Well this battle was against an old friend of mine at a hobby shop Ive never been to before called the Eagle and Empire.
He started Space Marines not long ago and this was certainly a most interesting battle. To start with, the lists:
The
Confessors First Company
-Chapter Master Uriel, Artificer armor, iron halo, pair of lightning claws, jump pack
-Master
of Sanctity Michael, Terminator armor, assault cannon (ok I know this isnt a normally allowed weapon but it was a conversion
and I let him use it with the drawback of -1 BS to the user).
-Terminator Command Squad (5), whirlwind missil launcher,
assault cannon, sarg with power weapon
-Assault Squad (10), plasma pistols x2, sarg with power weapon and bolt pistol
-Land
Speeder Squadron (3), assault cannon, heavy bolter
-Tactical Squad One (10), lascannon, plasma gun, sarg with power weapon,
combi plasma
-Tactical Squad Two (10), lascannon, plasma gun, sarg with power weapon, combi melta
-Predator Annihilator,
lascannon sponsons
-Land Raider Helios
Pierce and his army with a few salamanders lending support
https://squaliix.tripod.com/redneck_album/index.album?i=28&s=1The Or'es Shi First
-Shas'O Ximoro'An, Fusion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Shield Generator, Hard Wired Multi Tracker
-Shas'el
Ren'va, Plasma Rifle, Cyclic Ion Blaster, Targeting Array, Hard Wired Multi Tracker
-Crisis Team One
Shas'ui Team Leader,
Plasma Rifle, Missil Pod, Targeting Array, Hard Wired Multi Tracker
Shas'ui x2, Twin Linked Missil Pod, Targeting Array
-Crisis
Team Two
Shas'ui Team Leader, Plasma Rifle, Missil Pod, Targeting Array, Hard Wired Multi Tracker
Shas'ui, Twin Linked
Missil Pod, Targeting Array
-Stealth Team (6)
-Firewarrior Team One (10), shas'ui, bonding knife
Devilfish APC, Multi
Tracker, Targeting Array, Decoy Launcher, Smart Missil System
-Firewarrior Team Two (10), shas'ui, bonding knife
Devilfish
APC, Multi Tracker, Targeting Array, Decoy Launcher, Smart Missil System
-Firewarrior Team Three (10), shas'ui, bonding
knife
Devilfish APC, Multi Tracker, Targeting Array, Decoy Launcher, Smart Missil System
-Piranha, Fusion Blaster, Targeting
Array, Decoy Launchers
-Hammerhead One, Railgun, Burst Cannons, Multi Tracker, Target Lock, Decoy Launchers
-Hammerhead
Two, Railgun, Burst Cannons, Multi Tracker, Target Lock, Decoy Launchers
-Hammerhead Three, Ion Cannon, Burst Cannons,
Multi Tracker, Target Lock, Decoy Launchers
Me and my Tau
https://squaliix.tripod.com/redneck_album/index.album?i=29&s=1Both armies came out to 1950 so close enough. The terrain had a large building just outside the left side of my deployment
zone and another opposite in the space marines deployment. A large bunker thing in the middle of my deployment and a smaller
ruined building on my right with a massive hill across from it. Another medium building was just right of the center of the
marines deployment and a few hills scattered around. Heres a pic:
Deployment saw the Piranha and Ionhead go on the
left, Firewarrior Squads one and two, Railhead one and crisis one go middle and second Railhead and crisis two go right. Shas'el
went to the right and Shas'O center. Stealths infiltrated behind a forward building. Predator went on left across from my
ionhead and piranha. Land Raider went middle, Tac one went on the right hills and tac two went behind the predator. Termie
command, commander, assault squad and land speeders all were placed in deep strike. Here are some pics.
Tau Line
https://squaliix.tripod.com/redneck_album/index.album?i=19&s=1Space Marine Fire Base
https://squaliix.tripod.com/redneck_album/index.album?i=20&s=1Units in Deep Strike
https://squaliix.tripod.com/redneck_album/index.album?i=21&s=1Turn 1
Marines... what there was doubt about this? hehe
Alright so the pred moves out and fires at Warfish,
knocks off the SMS, Land Raider stays stationary and fires at Ionhead for no damage, Tac One fires for no damage, tac 2 moves
forward but fails to get into the building on the left.
