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Battle Report: Rivers of Blood
1000pts Blood Ravens vs Vostroyan 212th Regiment
Rivers of Blood
This battle was rather
interesting, my first game after returning to college. It was against my friend at the local hobby shop who usually plays
Thousand Sons. Apparently he splurged several hundred bucks over the break on 1000pts of infantry heavy Vostroyans. So I decided
to try something funny against him. The army lists were as follows:
Vostroyan 212th Naval Regiment
Doctrines: Carapace
Armor, Close Order Drill, Iron Discipline, Veterans
HQ:
Command Platoon (5)
-Heroic Senior officer with power weapon,
las pistol
-Mortar Team
-Standard Bearer
Elites:
Hardened Veteran Unit (10)
-3 Plasma Guns, power fist, plasma
pistol
Troops:
Infantry Platoon Command 1(5)
-Power Weapon, Storm Bolter, Junior officer, grenade launchers x2
Squad
1 (10)
-sergeant with las pistol, ccw, grenade launcher, heavy bolter
Squad 2 (10)
-sergeant with las pistol, ccw,
grenade launcher, heavy bolter
Squad 3 (10)
-sergeant with las pistol, ccw, grenade launcher, heavy bolter
Infantry
Platoon Command 2(5)
-Power Weapon, Storm Bolter, Junior officer, grenade launchers x2
Squad 1 (10)
-sergeant with
las pistol, ccw, grenade launcher, lascannon
Squad 2 (10)
-sergeant with las pistol, ccw, grenade launcher, lascannon
Fast
Attack
Sentinal, lascannon
Blood Ravens 5th Company
HQ:
Master Captain Icarus
-Master Crafted Lightning
Claws, Artificer Armor, Jump Pack, Iron Halo, Terminator Armor, Frag & Krak grenades
Epistolary Faustus Dorar
-Force
Weapon, Bolt Pistol, Jump Pack, Frags, Melta Bombs, Combat Shield, Familiar, Fury of Ancients, Veil of Time
Troops:
Tactical
Squad Valius (10)
-Power Weapon, Terminator Honors, Infiltrate, Counter Attack, True Grit, Missil Launcher, Melta Gun
Tactical
Squad Cervantes (10)
-Power Weapon, Terminator Honors, Infiltrate, Counter Attack, True Grit, Missil Launcher, Melta Gun
Fast
Attack:
Land Speeder Tornado
Alright now as you can see my list is absolutely insane. Its a grand total of 22 Marines,
one Land Speeder and a Familiar versus a total of 75 Guardsmen. I am out numbered well more than 3 to one. I like those odds.
Lets get to this shall we.
Captain Icarus stared at the pict screen in contemplation. Elements of the Vostroyan
212th regiment from Medusa V had appeared from the warp on this strange and forgotten planet. The rest of the regiment had
picked up the signals and come to investigate. The problem was, somehow the Vostroyans had uncovered strange relics and artifacts
apparently connected with the Adeptus Astartes, the Blood Ravens had picked up details over the Vostroyan's vox transmissions
that hinted towards the relics holding some importance to the chapter. There was no option, they had to go investigate. The
Vostroyans could be tained, having appeared from the warp, it could be a chaos trick, or perhaps the relics were from the
Blood Ravens past. Either way the Vostroyans were in no mood to deal with the Blood Ravens. A serf ship had been dispatched
to deliver a personal message to the Regiment Colonel, the ship had been bearing the Blood Ravens symbol and no sooner than
it came within weapons range it was blasted to atoms.
"What are your orders Captain?" Asked Valius walking up to his
captain.
"We can land a single Thunderhawk but no more, our chances are not good." Faustus said appearing from behind
Valius, Sergeant Cervantes behind him.
"Sergeants, take your men onto the first ready Thunderhawk and prepare to make
planet fall. Faustus and I will join you in the landing bay. For the unknown Primarch and The Emperor sergeants." Icarus said
turning to face his marines.
"Yes sir." The sergeants replied together before turning and running from the command
deck to where their marines waited in the barracks.
"Faustus, have a Land Speeder brought on board the Thunderhawk.
Without a third squad we should be able to fit it in, tell the Techmarines to make it happen." Icarus said to his Chief Librarian.
"It
will be done captain." Faustus said with a nod, turning and striding from the bridge himself.
Icarus turned back to
the screen and watched the Vostroyans moving quickly along the broken land scape towards ancient ruins of what appeared to
be an a long abandoned Space Marine fortress of some kind. Whatever was there, the Blood Ravens would uncover it, and these
Guardsmen would learn the price of firing on the Adeptus Astartes.
