So last night my buddy Matt and I decided to give this new
Experimental Iron Hands list (v.03) a go. We decided for a small game 2225 points and limit air power as there's some more baking on the IH formations in the before we tackle the whole Storm* flyer issue(s). Matt decided to have a hoot and play my Guard as Steel Legion as he's an Guardian happy Eldar player. Personally I just think he had tank envy
NOTE: Too many beers in we realized we didn't have a camera and couldn't be bothered to go back outside to get my phone so I'll draw up a map in visio later. I want to put the turn by turn plays in now.Iron Hands
1 Clan + 2 Devastator + Great Clan Retinue + Land Raider
1 Heavy Support + Land Raider
1 Light Recon + Dreadnought
4 Pred Annihilators
4 Whirlwinds + Hunter
5 Land Speeders
Steel Legion
1 Regimental HQ
Basilisk Artillery Battery (3)
4 Sentinels (typical screening arty force)
Infantry Company + Commander + Fire Support + Sniper Upgrade
Tank company
Storm Troopers + 4 Valkyries
Setup
Iron Hands garrison the Light Recon on the woods in the right center of the board on OW. The Whirlwinds on the center on the rear area providing a nice AA bubble as well. The Predators will take the left fork of the road and the Heavy Support taking the right fork. The Clan will move up the center in front of the Whirlwinds. The Land Speeders will take the far right flank and use their speed to cross the open ground and tank traps and threaten the Guard rear.
The Steel Legion garrisoned their Inf Co in the woods in the center of the board. Their arty directly across the board from mine with a sentinel scout screen in box formation around them. The Regimental HQ ready to advance down the road into the Ruins and possibility take position behind the tank traps. The Tank Company will take their right flank and push into the center from the side.
Turn 1 - Marines win initiative and go first
- Clan doubles into center objective and marines disembark and enter buildings, the Tacticals and Termie on the right side, the Devastators and Venerable dread taking the field of fire to the left to protect against that Tank rush I know is coming. The Inf Co declines to activate OW as there's little chance / target. Matt probably expected different assault to come up the center and so didn't want to shoot his wad.
-Iron Hands retain initiative and whirlwinds indirect bombard on the Inf Co and cause 5 hits, 4 of which cover save. I was hoping for more effective bombard so force a blitz assault on their center throwing him off balance.
-Regimental HQ fails activation and Supreme Commander re-roll. Take hold action and move slowly forward toward the factory and buildings keeping mostly behind cover in a surprisingly LONG deployment across the buildings all the way to the factory complex, leaving two Chimeras and their infantry in the open to maintain coherency. Hrmmm this is not what I expected and kinda messes up my intention to flank with the Land Speeders now...
-Heavy support advances up the right fork of the road into the buildings and ruins, the Land Raider taking the lead. Inf Co activates OW and let's rip with 8 autocannon AT shots for 2 hits on the Land Raider and 1 targetable Rhino. The Land Raider saves on it's Reinforced armour re-roll. The Rhino fails and the two Devastators bail out of the burning hulk and enter cover of the ruins. The rest of the marines take to cover on both sides of the road. The formation opens up with some long range harassment fire at the Reg HQ causing no hits. Marines decline to retain the initiative.
-The arty opens up laying 3BP right on top of the Land Raider and the marines in the ruins. 1 Devastator fails it's save. I'm starting to feel a little bunched up all of the sudden.
-Feeling confident now the Steel Legion decide to take their armoured fist into the fray, obviously hoping to push into Clan with support from the garrisoned infantry company. Fail their activation roll. Move in through the pass between the woods and the ridge hoping to keep the unoccupied buildings on the left fork as cover. This should be able to provide fire against the clan next turn for "The Big Push TM".
-Feeling that the left flank is a little Predators advance down the left fork in direct interdiction of the Tank Co. Open up on them for 5 hits, 4 of which save. Only the lead tank goes up in flames. Uh oh...
-Land Speeders decide to advance up behind the woods in prep for an assault against the Reg HQ next turn once they get into position in the large ruins.
-Tank Company fails to rally and sheds no BMs. A small saving grace...
