Category Archives: Epic Armageddon

DIY Epic or Make Your Own Epic Necron Army!

Back with another quick blog post here. This time I wanted to share some really cool and easy DIY Epic Necron ideas that some of the members of our group have come up with.

Its true; Epic Armageddon is no longer officially supported by GW. But it’s far from dead. The rules are all still freely available on the internet, and army lists are still actively being developed and playtested by fans. The NetEA Website is your one stop site for rules and army lists ready to play straight from the box. All completely free!

Ok, so you have all the rules you need and every army list you could possibly dream of. Now how do you find an army? You can occasionally find good deals on ebay. Space Marines and Orks are fairly abundant and reasonably priced. Or, you can buy proxies and get creative! GW never actually made Necron models for Epic, so, if you want to play with them, you have to do it yourself. Kind of, anyway. And that’s exactly what some of the guys in our group have done. We happen to have three Necron players in our little group. And with all of the cool kit available for Necron out there, it’s very easy to make an army. Check out their stuff!

DIY Necron 2

The “warriors” and “immortals” are Edenite Infantry from Steel Crown Miniatures As you can see, they make some pretty nice Necron proxies. While you are on their site, have a look at their other 6mm products as well. The pylons and monoliths that you see in this picture were never produced by GW, and are, unfortunately, no longer produced and very difficult to find these days. However! Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Have a look at what one enterprising member of our group did.

DIY Necron 3

Voila! Monoliths! How cheap and easy is this? And they look great! I might even go as far as to say I prefer them to the “official” models. If you play 40k at all, you may recognize them as Dispersion Shields that the Lychguard carry. Don’t play 40k? Don’t have any buddies who have some of these shields spare? No problem. You might just be able to buy them here or here Of course, a quick search for “Necron bits” or “40k bits” on ebay or google will reveal any number of fine suppliers.

DIY Necron 4

And there you have your Pylon! I think he said this was made from a 40k Necron Deathmark rifle and uhh… I don’t know. I don’t play 40k anymore! But dig around on those bits sites and I’m sure you will find what you’re looking for.

What’s one of the coolest things about playing 40k at this scale? You get to take big ass tanks and flyers and titans and a) not spend a fortune and b) not have them take up the whole table! The Necron in Epic get to take some pretty cool toys. One of them is a baddie called a Warbarque. Think of it as a creepy, floating Warhound titan. That shoots… death rays. And stuff. To my knowledge, no model was ever produced for this, bootleg or otherwise, so you are free to let your imagination run wild.

DIY Necron 5

This is what one person came up with. I believe it is entirely made up of bits from the 40k Necron range.

Or you can go for a ready made option. Another lovely model from Steel Crown

DIY Necron 6

This is the Khazari Droid Controller. Or the Heavy Metal Grimdark Version is also available (now with MOAR SKULLS!!).

Need a Ghost Arc? Well, there might be some trolls who live under a bridge in eastern Europe out beyond the reach of Grandma Wendy who might be willing to sell you a “Necropolis Ghost Ship” (UPDATE: Some little GW fanboy who thinks he’s the IP Police narced to GW, and it is now no longer available – get a life, would you?)

Ghost Arc

Oh! What about a Nightbringer? That can be arranged as well!

DIY Necron 8

There he is in the middle of the ruins looking all dark and brooding. This is a Cairn Wraith from the Warhammer Fantasy Vampire Counts line.

Again, with all the cool kit that is available from the 40k range and elsewhere, your imagination is the limit. Want to make a Tesseract Vault? You can do that! Take a look at this (very) WIP model from the workdesk of one of our guys –

DIY Necron 7

Bend some wire into shape and paint it bright green to make it look like crackling energy and / or put a little glowy dude in the center there and you have something pretty cool. For more inspiration, I bet a quick dig through the Warhammer Fantasy Tomb Kings range would yield all kinds of fun bits that you can use.

There you have it. I’ve provided you with all the ideas, rules, and links to make it happen! And when these links go dead, well, at least you know what terms to search for. This means that YOU NO LONGER HAVE AN EXCUSE! You must build an Epic army. You know you want to! You’re here, aren’t you? A man doesn’t walk on the lot unless he wants to buy! 🙂

Oh, and the price? Our guys spent between $150 – $200 for an entire army. The one with the really nice green paint job and the rare items spent $300 – but it was already painted and had the rare items. Necron not your thing? Check out the links to other proxy models on the right. Now you really have no excuse!

If you find this article useful, please do let me know in the comments. Also, if you have an Epic army that you’ve done a lot of DIY work on, let me know! I’d love to feature it or link to it.

April 2015 Update

It’s been quite some time since I created a new post for this blog! We’ve been active playing Epic 40k / Armageddon here in Los Angeles, but I’ve just been too busy with other projects to post much.

We’ve started our second league and just finished round 1. We’ve got a great range of armies represented – Black Legion, Death Korps of Krieg, Newcron, Oldcron, Tyranids, Lost and the Damned, and Tau. Very excited to see who ends up on top.

And now, pics!

This is from a fun game I played a few months ago. Black Templar vs. Black Legion

BL vs BT 1BL vs BT 2BL vs BT 3

 

Our newest member’s Tyranid army. That’s a lot of bugs! I think he said it’s 12,000 points! Anyone got a giant can of Raid?

Tyranid Pic 3

My Black Legion facing off against his Tyranids. Fun game. Bugs are hard to kill!!