Terrain: The terrain was very simple. Cliffs
on either side and two more running almost straight down the middle with a slight seperation between them.
Deployment:
Vets infiltrated to my right, Land Speeder hid behind a rock on my left, Librarian went next to it, commander forward with
squad Valius in front of him. Tactical squad Cervantes went on the left cliffs. The Guard command, one squad and a command
section went to the right, the other 4 squads, the sentinel and the second command unit went on the left.
Turn 1:
Blood Ravens
Amazingly I rolled a 2 to determin first turn and my opponent rolled a 1. So I luckily went first. The
Land Speeder and commander moved out. Librarian joined squad Valius so he wouldn't be shot and shooting saw 5 of the Veterans
die and 6 men from one of the lascannon guard squads.
Vostroyans
This round was rather hilarious. Shooting saw
6 of squad Valius drop dead, 2 to plasma guns and 4 to lasguns, heavy bolters were saved, lascannons missed but lasguns got
through How sad. But the squad held firm and we move onto round 2.
Turn 2:
Blood Ravens
Squad Valius charged
out behind Land Speeder, Master and Librarian maneuvered for a charge next turn. Shooting saw two more guardsmen from the
lascannon squad and three from the platoon command on the left.
Vostroyans
Shooting saw the assault cannon shot
off the Land Speeder and two marines of squad Valius falling, leaving two men left. Vets now without a target moved, front
line of guardsmen moved forward to try and block my marines from reaching the bulk of the army.
Turn 3:
Blood Ravens
Here
things got interesting. Master jumped past the nearby squad to hit one further back, Librarian shifted right to hit a squad
who had moved onto the hill, and Valius charged into the men right ahead. Combat saw Valius wipe their target and consolidate
into the Librarian's combat. Librarian killed 5 men and Icarus killed 6.
Vostroyans
Here things also get interesting for the Vostroyans. The Sentinel was surrounded by guardsmen trying
to block the Master from consolidating into it, trying to get it to charge next turn. Shooting saw the Land Speeder finally
fall to a glancing 6. Icarus and Faustus killed 5 men each, Valius and Faustus consolidated into the second platoon command
who had moved up to the cliff to try and help. Icarus was stuck in a combat with plenty of guardsmen.
Turn 4:
Blood
Ravens
The sentinel was too tempting a target. Missil Launcher got a penetrating 6 and while the blast was only 2 inches
radius it still hit all the guard around it, 12 men total. However sadly only one of those men died, despite 8 wounds. Though
it was hilarious. Icarus swiped through more Guardsmen but the last member of the squad held firm and Icarus remained stuck
in combat with one heavy bolter guardsmen. Faustus and the survivors of squad Valius finished off the platoon command and
moved to support the beleagured Icarus.
Vostroyans
The 11 Guardsmen remaining unlocked and the Senior Heroic officer
and his staff charged Icarus. Despite taking plenty of attacks none got through his artifer armor. Striking with his lightning
claws Icarus managed to lay 5 wounds on the Senior Officer, but the one model made all 5, 5+ invulnerable saves. After gawking
my opponent looked at the Librarian, ready to cast veil of time and charge in and both Tac squads who had moved close enough
to engage and surrendered.
Cassualties:
Blood Ravens 5th Company
8 Marines from squad Valius
Land Speeder Tornado
Vostroyan
212th
8 Men from Squad 2 Platoon 2
10 Men from Squad 1 Platoon 2
10 Men from Squad 1 Platoon 1
10 Men from Squad
3 Platoon 1
1 Man from Squad 2 Platoon 1
5 Men from Platoon 1 Command
5 Men from Platoon 2 Command
5 Men from
Veteran Squad
Sentinel
So a total of 54 of the 75 Guardsmen were killed, if the combat had continued it would probably
have been 70 of 75 which is why I think my opponent called the game. In any case thats a very satisfying kill rate. Of course
both my commanders were over 200pts and each of my Tactical marines was more expencive than a Terminator Squad but no matter.
Victory to the Blood Ravens!
Light flashed in brilliant arcs as Captain Icarus of the Blood Angels 5th Company
cleaved through the misguided Guardsmen of the Vostroyan 212th. Bodies flew apart under his blades as he tore his way through
squad after squad. His marines coming in behind him. Icarus kicked, punched, flailed and rocketed around the field smashing
in skulls as often as he cleaved apart bodies, fighting simply and brutally, displaying all the terrible might of a Captain
of the Adeptus Astartes.