Turn 2 - Marines win initiative and go first
- Clan just has range and visibility on the tank company through the buildings (not as much cover as he thought). After reviewing it with Matt, we decide to let the dice gods rule on this and they’re targetable. The Machine God must be pleased with the Iron Hands today. They sustain with 5 hits, 3 saves giving them a fair bloody nose, most importantly the Vanquisher goes down without ever firing a shot!
- Iron Hands retain the initiative and instead of moving into the hull down behind the Dragons Teeth like he thought I would, I sustain with the Predators and make 11 hits of which he fails 9 saves on. The look on his face was priceless and the tank company disintegrates and the survivors (out of range) break and reverse frantically.
- Matt, marshals the remnants of the Tank Company and move in position to support the Inf Co holding the center in response for the now expected assault from the Clan to provide support.
- Getting cocky and wanting to roll up the other flank the Whirlwinds bombard the Reg HQ (and covering a huge swath of bunched up guard) causing two hits losing a chimera and a single infantry stand (not quite the effect I was expecting. There’s a lot of BMs they can soak up.
- Retain with the Heavy Support and glancing target a few Chimeras that I can snipe causing two hits with 1 save removing some of the cover for the guard hiding behind it.
- The basilisks open up on the Heavy Support as before causing two AP hits, both of which save. I'm starting to think he really doesn't like those guys!
- Decide that my Land Speeders are worthless now on the right flank and do the Land Speeder boogie across the board to march up behind the far side of the ridge to be in position to threaten the remaining Russes. I was also hoping he'd go for the OW bait from the Inf Co holding the center and target them and leave me open to assault with my Clan. No such luck.
- Obviously understanding what I intend, the Inf Co opens up and sustains with 9 auto cannon on the Clan with 4 hits and only one save (the termie retinue) cutting out the heart of the Tacticals positioned with him. Bad Marines, No Soup for you!
- He retains the initiative and the Valkyries / Storms Troopers air assault the exposed Predators on the far left flank. He declines to let loose with the missiles but the multilasers score one kill. The Storm Troopers assault into Fire Fight with 6 hits of which only 3 are saved, wiping out the entire armour contingent of the force for the loss of no Storm Troopers. Valkyries disengage and the Storm Troopers consolidate towards the Blitz objective down the road. Obviously my lack of AP firepower left in the Clan isn't threatening to 7 Storm Troopers.
- Regimental HQ fails to activate and fails re-roll (Someone is getting a bullet in the head after this battle). They also fail their rally and do not shed any BMs.
Turn 3 - Marines win initiative and go first
- Land Speeder advance on the remnants of the Tank Co, scoring 5 hits all of which fail their save wiping them off the board for a BTS.
- Feeling exposed from the Storm Troopers (also expecting an Assault from them on the Clan with those Valkyries making a support run with those rockets no doubt), the Iron Hands retain the initiative and bombard the Storm Troopers causing only 1 hit (sigh) but at least the save fails.
- Storm Troopers activate and double to take my Blitz at the end of the board. I guess he had less faith in their ability to assault the Clan (and risk the FiW + Inspiring from the Venerable Dread ) than I did.
- Activate the Heavy support and double into an intermingled formation bringing the Tacticals into the farthest left buildings and bringing the Land Raider into the center of the buildings.
- Clan goes on OW, just in case he decided to get jiggy with the Inf Co.
- Inf Co fails to activate and Matt declines re-roll (probably expecting his HQ to fail again ).
- The Reg HQ FINALLY activates and advances into the large ruins swinging this huge line of men and tanks up into cover. The Light Recon activates OW taking out one Infantry stand in cover. This could turn ugly if they ever get into position.
- The sentinel screen advances into firing range to protect the artillery scoring one hit and kill on the Land Speeders.
- The Basilisks, now exposed from their flank activate and advance away from the Speeders.
- The Storm Troopers fail their rally and fail to shed any BMs.
At this point we called it quits. Tactically the Guard were probably in a better position simply as they had enough men to overrun the Marines though strategically both sides were bottled up well enough to cause pain to whomever decided to assault first. In reality both forces would probably disengage as whatever was left wouldn't be able to hold the field from a counter attack.
Findings:
See write up
here