BL vs Nids 1

Black Templar (attempt to) purge the Lost and the Damned from an agri-world

LaTD vs BT

What I’ve got on deck. Like any good addict, I haven’t even finished my Black Legion but am already dreaming of Cadians. To the left is a “Novum Dictum Command Centre” from Troublemaker Games that I plan on using as a Leviathan.

Epic Stuff 040915

Some test infantry for my Cadians. I just had to use the jungle fighters from Dark Realm Miniatures for this army. I know they don’t look like Cadians. I don’t care. Too cool. To the left are Stormtroopers from the same range. Great models! I highly recommend.

Cadian Test

A totally sweet work in progress shot of the Ordinatus Cadia that one of our members is building for me. This guy is a wizard with the plasticard. This is only a rough outline. Can’t wait to see the finished product.

Ordinatus Cadia

That’s that for now! I hope to be able to update this blog a little more regularly. And, as always, if you are looking for Epic 40k / Epic Armageddon players in Los Angeles, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here!

A Day of Epic Gaming and a 16,000 Point Mega Battle!

The Los Angeles Epic crew had a fun day of nerding out playing Epic today.  We also had our league championship match.  Biel-Tan Eldar defeated Adeptus Mechanicus PDF to take the crown.  Three tables of gaming and tons of fun, featuring a 2 vs 2 mega battle with 8,000 points per side.  Ghazkull’s Horde vs. Iron Warriors and Black Legion!

The forces face off!  Note the Ork commander’s shirt 🙂Epic4a

A swirling vortex of violence!  That’s a lot of Orks!
Epic6a

Chaos sets up an armored wall of death to repel the Ork onslaught
Epic9a

Both sides are battered, but the Orks are taking the worst of it
Epic10a

Chaos armor surveys the battlefield
Epic11a

The Orks are routed!  Chaos repels the Ork invasion
Epic13a

Check out this super cool Ork objective
Epic1a

And on another table… Tyranids take the city by storm!
Epic2a

Showcase Battle Report – Black Legion vs. Necron

“And it is called the Celestial Orrery?”

“Yes, my Lord” replied Ashkharaofth, Grand Sorcerer of Tzeentch, Seer of Ways.  “It is an ancient artifact, older than Mankind itself.  Within the web of living metal and hologram may be found every star in the galaxy.  By merely snuffing out one of the lights with your fingers, you cause its physical counterpart to go Supernova, engulfing nearby worlds in fiery oblivion”

Abaddon considered for a moment.  “Such wondrous technology is wasted in the hands of the Necron.  It shall be mine.  Where do we find this artifact?”

“Its location is shrouded in mystery to even me, my Lord.  Ancient rumors, whispers, and hearsay are all that I hear when I conduct the sacred divination rituals.  However… Tzeentch has blessed me with a vision.  I see a nearby mining planet… the ancient dead awakened from their slumber… whispers… voices… yes…  long forgotten gods… massacre… bloodshed…” Ashkharaofth appeared lost in reverie.

“It is here, my Lord”, he said, pointing to and highlighting a planet in the holographic map of the galaxy before him.  “The whispers tell me that the information we seek may be found here, on the mining world of Arjuna IX”

“You mean to tell me that the Orrery is located on this insignificant mining colony?”, Abaddon inquired, incredulous.

“No, my Lord.  My visions indicate that this is an awakening Tomb World.  Perhaps we may find clues as to its location by—”

“FIND IT!!” Abaddon roared, wind blasting from the sheer force of his voice, his eyes glowing red with impatient rage.  “I care little for your riddles and less for your presence!  Get out of my sight and do not return until you have found it!”

“My Lord”, the Sorcerer bowed deeply and scurried out of Abaddon’s chamber.

An expeditionary force lands on the Imperial mining colony.

The Armies

Black Legion
RETINUE [425]
8 Chaos Space Marines, (Chaos Undivided), Chaos Lord, 4 Havocs

RETINUE [365]
8 Chaos Space Marines, (Chaos Undivided), 4 Rhino, Chaos Warlord (Supreme Commander)

ARMOURED COMPANY [325]
(Chaos Undivided), 2 Chaos Predator, 3 Chaos Land Raider

ARMOURED COMPANY [250]
(Chaos Undivided), 2 Chaos Predator, 2 Chaos Land Raider

HAVOC RETINUE [225]
4 Havoc units, (Chaos Undivided), Chaos Lord, 2 Rhinos

RAVAGER TITAN [650]
(Chaos Undivided)

DEFILER ASSAULT PACK [275]
4 Defilers, (Chaos Undivided)

CHOSEN [145]
4 Chaos Space Marine Scouts, (Chaos Undivided), 2 Rhino

CHOSEN [145]
4 Chaos Space Marine Scouts, (Chaos Undivided), 2 Rhino

HELL BLADES [200]
3 Hell Blade Fighters, (Chaos Undivided)

BR001

BR002

BR003

BR004

Necron
INFANTRY PHALANX [505]
Necron Lord, 6 Warriors, 2 Tomb Spyders, Pariahs, 3 Immortals

INFANTRY PHALANX [405]
Necron Lord, 6 Warriors, Pariahs, 3 Immortals

INFANTRY PHALANX [405]
Necron Lord, 6 Warriors, 3 Immortals, Pariahs

MONOLITH PHALANX [275]
3 Monoliths

MONOLITH PHALANX [275]
3 Monoliths

PYLON [200]

PYLON [200]

