So, Graf Spee and me did a little playtesting to advance our beloved IW forward to approved status.
We wanted to stress-test the cheap 4-Basilisk-formation and to pain to injury, I brought all my Decimator to the party.
My list was the following:
Iron Warriors Company
6 Chaos Space Marines and 2 Havocs
Warsmith (Supreme Commander)
Stalker
Chaos Rhino4x
Iron Warriors Company
6 Chaos Space Marines and 2 Havocs
Iron Warriors Lord
Stalker
Chaos Rhino4x
Defiler Assault Pack
6 Defilers
Chosen
4 Chaos Space Marine Scouts
Chaos Rhino2x
Artillery Battery
4 Chaos Basilisks
Stalker
Artillery Battery
4 Chaos Basilisks
Super Heavy Company - Decimator
Decimator
Super Heavy Company - Decimator
Decimator
Super Heavy Company - Decimator
Decimator
Helltalon Flight
2 Fighter Bombers
Turn 1
IW win the initiative
1. IW Basilisks sustain and fire on the Death Strikes, laying only one BM on the Death Strikes and on the nearby Warhound.
2. IW Basilisks retain and sustain, target the Manticores and destroy one, which breaks the formation, it stays broken the whole game.
3. IG Death Strikes sustain, due to BM only one of them is able to fire at a Decimator promptly misses, doing 1 BM.
4. IG Basilisks retain and sustain, only laying a BM on one of the IW Companies.
5. IW Hell Talons go on CAP.
6.IG Thunderbolts1 doing a ground attack mission on the IW Basilisks with the Stalker, get CAPed by the Hell Talons, which succeed only to do 1BM to them. The Thunderbolts destroy one Basilisk.
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7. IW Chosen double up to the shadow of the left hill, capturing the right home objective.
8. IG Infantry Company doubles and shoots the Chosen for no damage.
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9. IW Decimator1 marches into the cover of the Gargant wreck, to capture the left home objective.
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10. IG Rough Riders march to the lee of the ruins, to secure their left home objective.
11. IW Decimator3 doubles and shoots the Rough Riders, killing one.
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12. IG Sentinels1 march forward.
13. IW Company marches (needing the SC-reroll)
14. IG Sentinels march forward.
15. IW Decimator2 marches toward the right home objective.
16. IG Thunderbolts2 intercept the Hell Talons, bringing down one of them.
17. IW Company with SC doubles to a position between the Decimator and the Chosen, making it really crowded around there and shoots the Infantry Company, killing one meagre guardsman.
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18. IG Warhound moves up to the IW Company with the SC, and kills 2, doing 3BM.
19. IW Defiler march toward the objective on their right to threaten the Rough Riders.
20. IG Shadow Sword Company doubles for an better fire position and kills on Basilisk of the already damaged formation, breaks it.
21. IG Regimental HQ doubles and shoots Decimator, doing 1 Damage and 2BM.
Disengagement moves: Hell Talon is forced to move first, get´s shot down by the Thunderbolt1.
Then the Thunderbolts1 and 2 disengage and get shot down by the lone Stalker which has even moved. Stuff of legend: I rolled 2 times two sixes to hit, GrafSpee saved nothing, IG and IW aerospace forces gone!
Rally phase: The artillery formations on both sides stay broken.
The list seems very strong, the thing that did astonish me most was that there was only one engagement in the game. The shooting power of this version of the IW is really strong, well, I tailored my list specifically for this. The question is, does it need a toning down? Graf Spee thinks so, the artillery that is cheaper than their Steel Legion counterpart did especially stand out. A strategy rating of 4 and initiative 1+ gives you as a IW player almost every time the superiority in the artillery duel. I think the game was winnable for Spee, but luck played it´s part.