Blood Angels
========================
Death Company Tactical 275
Devestator 250
+ 2 Storm Raven 100
Devestator 250
+ 2 Storm Raven 100
Devestator 250
+ 2 Storm Raven 100
Land Speeder 200
Land Speeder 200
Terminator 350
+ 4 Storm Ravens 200
Strike Cruiser 200
Pred 275
+ Hunter 75
Pred 275
+ Hunter 75
3175
========================
Tank Legion
Tank Company 425
- 2 Executoner 40
- 3 Exterminator 30
- 5 Standard 100
+ Hydra 50
Tank Company 425
- 2 Executoner 40
- 3 Exterminator 30
- 5 Standard 100
+ Hydra 50
SHT 500
+ SC 100
+ hydra 50
Salamander 100
Salamander 100
+ Command 25
Vulture 300
Tank Platoon 280
- 5 Conqueror
Tank Platoon 280
- 5 Conqueror
Thunder Bolt 150
3175

(activation based animations attached)

Setup:
Marines win strategy (big surprise there) and force corners putting the guard into the built up side.
Most everything is in the Cruiser. The land speeder and predator annihilators on the map ready to charge forward with the DC to do nothing. Spacecraft will arrive T1.



The guard is pretty bunched up. Trying to not in a corner deployment is hard when you've got 50+ tanks on the table. They are faced with a giant ridge so move themselves into two task forces. The fast conquerors are set to blitz north and the SHT and supporting Russ company are forward screened by some salamanders and have Vultures along for the ride.

T1: Marines win and Spaceship arrives and Orbital bombs the north side of the deployment corner catching a Conqueror formation, a Leman Russ and salamanders in the blast. Only one hit made but the save is failed on the Leman Russ.

The shock assault lands in a somewhat tight grouping after scattering in a pretty favorable position 4 units in place to each have 3 supporting positions. Unfortunately terminators veered the furthest off course and are in plain view of the SHT company and farthest South. Feeling the crunch the terminators retain and sustain on the already damaged LR formation hitting with 7 rockets and 4 Autocannon hits killing 4 tanks with the crossfire bonus and breaking the formation which flees south (Commissar of course lives and visions of lone commiserate tank running around all game fill my head).

Guard activates the suppressed Conquerors and sustain on the closet Devastator formation scoring 3 las cannon hits and 3 AP cannon hits killing one Stormraven and two devastators and passes to the Marines. (asking afterwards Chris says he contemplated hauling ass north with both Conqueror but decided to stand his ground and see how it played out and wanted to sustain on every attack until he could counter with the SHT and wipe everyone out).



I feel this is it and I'll need to get as many supporting FF shots as possible so Marines activate Devastators and declare the Leman Russ Conquerors and the Salamanders an intermingled formation calling on supporting fire from the 2 other devastators and terminators for 7FF4+ and 14FF3+ attacks hitting 11 times and 3 saves. 3 Tanks and all the salamanders die while a Raven and 2 Devastators die. Roll-off is a massive +11 vs +2 breaking the target and leaving [drum roll] A commissar tank running away north.

Marines retain with the last devastator formation and sustain on the northern conquerors hitting 6 and killing one (evil dice)

Baneblades activate and assault the terminator formation wiping it out though to the loss of a tank. Guard retains and marches the salamanders up to the T&H objective.



Marines march the Death Company up into cover for next turn.

TBolts activate and ground attack the wounded devastator finishing off the Storm Ravens breaking the formation

Predators double and take a pop shot at the salamanders and destroy one breaking them

Leman Russ double and take a pop shot at the Death Company but to no effect.



Vultures activate and move behind city in prep for next turn.

Marines now have free play to the field and advance the remaining formations within striking distance to the T&H and preventing the vultures from picking off the Land Speeders (at least without counter effects).



At this point I decided I must have ebola and projectile and called the game until next time when T2 will start.

_________________
He's a lawyer and a super-villian. That's like having a shark with a bazooka!

-I HAVE NO POINT
-Penal Legion-Fan list
-Help me make Whitescars not suck!