ARMORED PHALANX [300]
6 Obelisks

TOMB COMPLEX [75]

WARBARQUE [350]
Supreme Commander

BR005

BR007

BR008

BR006

After dropping on planet and massacring the miners, the Chaos forces march steadily toward the menacing ziggurat, wary of the unknown enemy…BR009

They don’t need to wait long.  Strange glowing structures appear out of thin air before them, shimmering into existing as if a mirage
BR010

Quickly the battle is joined.  A Black Legion armored company advances and fires on the strange monoliths, but the laser blasts are simply absorbed by the alien metalBR011

The Necron Pylon crackles to life, and searing beam of light flickers toward the titan, dropping one of its shieldsBR012

It is followed an instant later by another blinding beam, which drops one more shield
BR013

The Defilers open fire on the Warbarque with their long range battle cannons.  But, again, the shells are merely absorbed by the strange alien metalBR014

The alien craft appears to spit the shells out of its hull.  All damage is repaired as it fires upon the Black Legion Armored Company, but causes no damage
BR015

The eerie Monoliths float listlessly forward, and beams of light pour forth, destroying two RhinosBR016

The Chosen of Nurgle march forward fearlessly, looking to assault the Pylon or to harass the Necron flanks
BR017

Metallic undead infantry come pouring forth from glowing portals located in the center of the MonolithsBR018

The garrisoned Chaos Space Marines unleash a hail of overwatch autocannon fire, cutting down three standsBR019

The Necron fire back, but only cause some suppressionBR020

A Black Legion Armored Company sallies forth and fires on the Monoliths, but, again, the strange metal seems impervious to their lascannon fireBR021

Monoliths fire beams at the Land Raiders, but their thick hulls hold true
BR022

CSM Havoks occupy a building and let loose with their autocannons.  The shells find their mark, and one of the Monoliths shatters!  Finally!  The Monolith formation is broken
BR023

The Necron have no more activations for this turn.  A CSM Retinue advances along the right flank and fires on the Obelisks, but cause no damage
BR024

The Slaanesh Chosen march along the left flank and take cover behind a large sand dune
BR025

 

The Titan marshals, clearing blast markers and regenerating shields.  The Hellblades, wary of the Necron Pylons, go on combat air patrol for the time being
BR025b

 

End of Turn 1BR026

 

The Monolith formation that sustained damage in the last turn disappears from the battlefield and reappears in an entirely different location!
BR027

The Chaos Space Marines, with their superior tactical abilities (Strategy Rating 4), go first. The Chosen fire on the formation and immediately break it.
BR028

The Black Legion retains the initiative.  Defilers fire battle cannon shells at the Warbarque, finally managing to damage it
BR029

In a cunning move, a Necron Monolith formation disgorges a phalanx of Warriors, Immortals and Pariahs into the flank of an Armored Company and CSM Retinue
BR030

An intermingled assault ensues!
BR031

The Necron are victorious.  The Armored Company and Retinue break and flee!
BR032

The titan advances and unloads on a Necron phalanx, breaking it
BR033

The Obelisks float unnaturally and unleash dizzying colored lights on the Chosen, killing and breaking the formation.  The Necron retain and a Pylon fires at the titan, but only drops one shield
BR034

A Black Legion Armored Formation advances and fires on the Warbarque, failing to penetrate its hull but confusing its systems enough to break itBR035

The other Necron Pylon fires at the titan, but the Necron technology is having a hard time getting past the shields.
BR036

The Slaanesh Chosen go on overwatch, choosing to take cover and threaten the Necron flankBR037

The Necron are out of activations.  A CSM Retinue sustains fire on a Monolith formation, destroying two and breaking the formation
BR038

Havoks advance and fire on the broken Necron Phalanx, destroying it utterly
BR039

The End of Turn 2
BR040

The Warbarque teleports back onto the battlefield, but the Armored Company is waiting for it.  Their lascannons find their mark and destroy the Warmachine
BR041

The Black Legion retain the initiative.  The titan lumbers forward and opens fire on a Necron phalanx, but destroys only one stand
BR042

The Monolith floats over the dune and unloads its deadly cargoBR043

The Necron phalanx assaults the Armored Company
BR044

Their gauss weapons shred the hulls of the Chaos tanks
BR045

The CSM Retinue shifts slightly to capture a nearby objective and fires at the Obelisks, again doing no damage
BR046

Black Legion retains the initiative.  The broken CSM Retinue rallied in the recovery phase.  It now pushes forward and fires on a phalanx, killing two stands and occupying an objective.
BR047

A Pylon sends a crackling bolt of pure energy at the titan but misses
BR048

The Defilers fire their battle cannons at the Obelisks and manage to destroy one
BR049

The Necron phalanx marshals and moves to contest a Black Legion Defend the Flag objective.  Its position in the Black Legion half of the battlefield also denies them the They Shall Not Pass objective.  Will they hold on?
BR050

If the Chaos Marines can shift the other Phalanx from this position, they can capture the Take and Hold objective.  Slaanesh Choosen circle around and set up a crossfire, but don’t do enough damage to break the formation
BR051

The Obelisks float over to protect the Necron tomb, and fire on and break the Nurgle Chosen
BR052

The Havoks sustained fire on the Phalanx, hoping to capture Defend the Flag and They Shall Not Pass objectives.  But the Necron hold on just one blast marker away from being broken!
BR053

The Hellblades, which stayed off the battlefield all game in fear of the Necron Pylons, fly on and fire on the Phalanx, breaking it!
BR054

The Black Legion have captured the Defend the Flag and They Shall Not Pass Objectives.  The Necron, seeing the futility of continuing to fight, disappear from the battlefield
BR055

 

The Chaos Space Marines advance on the ancient and mysterious ziggurat, not knowing what they might find inside….
BR056

Post Game Thoughts
What a fun game!!

