and I am tempted to find a way to not have to do that.

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    Replies
    1. Also, everything you named (hit on 6, firepower, move distance,5+ evade) are all basic flyer traits. Hell, the only unique thing is dropping on a dime as almost every other flying transport can drop you with a scatter.

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    2. You have 2 monoliths you don't use, adding those back in ought to eat enough points for you to not 'have to' use the flyer spam

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  7. I apologize for lurking, but I am a new player trying to get I touch with the local scene, and I found your blog. I take it you all play out of the old store building on n roan? If you have the time, I'd appreciate An email:Danielwhite915@gmail.com

    Back on topic: epic game, and FYI: not crude graphics. Those are top grade Imperial Guard quality tactical maps.

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