Thanks, Jimmy. As you and I discussed privately, I am very interested in the results of this match. This kind of list is the ultimate test for the Blood Angels. Eagerly awaiting part 2.

_________________
Former Blood Angels Army Champion
Epic Gamers Los Angeles Chapter
Armies Played:
Blood Angels
Black Legion
Codex Marines
Imperial Fists

Yeah sorry I couldn't hang on any longer to play it out. It's really anyone's game at this point. I doubt it's going to come down to VP's (or we'll have like 1 each) and we'll win on points. We've both got a few fresh formations and he has his baneblades which even having lost one are still mighty and unstopable at this point but they can't be everywhere.

Some general thoughts on strategy and why this game was fought
1. Marines have a tough nut to crack in lots of RA armour. So far the only way I know how to do it is an overwhelming alpha strike / drop with at least 3 formations and if I can catch them surrounded and have get full supporting fire from each I have a good chance to break one or for formations. At that point the dreaded Russ formations attrition fast. Even SHT would probably loose when you're at a +10 on the assault rolls I wanted to see if the dice gods would favor me enough to show it is possible but only by getting FF from every formation on every attack.
2. You can achieve the same from TBrick assault and with far better weapons but you're getting fewer shots. I think the value proposition of Ravens is simply MORE SHOTS. Eventually something is going to get through. Better or worse than the traditional Tbrick? [shrugs]
3. If you can break one, better two formations right away you'll find yourself in the interesting situation of perhaps having activation parity or even advantage. A rare thing for marines. Made me wish for another 250 points for some TBolts so I could have CAP'd his ass.
4. Target selection matters. By breaking any formation I can remove all its shots from the subsequent assaults. That sometimes means blowing up the less dangerous formation on paper first.
5. Commissar tanks will be the bane of me. Note the off kilter points which gave enough to fit every armour formation with one. Chris did his homework there. Even when they're the only survivor, they still can lay a BM or contest an objective.
6. The more assault orientated the more binary the game obviously play. This ended up slightly in my favor but with some slight changes in dice rolls that could have been a blood bath just as easily. If I scattered into the salamanders instead and one wasn't intermingled and a very different outcome will happen.
7. I was counting on the Orbital too much and was hoping to catch too many fish. While he was bunched up by the corner deployment that was a bad move on my part. That would have worked better with Steel Legion than ending up with a huge number of tanks all up in my grill. I should have planned to overwhelm a flank and rolled it up or loaded up in the ravens and started skimming around screwing with him.
8. Curious what the alternate weapon load out with Melta would be like in this list similar to he Grey Knights loapdout. It might make you like them a wee bit more (perhaps it's just because I'm all hot and bothered for the Raven Guard at the moment)

_________________
He's a lawyer and a super-villian. That's like having a shark with a bazooka!

-I HAVE NO POINT
-Penal Legion-Fan list
-Help me make Whitescars not suck!

Turn 2
=============================================
Note: Chris was unable to return so there was a switch hitter player taking over the Tank Legion.
=============================================

Conquerors, baneblades, Russ clear BM. Salamanders fail to rally.
Broken Devestators fail rally.

Guard Wins Strategy


Activates Leman Russ company who engage and wipe the broken devestators off the map.
Marines activate Revs who load up and beat feet out of the area. Storm Ravens pop shot at lone remaining Salamander killing formation and preventing capture of objective.


Fail to retain with remaining Devs who head north
Activates Baneblade who move and attack the nearest Dev formation absolutely flattening them kaput.


The Conquerors blow their activation and eat up the reroll. March north around the far end of the left flank.
The annihilators activate move and long distance pop shot at the Leman Russ company getting uncomfortably close. 3 hits, no kills.
Single Commissar tank burns activation and plays catchup with his friends driving.
Annihilators activate and shoot at Leman Russ doing squat (my usual luck with Predators again)


The Vultures activate swoop in fire rockets killing 2 Predators and painfully the hunter and break the Annihilators.
Retained and activated TBolts on ground attack run avoiding hunter flak death and put some hurt out on the Land Speeders killing 2.
Death Company blows activation (this was still the days 2+ init). Elects to move 0.
Land Speeders activate and march south towards right flank and take objective.