This was my first time using my Black Legion army and it was my opponent’s first time using his Necron army.  This was purely a friendly match, not a league game or anything, so our goal was just to enjoy ourselves.  The Necron have a lot of funky special rules that probably take a while to get the hang of, so he didn’t know what he was doing, especially at the beginning of the game.  We’ll chalk it up to the Necron battle protocols not quite being booted yet – they are freshly awake after millions of years asleep, after all!

But we still had a lot of fun.  The Necron seem very interesting and I think have a great deal of potential for making a crafty and dangerous opponent.  I can’t wait to see what he comes up with as he gets a feel for the army.

I was quite impressed by the Black Legion.  This is pretty much my first time running anything other than loyalist marines, and it was cool playing by the same set of rules as everyone else for once.  The Black Legion feels like a horde army with bad ass armor saves.  Kind of like an elite Imperial Guard.  I was impressed by their resilience on defense and aggression on offense.  Super cool army that I look forward to getting familiar with in the future.

I’ll be continuing to write more showcase battle reports, and we will have a part two of this particular narrative!  Stay tuned!

Epic League Game – Blood Angels vs. Iron Warriors

This is game 7 of the the Los Angeles Epic league, and this one is a real grudge match.  My opponent this time is Volrath with his Iron Warriors, the last time we faced off, in a friendly non-league match, he was able to table my Blood Angels.  As the Blood Angels army champion, I’ve tweaked the list a bit, and this time I’m out for revenge!  Let’s see how it goes.

The Lists –

BLOOD ANGELS

DEATH COMPANY [300]
Chaplain, 4 Assault Death Company Units

DEVASTATOR DETACHMENT [250]
4 Devastators

THUNDERHAWK [200]

PREDATORS [275]
4 Baal Predator

PREDATORS [275]
4 Predator Annihilator

TACTICAL DETACHMENT [450]
6 Tacticals, Supreme Commander, Land Raider

ASSAULT DETACHMENT [375]
6 Assault Units, 2 Assault Units, Chaplain

THUNDERHAWK [200]

DEVASTATOR DETACHMENT [275]
4 Devastators, Blood Angels TL Lascannon Razorback

LAND SPEEDERS [200]
5 Land Speeder

BIKE DETACHMENT [200]
4 Blood Angels Bike, Attack Bike

IRON WARRIORS

IRON WARRIORS COMPANY [400]
6 Chaos Space Marines and 2 Havocs, Stalker, Warsmith (Supreme Commander)

IRON WARRIORS COMPANY [350]
6 Chaos Space Marines and 2 Havocs, Iron Warriors Lord, Stalker

IRON WARRIOR TERMINATORS [275]
Iron Warriors Lord, 4 Iron Warrior Terminator

DEFILER ASSAULT PACK [400]
6 Defilers

ARMOURED COMPANY [200]
4 Chaos Predator

ARMOURED COMPANY [250]
5 Chaos Predator

SUPER HEAVY COMPANY – DECIMATOR [225]
Decimator

SUPER HEAVY COMPANY – DECIMATOR [225]
Decimator

RAVAGER TITAN [650]

The forces face off
BR001

Blood Angels win the initiative roll and force the Iron Warriors to go first.  A CSM Retinue advances behind cover.
BR002

Blood Angel Land Speeders Zoom across to the other side of the table and take cover.  The deployment of my bikes and speeders here was mainly a feint to get the IW to divert resources to the left flank – my plan was to make my primary push through the city on the right flank and apply unequal force to collapse his battle line.
BR003

The second Iron Warrior Retinue advances forward on top of a Blood Angel objective.
BR004

Volrath has a tendency to play very aggressively with his Iron Warriors, which often works very well for him, but sometimes it leaves individual units exposed and unsupported. Knowing how tenaciously CSM Retinues can cling to objectives throughout matches, I jumped on this opportunity to destroy one.  The bikes lay down a blastmarker.
BR005

And then I retain the initiative to call in a Thunderhawk Assault with the Death Company
BR006

With support fire from the Bikes, the Blood Angels are able to break the CSM Retinue.
BR007

Iron Warrior retribution is swift and violent.  A Decimator entirely wipes out the formation of Blood Angel Bikes.
BR008

The Iron Warriors retain and Predators advance to fire on the Devastator squad, causing no casualties.
BR009

The Blood Angel Tactical formation with Supreme Commander advances into the city, being very careful to take advantage of cover.
BR010

The Iron Warrior Ravager Titan advances and destroys the Devastator Squad.
BR011

Iron Warriors retain the initiative and advances Predators, which then fire on the Thunderhawk, causing no damage.
BR012

Blood Angel Predator Annihilators advance and break an Iron Warrior Predator formation – my goal was to start breaking and destroying his smaller formations to cut into his activation count.
BR013

The Defilers advance and open fire with their battle cannons, but only kill one Predator.
BR014

Blood Angel Predators advance into cover and unload on the CSM Retinue hiding behind a building, needing sixes to hit and causing an unbelievable four casualties and nearly breaking the formation.
BR015