Tau
Tanks all move forward and out, Devilfish moving towards
center to group up. Crisis 2 moves out and along with the stealths guns down 5 of the marines in tac one. Ionhead and crisis
suits fire on predator for no damage. Railheads shoot at Land Raider immobolizing and stunning it. Piranha zoomed up to the
other side of the building where the pred and tac 2 had hidden behind.
https://squaliix.tripod.com/redneck_album/index.album?i=22&s=1https://squaliix.tripod.com/redneck_album/index.album?i=23&s=1Turn 2
Marines
Nothing shows from reserves, Pred stays stationary and stuns Railhead two. Tac one fails to
damage Railhead one and LR is of course stunned. Tac two manages to get sarg, plasma gunner and lascannon gunner in building
and plasma and combi melta fire on piranha for no damage.
Tau
Devilfish move in formation to group around a building
around mid board. Crisis two and stealths gun down 3 more of tac one leaving just the plasma gunner and lascannon gunner.
Crisis one manages to blow off Predators sponsons. Piranha moves up behind the predator and blows it to pieces. Ionhead guns
down the sarg and plasma gunner from tac two. Shas'O moves more towards center gunning for the Land Raider. Second Railhead
fires on LR shaking it.
Turn 3
Marines
Assault squad and land speeders show from reserves. Land speeders deep
strike behind stunned Railhead blowing it sky high, assaults deep strike to the left of crisis two and wound the shas'ui.
Tac two stays put by accident and Lascannon gunner is too far in the terrain to see any targets. Tac one however gets a lucky
plasma shot and downs Rail one.
Tau
All three devilfish move down and to the right and form a triangle engine to
engine. Firewarrior Teams two and three bail out the back in the center space and are joined by the stealths and crisis two
along with shas'el. Combined fire downs all 10 marines. Ionhead and crisis one fire on Land Speeders downing two and shaking
the third aswell as blowing off its assault cannon. Piranha moves towards Land Raider and fires but no damage. Shas'O moves
up near Land Raider but also fails to damage.
End of Turn 3 Cassualties so far
8 Marines from tac one
2 Marines
from tac two
2 Land speeders and assault cannon
10 Assault Marines
Predator
2 Railheads
https://squaliix.tripod.com/redneck_album/index.album?i=24&s=1Turn 4
Marines
Commander and termies come in, commander drops near Land Raider and Shas'O, termies fall too
close to Ionhead and lose 5 of their number leaving just the Chaplain... well, that sucks. Chappy fires on Ionhaed but fails
to damage. Land Raider missis its lasscanon shot on the piranha. Tac one kills a crisis suit from crisis two and wounds the
team leader.
Tau
Ionhead shifts back downing the last speeder. One Devilfish and stealths move right and finish
off tac one. Piranha says goodbye to the Land Raider finally. Shas'O fires on commander but fails to kill him however Shas'el
guns him down. Firewarriors remain unmounted and use nice 30" range to fire on chappy, crisis one and two aswell as other
two devilfish and their disembarked drones all move left towards the chaplain and remaining tactical squad, tac two.
https://squaliix.tripod.com/redneck_album/index.album?i=25&s=1Turn 5
Marines
Tac two moves forward and fires a couple bolter shots at some drones but fail to wound. Chappy
stomps forward and fires on crisis one but only wounds twice and both are saved.
Tau
Shas'O jumpes forward and
guns chapplain down. The rest of the army levels weapons and lays the remaining 8 marines from tac two low.
https://squaliix.tripod.com/redneck_album/index.album?i=26&s=1https://squaliix.tripod.com/redneck_album/index.album?i=27&s=1End of Game, Marines annihilated.
Results:
Marine Cassualties
Master
Chaplain
5 Terminators
20
Tactical Marines
10 Assault Marines
Predator
Land Raider
3 Land Speeders
Tau Cassualties
2 Hammerhead
Gunships
1 Crisis Battlesuit
Victory for the Tau!
This was a most interesting battle. It was fairly good
and even until about turn three, then things just began to turn. The terminators fell waaay too close to the Ionhead
and the tragic loss of them in such a manner really hurt the marines. The number of things being deep struck didnt help as
it wasnt difficult to slowly gun down the enemy army piece by piece as it arrived. The assault marines really took a beating.
I found it ironic that my Shas'el killed his master and my Shas'O gunned down his chaplain. My two HQs killed his two. I kind
of like that. Looks like my Shas'O is keeping his role as head hunter going. The Piranha was also spectacular in its work
it destroyed both the Predator and the Land Raider, for one little skimmer thats awesome. I love that vehicle. All told a
good game, the marines tried hard but made a few minor errors and had some bad luck and that was all it took to sway the battle.
I look forward to the rematch though.