Guard: BTS

_________________
He's a lawyer and a super-villian. That's like having a shark with a bazooka!

-I HAVE NO POINT
-Penal Legion-Fan list
-Help me make Whitescars not suck!

Turn 3

Marines win

Annihilators rally. Everything else sheds blast markers.


Speeders double to put vultures in cross fire.
Retain and sustain with 2 Annihilators on the Vultures claiming cross fire . Hitting 3 killing 2 and breaking them. Withdrawal closer to city.


Commissar in Lone Conqueror screams, "DRIVE CLOSER SO I CAN HIT THEM WITH MY SWORD" charges and fires at Devs placing a BM.
Leman Russ formation lumbers laterally and claims crossfire and flattens the embarked devestators. (ouch)


Death company marches to claim objective to nab T&H (hopefully)
Baneblades march up and over hill and take commanding position in center
Predators ineffectually shoot at the looming death across the plaza laying a BM.


Conquerors haul ass towards blitz
Land Speeders burn activation
TBolts activate and shoot up the other Land Speeders and break them.
Remaining Leman Russ haul ass towards the battle

I call it at that point without heading to T4 considering I've got tanks in my rear area, tanks towards my flank. Super heavy tanks in my grill. It's a done deal.

_________________
He's a lawyer and a super-villian. That's like having a shark with a bazooka!

-I HAVE NO POINT
-Penal Legion-Fan list
-Help me make Whitescars not suck!

So impressions:
1. Don't play sick. Seriously. No batrep is worth that.
2. List is much nicer to face as tank legion since the Storm Raven went from 4 to 2 shots (I've played against BA and HATED it). Honestly it sucked ass. It took the already binary nature of drop alpha assault and simply turned it up to 11. This brings it back down to something like a game where you know, one side or the other hasn't won in the first turn. Actually I kind feel the sweet spot for shooting would have been 2.5 shots each, they're a teensy too nerfed but good enough for what they are: flying Razorbacks
3. Not as worried as I once was about Storm Raven spam. They do what they need. Can't ever see myself taking a formation of them alone. Somewhat wishing the list had gone with the MM load out instead of assault cannons like the Grey Knights did in retrospect.
4. Needed more dreads. Seriously should have gone up to 3500 and brought them along of course then I'd have two lone surviving commisar tanks taking pop shots at me then. Seriously, they're the bane of my existence.
5. Biggest issue with Storm Ravens as is now is really being skimmers they can't take the extended assault range. Can't fix that without rethinking the unit sooo yeah... not going to happen.
6. Crossfire crossfire crossfire
7. DC tacticals. Had no clue what to do with them here in this game. Kinda worthless and admitedly poorly played by me.
8. Stupid stupid mistake to corner deploy. Too much dumb thinking from back when 4shot ravens were running around. I'm blaming the fever on that.

_________________
He's a lawyer and a super-villian. That's like having a shark with a bazooka!

-I HAVE NO POINT
-Penal Legion-Fan list
-Help me make Whitescars not suck!

Nice battrep!

I also had the same problem with the list -too "binary", so a lot of drops/air assaults, so a bit boring. If you want to achive something ,you need to be over-agressive! But hey, they are the Blood Angels So it fits to their fluff -but yeah, at the end, the opponents will be aware of this style. A drop heavy list means that your infantry formations won't survive till the 4th turn -so a clear win in the 1-2nd turn, or the game is lost.

All units support this style of play -most likely the DC. Never take a DC on Rhinos, or the Assault version of them -they need the extra punch from the Furioso dreads to hit home -and a fast delivery to the place where they are most needed! Running around the table wth a formation, unable to grab an objective, is a point waste.. They can contest, but it's not much! I think they are the best damnd suicide bommers in this game, with the perfect options to be more deadly. Just bring them to the face of your opponent, and watch him sweat

Oh crap left off obligatory meta notes. The following were in effect:
-Area terrain conventions
-Based vehicle conventions
-Range stretching allowed (only came into play once this game however)

_________________
He's a lawyer and a super-villian. That's like having a shark with a bazooka!

-I HAVE NO POINT
-Penal Legion-Fan list
-Help me make Whitescars not suck!