A Decimator lumbers forward and unloads on the Devastator formation, but only kills one stand.
BR016

The Blood Angel right flank seems to be holding its own very well, so I send my Baal Predators over to the collapsing IW left flank to push forward and eventually encircle the Chaos Space Marines.
BR017

The Iron Warriors are out of activations, so the Blood Angels call a second Thunderhawk Assault on the already broken CSM Retinue, not only to finish it off, but also to establish position in the IW rear / flank. The Blood Angels win the assault and rout the Chaos Space Marines.
BR018

At the end of Turn 1, the Blood Angels have nearly managed to encircle the Iron Warriors. The Blood Angels hold two objectives, the Iron Warriors one.
BR019

TURN 2

The Blood Angels win the roll to go first and take full advantage of it.  First, the Predator Annihilators fire on and break the Defiler formation.
BR020

Then they retain the initiative and the Death Company makes a ballsy assault against the Predator formation in the center of the battlefield.
BR021

The Death Company wins the assault without taking any casualties and sends the Predator formation packing.
BR023

An Iron Warrior Decimator unloads on the Blood Angel Devastator formation and breaks it.
BR024

The Iron Warriors retain the initiative, and the Ravager Titan destroys the Predator Annihilators.
BR025

The Blood Angel Assault Marines on the left flank fall back out of range of a Decimator lurking nearby, but remain within marching range of the IW Blitz objective and one Take and Hold objective.  Because one stand is within charge range of the Decimator, they actually need to overcome Frenzy to make this move.  They fail, but then pass on the Supreme Commander re-roll.
BR026

The remaining Iron Warrior CSM Retinue doubles over and opens fire on the Death Company, but does no damage.
BR027

The Iron Warriors retain the initiative and a Decimator advances and kills one stand of Death Company.
BR028

Back on the right flank, Blood Angel Land Speeders advance and open fire on a Decimator, but fail to do damage.  The blast marker would later prove important, however.
BR029

The Iron Warriors are out of activations, so the Blood Angels keep going.  Both Thunderhawks fail their initiative checks to come in for ground attacks and stay in the box of shame.
BR030

The Baal Predators advance and let loose a withering hail of the Emperor’s Justice upon the IW Marine Retinue, destroying quite a few stands and breaking the formation.
BR031

The Tactical Squad advances and puts fire down on the Decimator, doing one point of damage and breaking it.
BR032

The End of Turn 2 is not looking so good for the Iron Warriors.  Only two units are unbroken heading into the rally phase.  Meanwhile, most remaining Blood Angel formations are at or near full strength.
BR033

TURN 3

Before the turn begins, the Iron Warriors teleport the Terminators that they had forgotten about in Turn 2.
BR034

But, the Blood Angels manage to win the initiative roll again, for the third straight turn.  The broken Blood Angel Devastator formation, which managed to rally, fires on the also freshly rallied Defiler formation, instantly breaking it again.
BR035

The Blood Angels retain the initiative and send the Baal Predators to welcome the Chaos Terminators.  They destroy two stands and break the formation.
BR036

The Iron Warriors respond by breaking the Blood Angel Land Speeder formation with a Decimator.  The war is on to break and destroy objective grabbers.
BR037

The Tacticals consolidate their control of an IW take and hold objective, falling back to a position safe from the Ravager titan.
BR038

The CSM Retinue sustain fires on the Death Company, but does no damage.
BR039

A Blood Angel Thunderhawk lays down a blast marker on the IW Ravager, hoping to make his activation more difficult.
BR041

The Ravager lumbers over to protect the Blitz objective.
BR042

But that’s check mate.  The Blood Angel assault formation captures the second take and hold objective, and with no activations left, there are no unbroken Iron Warrior formations on the Blood Angel half of the table.  The Blood Angels win on Take and Hold and They Shall Not Pass victory conditions.
BR043

Game End
BR044

Post Game Breakdown

After getting tabled by Volrath running this exact same list in our last engagement, this solid Blood Angel victory was refreshing and encouraging.  The Predator Annihilators were able to break two Iron Warrior armored formations, and probably caused Volrath to overreact in his efforts to destroy them.  For the first time I was able to destroy armor without having to assault, and it adds a tactical dimension to the army and really makes them feel competitive. I definitely think this was a step in the right direction and I am very happy with the change.

Yes, this was a resounding Blood Angel victory, however, before we start thinking that the list is too powerful now, let’s look at things a little more closely.  First, I think I played a pretty solid game, while Volrath played a real stinker.  Numerous times he retained the initiative when it wasn’t really necessary, and often to attack formations of mine that had already acted – they weren’t going anywhere.  Leaving his retinue exposed and unsupported like that in Turn 1 was a gift to me.  He forgot to bring his Terminators in at the top of Turn 2.  His target selection was not optimal throughout the course of the game.  And in the third turn, had he moved his surviving retinue into my table half or moved to contest a Take and Hold objective, he could have forced a turn 4, and hopefully some of his units could have rallied. Volrath is usually a very good player, but tonight he was off.

I also had pretty good luck this game, particularly in winning the initiative roll all three turns. That was extremely helpful in dictating the pace of the match. As of right now, I am happy with where the Blood Angel list is.  It’s my opinion that the Iron Warriors list is quite powerful (indeed, Volrath has a winning record in our league), and now I think the Blood Angel list may be able to hold its own with the toughest lists out there.  All that seems to be left now is to playtest the Sanguinary Guard, and hopefully we can make the push for final approval.

