Battle Report: Dark Angels Vs. Imperial Guard - 1500pts

Following is the next installment in what I now calling 'Battle Report Month' on The Astronomican. Enjoy...

Dark Angels vs. Imperial Guard - 1500pts

Capture & Control - Dawn of War

This game was a straight 1500pts game against Sam, a player I had not met before. He was playing his Imperial Guard (with the support of my Praetorian Demolisher). His list seemed well suited to fighting my Deathwing, including two Demolishers ready and willing to take away my 2+ saves...

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I once again trotted out my standard 1500pts list as I really want to get some practise in with it. 

Sam's list featured the aforementioned Demolishers, a standard Russ, 2 Infantry Platoons & a Command Platoon (including a Mortar Squad & Fire Support Squad). His doctrines included Carapace Armour and Drop Troops .

Deployment

We rolled for mission & deployment and got Capture & Control with Dawn of War. I actually won the roll off for first turn/deployment but chose to give Sam first turn. I planned to deploy nothing and deny him a turn of fire, whilst giving me the last say in grabbing objectives. 

Sam, being a good old fashioned Guard player, chose the table edge with the most cover and nestled as much fire power as he could into it! He deployed one Infantry Platoon & his HQ Platoon into the firebase, sitting atop his objective. 

I, in line with my plan, deployed nothing, relying on the speed of my units to get me to where I wanted to be (i.e. deep in the IG lines!)

Turn 1

In his first turn Sam, with nothing to shoot at, rolled his three Leman Russes onto the table, with a Demolisher on each flank and the standard Russ in the middle. His second infantry platoon he kept in reserve, intending to use them as Drop Troops. 

Beginning my attack I brought my Crusader (with Belial & co.), followed by my Rhino (containing a combat squad) onto the left side of the board. The combat squad with the Lascannon also entered the board, running into cover so it could try to start popping tanks next turn. 

My only action in the shooting phase was to pop smoke on my crusader, hoping the beast would stay mobile for next turn.  

Dark Angels: 0 Objectives

Imperial Guard: 1 Objective

Turn 2


Turn two began with Sam rolling for his reserves. He managed to bring in one of his Infantry Squads, which deep struck close to my Lascannon combat squad. He also moved two of his Russes up on the right, aiming for my objective. 

His shooting phase went rather well - the deep striking squad rapid fired my Marines and killed all but two. The real insult was the lucky Battlecannon round that glanced and immobilised my Land Raider. Once again the tank had failed to do its job! Belial and his precious squad now faced an advance towards a Demolisher Cannon...

In my turn I had my Attack Bike and Land Speeder turn up and, in attempt to deal with the pesky tanks, I outflanked them both (Rules Fail - I know now that the Land Speeder can't scout and therefore can't outflank. I'm still learning the army so these mistakes happen. However, Karma struck and the offending Land Speeder did nothing worthwhile all game, which I guess is fair!). Both got excellent positions, and lined up to inflict kills on both the Demolishers. I also had my second Deathwing squad. Attempting to avoid a warm welcome from the Demolisher Cannons, they deepstruck behind the standard Russ. Hopefully they could survive a turn of fire and inflict some pain. 

In the movement phase, Belial and his cronies bit the bullet and charged towards the firebase. I was hoping for a good scatter and some lucky saves. Even if two or three terminators survived, it should be enough to take down IG squads...

Shooting was abysmal (karma again?) as both Multi-Meltas missed their mark, leaving those AP2 cannons still going. The Deathwing cyclone also missed the rear armour of the Leman Russ. The depleted Combat Squad made kills, knocking out a measly two deep-striking Guardsmen, and the frustrated Crusader killed two Heavy Bolter Teams with its fire.  

Dark Angels: 0 Objectives

Imperial Guard: 1 Objective

Turn 3

In Sam's turn Guardsmen continued to fall from the sky, with the second Drop Squad landing on top of my objective (leaving both in Guard hands). Sam now entered a crucial shooting phase which, with some luck, would win him the game.

Things started well, the first deep-striking Guard Squad wiping out what was left of my Lascannon Combat Squad. 

