Well this is the first time I have faced a Daemonhunters force with no Grey Knights. In the terms of the campaign this
was the last 1500 point battle with my army poised to assault an inquisitorial cathedral and strike a last blow against the
Imperium. Here are the lists:
Tau Shas'O, fusion blaster, shield gennerator, plasma rifle, HW MT Crisis Team
(2), shas'vre, missil pod, burst cannon, multi tracker Monat, missil pod, burst cannon, multi tracker Stealth Team,
shas'vre, bonded Firewarrior Team Alpha (12), bonded, shas'ui Firewarrior Team Beta (12), bonded, shas'ui Firewarrior
Team Irregulars (10), x2 Carbines, bonded, shas'ui, photon grenades Gun Drone Squadron (7) Hammerhead Gunship, Railgun,
SMS, the usual upgrades, pair of gun drones Hammerhead Gunship, Railgun, Burst Cannons, the usual upgrades
Daemonhunters Inquisitor
and Retinue (7) Storm Troopers (10), x2 plasma gun, rhino Sorm Troopers (10, x2 melta guns, thunder hammer, rhino Sisters
of Battle (20) Sisters of Battle(20) Chimera Callidus Assasine
The mission was a bunker assault, the Inquisition
had two bunkers in his deployment zone and he put one sister squad in the left bunker and had the chimera holding the inquisitor
behind the right one. One rhino went behind a building in his far right with the other sister squad deployed in the building.
The plasma Storm Troopers went in their rhino on the far left. The callidus would deep strike. Team Alpha went in a building
on my right, beta in another on my left, Irregulars in their transport sitting rather open in center with the drones and crisis
forming a combat wing to the Devilfish's right. Stealths infiltrated forward and to the left to try and put an early hammer
on the issolated Sisters. SMS HH went behind the building Alpha was in, the other HH behind team beta. The callidus used whisper
in the ear trick to move the Devilfish forward and turn its rear armor forward.
Turn 1: Daemonhunters Devilfish
goes boom, lose the 2 drones and a FW. Rhino on left moves forward and puts the stomp on my stealth suits killing all but
2, other rhino on right moves out. Chimera moves out a little.
Tau I knock the turret off the chimera, kill most
of the left IG squad and move the stealths back. Also shot the Rhino on the right and destroyed it, IG entangled. Squad Alpha
and Beta move forward to the edge of their cover. Crisis wing moves up.
Turn 2: Daemonhunters I lose another
stealth, the survivor starts to fall back. Inquisitor gets out of chimera and the tank moves off and positions itself to the
right of a building in the center of the board that my crisis suits are now behind. Left storm troopers run off the board.
Tau: I
blow up the chimera, knock the gun off the left rhino, and not much else. Irregulars move behind nearby building.
Turn
3: Daemonhunters Inquisitor moves up into the bunker, sisters start to head out, IG on right head toward bunker.
Tau Irregulars
move into building, I shoot as much at the inquisitor as I can, shoot at sisters some and IG. Stealth Shas'vre fails leadership
and falls back.
Turn 4: Daemonhunters Storm Troopers run into the bunker and form up around the now lone inquisitor.
Assasine comes in and assaults the Irregulars after they take some vicious shooting. Kills them all but fails to put enough
distance to either lock my Shas'O or get away.
Tau Shas'O kills the Callidus, probably the only good thing in the
game. SMS Hammerhead kills the inquisitor. Stealth falls back only 4 inches and gets another shot. More shooting.
Turn
5: Daemonhunters, IG now fully in bunker, sisters getting there. Not much else.
Tau Shooting, lots and lots of
shooting and a few dead to show for it. IG, and both sisters now getting close to being below half strength, come on. Stealth
regroups finally, denying full points for the squad for now.
Turn 6: Daemonhunters Same as before, next to nothing
here just movement.
Tau: IG below half, sisters on the left below half, sisters on right at exactly half, NO JUST
ONE MORE!!! Stealth Shas'vre sticks and survives.
330 points to the Daemonhunters plus 500 for the sisters holding
one of the bunkers for a total of 830. I destroyed 890 of the enemy army, a firm draw. If only I had killed one more sister
I would have won, just one stinking enemy. I am firmly pissed at both of my static Firewarrior elements. In early fights my
enemies had to come to me but now more and more as my army continues its assault the enemy firmly makes me bring the fight
to them. The Irregulars do this though much of the time without support of numbers from other teams they get shot down. Both
static elements didnt do a thing this game, one killed nothing, the other took 3 turns to kill a stupid rhino. Now I realize
that the main mistake of this game was having them even shoot at it for 3 turns even in rapid fire I should have taken the
6 shots or so at the nearest sisters allowing my Burst Cannon HH to fire at the other sisters squad instead. This might have
killed enough for both bunkers to go unheld and leave my enemy without the 500 point bonus.
I hated the stealths in
this, without suitable cover to get them anywhere else I could have either deployed them near my forces and have them out
of range for 3 or more turns or I put them dangerously close to the enemy. The only thing I am glad about with them is that
with bonding luckily the lone survivor denied my opponent 100 points. As soon as I can drop the stealths they go the way of
the kroot and leave my army. Too bad I cant do that yet.
This was a frustrating battle, the last in the campaign with
my army right on the doorstep of the largest enemy strong hold and at the last moment their desperate final stand managed
to push me to a stand still. So close, 1 model denied me the ultimate victory of the campaign, even if there is no real tangible
gain it would have been an awesome moral win. Ah well, my army still holds more territory and more assets and has thrust farther
into the enemy lines than any of the others so at least I can be happy with that. Sadly I will probably miss the mega battle
next week that might have allowed me to take the cathedral.
So a brutal and bloody fight that just goes to show that
to finish my army properly I need the firewarriors mechanized, the stealths gone and another Hammerhead couldnt hurt.
Other
than that all I can do is tack a Callidus assasine kill onto my Shas'O's ever growing list. Despite the moral victory for
the Imperium my Shas'O at least gets to claim a minor victory of his own.
So anyway this is probably my last fight
of the campaign. The next one wont be for another month. Instead of trying for a Space Marine army in that short time I will
just have to try my best in getting my Tau finished by then. Then maybe my Firewarriors wont be stuck in the corner any longer.
A Tie, no glorious victory, no crushing defeat just a tie. The campaign ends without a bang, just a sizzle as both
armies fall over, neither victorious. How ironic.
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