Epic League Game – Blood Angels vs. Ghazkull’s Horde Battle Report

Epic League Round 6!

As the new Blood Angel Army Champion, I thought I would playtest my new proposal – teleporting assault marines! Will I be able to demonstrate the shock and awe of the Blood Angels assault with this change?

The Blood Angel List

DEATH COMPANY [300]
Chaplain, 4 Assault Death Company Units

ASSAULT DETACHMENT [300]
6 Assault Units, Captain

ASSAULT DETACHMENT [300]
6 Assault Units, Chaplain

SPACECRAFT [200]
Strike Cruiser

TACTICAL DETACHMENT [275]
6 Tacticals

TACTICAL DETACHMENT [275]
6 Tacticals

TERMINATOR DETACHMENT [350]
4 Terminators

DEVASTATOR DETACHMENT [250]
4 Devastators

THUNDERHAWK [200]

THUNDERBOLT FIGHTERS [175]
2 Thunderbolts

THUNDERBOLT FIGHTERS [175]
2 Thunderbolts

LAND SPEEDERS [200]
5 Land Speeder

The Ork List

Big Warband with 12 Boyz, 4 Grotz, 4 Nobz, 1 Flakwagon and Warlord 385

Big Warband with 12 Boyz, 4 Grotz, 4 Nobz, 1Flakwagon  385

Fighta Sqwadron with 6 Fighta Bommerz 300

Fighta Sqwadron with 6 Fighta Bommerz 300

Big Blitz Brigade with Big Mek, 8 Gunwagonz, 1 Flakwagon 335

Big Blitz Brigade with Big Mek, 8 Gunwagonz, 2 Flakwagonz 370

Big Blitz Brigade with 8 Deth Koptas 250

Normal Kult of Speed with 9 Warbuggies 225

Landa 200

Normal Warband with 8 Boyz, 4 Grotz, 2 Nobz, in Landa 250

 

The start of the game. Units and objectives are marked.

011b

For their first activation, the Marines put the Thunderbolts on CAP
013b

The Ork warband doubles forward
015b

The second Thunderbolt formation goes on CAP
017b

Blitz Brigade doubles forward
018b

Landspeeders double behind cover
019b

Warbuggies double forward and grab a Blood Angel objective
022b

The Blood Angels have no more activations.  The garrisoned Ork warband advances and captures another Blood Angel objective.
024b

The Ork Fightas attempt to strafe the Landspeeders, but they are intercepted and forced to jink.  One Fighta goes down.
025b

The next Fighta Skwadron attacks the Landspeeders and are intercepted, but the Thunderbolts fail to hit.  The Fightas do not damage any Lanspeeders.
027b

A very short turn.  This is the state of things at the end of Turn 1.  The Orks are in control of two Blood Angel objectives.
029b

 

TURN 2

Teleport time!  Two Blood Angel Assault formations drop from high altitude onto the battlefield.  One takes a blast marker on the way in.  Terminators appear from nowhere to threaten the Blitz Brigade protecting the Ork Blitz objective.
035b

Marines win the roll to go first, and the Blood Angel captain calls a combined assault against the Big Ork Warhorde.
037b

Furious battle ensues.  The Ork Horde is nearly wiped out, but the marines take heavy casualties in return, losing seven out of twelve stands.
040b

The Ork warband breaks, as does one Blood Angel assault formation.  The remaining unbroken assault formation consolidates behind cover and controls an Ork objective.
042b

In a hot-headed move, the marines retain the initiative and assault the Ork Blitz Brigade with their Terminator formation.
044b

The Terminators break the Blitz Brigade, but it is a Pyrrhic victory.  The Terminators are wiped out.  Orks capture the Break Their Spirit Objective.
045b

Ork Fightas fly in and break the marine assault formation.
047b

The Landspeeders double to fire upon the Warbuggies holding onto the Blood Angel objective.  They only manage to kill one.
048b

The second Skwadron of Ork Fightas fails its initiative check.
049b

Thunderbolts fly in and strafe the broken warband unit, destroying it completely.  Blood Angels capture the Ork Break Their Spirit Objective.
050b

Deff Coptas double forward and destroy three Landspeeders, breaking them.
054b

The second Thunderbolt formation fails to activates and stays in the box of shame.
055b

The Ork warbuggies fail their initiative check.
057b

They elect to regroup and clear all blast markers.
059b

DROP POD ASSAULT!  The deathwind finishes off the broken Blitz Brigade.  The Space Marines capture the Ork Blitz objective.
060b

The orbital bombardment preceding the drop pod assault only manages to spook a couple of Orks.
064b

The Tactical formation camping the Ork Blitz go on overwatch.
065b

The remaining Ork Warband doubles forward and destroys the broken Landspeeder formation.
066b

The Ork Landa strafes a broken assault marine formation and destroys it.
067a

The tacticals that arrived via drop pod sustain fire on the Ork warbuggies, but only kill one.
069b

The end of Turn 2.  The Blood Angels control the Ork Blitz, while the Orks control two Blood Angel objectives claiming take and hold.  Both sides have the Break Their Spirit objective. The marines are significantly outnumbered.
072b

The broken assault formation rallies!  The marines control another Ork objective.
074b

 

TURN 3

But not for long!  A Fighta Skwadron flies in and crushes them.
078b

Thunderbolts go on CAP
079b

Marines retain and the other Thunderbolt formation strafes the warbuggies, breaking them and taking control of the BA objective out of Ork hands.
080b