Perhaps unsurprisngly, the standard Leman Russ only took down one of the Terminators bearing down on it. It was the Demolishers that however took the prize for most spectacular fails of the day. First the Demolisher Tank on the right failed to hit the Attack Bike behind it (the shot scattering away harmlessly). This is perhaps understandable, its a small target after all.

However, the Demolisher on the left flank must have loaded a rubber shell or some such because, after hitting Belail and his squad squarely, and then proceeding to cause five wounds, it failed to kill a single one! I, to my amazement (and Sam's despair), managed to roll 5,5,5,6,6 for my five invulnerable saves. I guess karma was somewhere else at this point in the game!? To add insult to injury the massed Lasguns on the fire base also failed to damage the Deathwing, leaving the squad free to wreck merry havoc in my turn...

Never surer of their own indestructibility, Belial launched his men towards the firebase, under the covering fire of the Crusader. Elsewhere, the second Deathwing Squad stalked towards the Leman Russ, and the attack bike sped round to the back of the Demolisher on the right (it having turned to face the bike in its shooting phase). Conscious of the fact that I still controled neither objective, the Rhino in my rear sped towards the Drop Troops and dropped off its combat squad. 

The shooting phase was not spectacular, with both Ravenwing Mulit-Meltas failing to hit (again). However the Crusader continued to whittle down the Guardsmen on the firebase, while the Combat Squad gunned down 3 Drop Troops. The Plasma Gunner also had the good sense to blow himself up. The Bolter salvos were weakened by the fact that Sam's Gauardsmen had Carapce armour - its odd to see Gaurdsmen getting saves! 

The Combat phase however cheered me up immensely. First, Belial and his squad managed to charge the Demolisher on the right, Stunning it and ripping off its Demolisher Cannon. 

Next, the Deathwing Squad in the center tore the back out their Leman Russ, destroying it completely. Finally, frustrated at his gunner's lack of accuracy, the driver of the Attack Bike charged the second Demolisher with his Krak Grenades held high. He blew the thing apart with ease (someone give that man a Multi-Melta!). 

In the space of one combat phase I had destroyed or crippled all of Sam's Armour and, although the Guardsmen held both objectives, it would be a real struggle to hold them. 

Dark Angels: 0 Objectives

Imperial Guard: 2 Objectives

Turn 4

Sam was in real trouble and knew it. His last infantry Command Squad failed to come out of reserves, so he largely stayed put and hoped he could maintain control of the objectives by the skin of his teeth. Both his Drop Troop squads fired on the Dark Angels Combat Squad, but made no kills. The rest of his infantry tried in vain to kill some Deathwing - massed Lasgun's proved no challenge to armour that had already withstood Demolisher shells! 

My turn 4 was largely spent beginning to mop up. My Ravenwing Squadron (which Sam had forgotten I had) turned up on my board edge, to shift the 2nd Drop Squad off my objective. The Attack Bike moved up from the ruins of the Demolisher to lend support. 

After a meager shooting phase (Carapace once again proving resilient against Bolter Rounds), Combat sealed the deal for the DA. Belial finished off the remains of his Demolisher and got ready to assault the firebase. The second Deathwing Squad charged and completely wiped out the Mortar Squad. The Ravenwing made seven kills against their Guard Squad, and the Combat Squad killed three of theirs, both for no loss. Although both Guard Squads used their Vox sets to pass their leadership tests, it was only a matter of time before they would be overwhelmed. 

Sam at this point decided that his IG could do little but wait to be slaughtered and conceded the game to me.

Imperial Guard Concede

Dark Angels Victory! 

By turn 3 the Dark Angels had begun to dominate the battle...

So, a turn 4 victory! A rare thing to savor I think. However, it was clear that I was very lucky - especially surviving a direct Demolisher Cannon hit unscathed. By rights I should have lost at least 3/4 Terminators and, with wound allocation rules, I could have lost some valuable models. However, sometimes the dice just work for you! 

 

I also think that IG are one the armies that I will naturally do well against - Terminator armour will always be a nightmare when you average troops carry flashlights and have the combat ability of a snail. A dead snail at that. 

All this being said, I think I played the army well and I am getting comfortable with the list. Hopefully some more victories will be in the pipeline...

Let me know what you all think, I hope your all enjoying these reports!