Suddenly the guardsmen cleared a space and Captain Icarus was suddenly facing the Guard Colonel.
"It is sad to meet an officer of your fine caliber on this field." Icarus said walking calmly towards his foe.
"I
could say the same of you Space Marine." The colonel said, ignoring the swirling melee going on all around the pair as Squad
Valius and Epistolary Faustus tore through the remaining Guardsmen. Bolter fire from behind him told Icarus that sergeant
Cervantes and his men had just finished off the Veterans.
"What did you uncover Colonel?" Icarus asked advancing slowly,
his lightning claws sizling as the blood and gore coating them burned away.
"Evidence that the Adeptus Astartes are
all flawed, that any chapter at any time could turn to the foul gods of Chaos, that the only hope for the Imperium is in the
might of the Imperial Guard, with the Vostroyan First Born at their head!" The Colonel spat, his eyes bright with a maniac
gleam, the man had gone mad.
"Then in that case I pronounce you a heretic and enemy of the Imperium." Icarus said launching
himself forward without any further hesitation, his claws flashed and slammed into the Colonel's chest, but every slash failed
to punch through, a shimmering energy field absorbing each blow, but Icarus did not slow and finally with a load burst the
field collapsed, the insane Colonel fell back, his power sword flashing as he tried to kill the Space Marine. Icarus ignored
the feeble slashes, the cuts barely scratching his armor, any that prevented even a minor threat absorbed easily by his far
more sophisticated power field, built into his master artificed armor. With a final resigned sigh Icarus slashed the head
from the feeble old man at his feet. The second deluded hero of the Imperial Guard to fall at his feet in barely a week. The
company had been forced to clash with an Inquisitorial force, including Grey Knights, Deathwatch marines and an understrength
Regiment of Imperial Guard. All had been wiped out to a man and the Inquisitor in charge had vanished with his ship into the
warp.
Turning around Icarus surveyed the field. Scattered on the rocks and slightly into the field were the bodies
of eight dead or wounded marines, already Aurelius, a trainee in the apothecarion, was moving to assist the wounded and collect
the gene seed of the fallen. Only eight marines had fallen. With a resigned sigh Icarus turned to face the field immediately
around him. Nearly seventy bodies lay all around him. Some shredded by bolter fire, most torn open by chain swords, slashed
by a force staff, or shredded by Icarus' own lightning claws. A burning crater was all that was left of the single Sentinel
the Guardsmen had brought and further back in the hills lay scattered the bodies of the veterans. Already the rest of the
company was deploying. Soon half a dozen more events just like this would play out. With the guard meeting an ambush by the
Blood Ravens and being slaughtered, there was no other outcome. They had fallen to the temptations of chaos.
Four
hours later the fighting was over. Five hundred and eighty seven Guardsmen had been killed in total. Including the crews of
four Leman Russ tanks, nine Chimera transports and another three sentinals. The small ship the Regiment had arrived on and
the few shuttles had been boarded and searched. After an interrogation of the crews it was determined that they had been hijacked
during the final days of the Medusa V campaign and been traveling with the hundreds of heretical guardsmen to keep them motivated.
After copying the logs the ships were given enough fuel to reach the nearest inhabited port and let go, they were also given
a transcript from the Blood Ravens to explain what had happened to them.
When the Blood Ravens departed the planet
three days later they sent an official comunication to several Imperial authorities including the Inquisition, naming the
planet as a dead world, containing possible moral threat to those who tread its soil due to taint going back to the Horus
Heresy. The Blood Ravens reported finding ruins of a Pre-Heresy Space Marine fortress, but that it had been pillaged long
ago. No artifacts of any kind had remained and the fortress ruins had been sealed. So it was that no one knew that the Blood
Ravens 5th Company was even then heading back to the Omnis Arcanum with the ships vaults filled with artifacts and relics
and even sections of the ruins hastily loaded, on its way to the Chapter Librarium to be studdied at length.
End
Game Comments
Blood Ravens
For a 5th game with my Blood Ravens, and using the most rediculous army list
I have ever used. I think this battle was a grand success. Watching two men slice their way through so many men was very satisfying.
Watching my marines hold out so well to so much fire was also very satisfying. Not something I will likely do often but for
a fun little battle it was great. I am very pleased with how my army is doing.
Vostroyan
all in all an interesting
2nd game for the vostroyans, however the veterans left to the side DID NOT help me in the fight....and of course my grenade
launchers constantly failing was a huge annoyance,
however the 5 (5+) invulnerables that i made proves that my heroic
senior officer surely did live up to his name!!!!
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