The Ork warband goes on overwatch.
082b

Blood Angel tacticals go on overwatch and continue to camp the Ork Blitz.
083b

An Ork Blitz Brigade doubles to contest the Ork Blitz.  They eat heavy overwatch fire on the way in.  The marines kill three vehicles, just one blast marker shy of breaking the formation.  The Ork Blitz is now contested.
087b

The situation for the Space Marines is dire.  It is Turn 3, and the Orks now have Take and Hold and Break Their Spirit, while the marines only have Break Their Spirit.  In a single activation, the marines swing the momentum in the other direction.  The Thunderhawk calls a ground attack on the Blitz Brigade and breaks it, bringing control of the Ork Blitz back into Blood Angel hands.  At the same time, it disembarks a Devastator formation onto an Ork Objective.  The Blood Angles now have Blitz, Take and Hold, and Break their Spirit.
089b

 

An Ork Fighta Skwadron tries to destroy the Devastators, but only kill one stand.
091b

The Ork Landa declares an Air Assault.  Thunderbolts intercept but only put one damage counter on the Landa.  The Big Warband easily destroys the remaining three Devastator stands.  The Blood Angels lose Take and Hold.
093b

The end of Turn 3 and the game is tied.  The Blood Angels have the Blitz and BTS objective, the Orks have Take and Hold and BTS.  The Space Marines are hanging on by a thread, with only two Tactical formations and the Death Company on the ground.
095b

TURN 4

Tacticals march and occupy a building, capturing an Ork objective.  The Blood Angels have Take and Hold again.
097b

An Ork Warband spreads out and manages to come within control range of three objectives!  They contest the Ork objective that the Angels just captured.  Game still tied.
099b

Thunderbolts fly in and try to knock the Warband off of the objectives.  They inflict one casualty.  Not enough.
101b

Ork Fightas strafe the Tacticals camping the Blitz, killing one stand.
103b

The Death Company marches across the battlefield and contests the Blood Angel Objective.  Orks lose Take and Hold.
105b

The second Fighta Skwadron strafes the Marine Tactical formation on the Blitz, but fails to kill a stand!
107b

An Ork Warband doubles and opens fire on the Space Marine Tactical formation contesting the Ork objective, and kills one stand.
112b

The second Thunderbolt squadron strafes the Ork Warband, nearly knocking them off the objective.  One stand of Orks (arguably) remains within 15cm.
113b

The Deff Coptas fly up to contest the Blitz Objective.  They eat overwatch fire on the way in, but none of them go down!  The Ork Blitz is contested.  Both the Marines and the Orks only have BTS at this point.  The game is tied.
118b

The Thunderhawk comes in and strafes the warband, killing many stands.  The Warband is now definitively knocked off of the Objective.
120b

The Ork Landa swoops in to contest the Objective.
121b

The End of Turn 4.  The game is a tie.  The Blood Angels and the Orks only have the Break Their Spirit objective.  Victory Points are added up, and the Orks win with 1400 VP to the Blood Angels 1150 VP.
123b

O rk Victory.

Post Game Wrap Up

What a great game.  Back and forth, back and forth.  Absolutely grueling, however.  By turn 4, neither of us were thinking straight.  The back and forth over that one Ork objective late in Turn 4 was probably moot at that point.  It had been a long battle.

First and foremost, I think the teleporting assault marines made a GREAT addition to the list. It wasn’t so much that they were effective, but they were fun and thematic.  Blood Angels are all about the shock and awe blitzkrieg assault, and nothing says in your face like a bunch of frothing assault marines dropping in on your backline.

From a list balance standpoint, neither I nor my opponent found the capability imbalancing.  In fact, one of my major complaints about the Blood Angel list has been that it is nearly impossible to capture the BTS objective with our lack of tools.  However, as you can see from this battle report, teleporting the assault marines in and calling a combined assault is what enabled me to break the Ork BTS and ultimately destroy it.

I still felt as though I was playing Epic on Hard Mode with the Blood Angel list, but, being able to capture the BTS objective kept me in the fight long enough to have a fighting chance.  I still think the list needs work, but this is a fun, exciting, and balancing step in the right direction.

Thunderbolts are a unit I normally will add as an afterthought, but, I really liked the flexibility that having two formations offered me.  It can be tough to cover the entire table with Blood Angels, however, with the Thunderbolts, you can reach out and hurt someone anywhere on the board.  However, are those 350 points better spent on boots on the ground?  Maybe.  Especially considering I had precious few units capable of grabbing objectives.  Will have to give this some thought.

The Ork player really played a masterpiece of a game.  Feinting, grabbing objectives, attacking the right units.  He had some bad luck on a couple of key rolls in the game, specifically when he sent so many Fightas at my tactical squad camping the Blitz and only killed one stand.  With all of the firepower he sent at that unit, under normal luck conditions, I think it would have been broken.

Great game, lots of fun, and lots of great material for list development!

League Game – Blood Angels vs. Ghazkull’s Orks – An Epic Armageddon Battle Report

The Mighty Blood Angels take on Da Blue Bandit’s War Horde in the latest Epic 2014 League game.

The Blood Angel list

DEATH COMPANY [450] 
Chaplain, 4 Assault Death Company Units, 2 Furioso Dreadnought

THUNDERHAWK [200] 

ASSAULT DETACHMENT [375] 
6 Assault Units, 2 Assault Units, Chaplain

THUNDERHAWK [200] 

PREDATORS [375] 
4 Baal Predator, Blood Angels Hunter

DEVASTATOR DETACHMENT [400] 
4 Devastators, 2 Land Raider

TACTICAL DETACHMENT [675] 
6 Tacticals, Supreme Commander, 3 Stormraven Gunship, Blood Angels Hunter

LAND SPEEDERS [200] 
5 Land Speeder

THUNDERBOLT FIGHTERS [175] 
2 Thunderbolts

The Ork list

BLITZ BRIGADE [150] 
2 Flakwagon, 2 Gunwagon

BLITZ BRIGADE [150] 
2 Flakwagon, 2 Gunwagon

BLITZ BRIGADE [150] 
2 Flakwagon, 2 Gunwagon

MEKBOY STOMPAMOB [670] 
3 Stompa, 4 Killa Kan, 2 Dreadnought, Supa Stompa

WARBAND [250] 
2 Nobz, 6 Boyz, 2 Grotz, 2 Boyz + Grotz

FIGHTA SKWADRON [300] 
6 Fighta Bomba

LANDA [200] 

WARBAND (BIG) [630] 
4 Nobz, 12 Boyz, 4 Grotz, 8 Battlewagon

KULT OF SPEED [200] 
8 Warbuggy

BLITZ BRIGADE [150] 
4 Gunwagon

BLITZ BRIGADE [150] 
4 Gunwagon

Da Blue Bandit’s Kustom Landa
Image

Da Blue Bandit’s Big Stompy Toys
Image

The Battlefield
Image

Ork objectives
Image

Blood Angel objectives (the gold coins)
The Blood Angels set up strong left
Image

The Ork deployment
Image

The Orks win the roll and elect to go first
The Big Mob moves forward and occupies some ruins
Image

The Thunderbolts go on Combat Air Patrol
Image

An Ork Blitz Brigade doubles, gleefully firing their guns in the air
Image

The Devastators double and occupy the Imperial Building.  They open fire on the Big Mob, but fail to do any damage
Image

Anuvva Blitz Brigade doubles!
Image

Blood Angel Land Speeders march over to the right flank in an act of deception (and activation burning)
Image

Another Blitz Brigade advances…
Image

Baal Predators advance and take cover, another Blitz Brigade moves (top right), and the Blood Angel command squad flies forward and opens fire on a Blitz Brigade, doing no damage
Image

Aaaaand yet another Blitz Brigade advances, fires, but does no damage
Image

Thunderhawk assault on the right flank
Image

The marines easily mop up the small Blitz Brigade and consolidate
Image

The Mekboy Stompa Mob doubles and shoots at the Blood Angel command squad,
laying down two blast markers but otherwise doing no damage
Image

An intimidating (and loud and smelly!) Ork presence in the center of the field
Image

Ork Warbuggies zoom up and shoot, doing no damage but putting another blast marker down
Image

And the Fighta Skwadron flies in and wipes out all of the Stormravens
Image

In a bold (foolish?) move, Da Blue Bandit sends his Landa on a strafing run against Blood Angel command. The Thunderbolts intercept and shoot it down, killing the warband inside
Image

End of Turn 1
Image

The Marines win the initiative roll and the Assault Marines engage a Blitz Brigade, wiping it out
Image

The Marines retain the initiative and the Devastators go on overwatch
Image

The Ork Warbuggies move into flanking position and open fire, but do no damage
Image

“I GOTZ A KUNNIN PLAN”, says the Blue Bandit.  “YOUZ BOYZ IZ GUNNA CROSSFIRE DEM BEAKIES”  The Orks retain, the Blitz Brigade doubles and opens fire, killing two stands and breaking the squad “AN’ DATZ WHY I’Z IZ DA BOSS!”, proclaims the Bandit.  “NOW MY ‘EAD ‘URTS THO”
Image

Blood Angel command beats an, ahem, tactical retreat to the cover of the AA umbrella
Image

The Thunderbolts fail to activate and stay in the box of shame!
Image

The Mekboy Stompa Mob takes a risk on an advance order and succeeds.  The mob occupies the ruins in the center and blast away at Blood Angels command, killing two stands.  The BA Devastators took overwatch fire, but did no damage
Image

The Baals advance to within 15cm of the Stompa Mob, laying down a blast marker and taking down a shield from the Supa Stompa
(Note – this was a semi-pivotal point in the game.  The idea was I would retain the initiative and Thunderhawk assault with the Death Company.  However, I discovered here that the Supa Stompa was a 3DC War Engine, and that changed the math of the already risky assault enough to dissuade me from doing it, and left my Baals in poor position)

Image

A Blitz Brigade doubles and shoots at BA command, but does no damage
Image

Land Speeders fly up to threaten Ork objectives
Image

The Big Warband doubles and destroys two Baal Predators
Image

The Ork Fightas fly in and finish of Blood Angel command, earning the Break Their Spirit objective

Image

END OF TURN 2

Turn 3, the Marines go first.  Baal predators advance and destroy a gun wagon.  Marines retain, and the Devastators abandon their position in the building and take cover behind it.  They open fire and break the Warbuggies
Image

The Supa Stompa shoots at the Land Speeders, but only manages to put down blast markers
Image

The empty Thunderhawk strafes the Blitz Brigade, breaking it
The Blood Angels are desperately trying to destroy Ork objective grabbing units
Image

The Assault squad moves to capture an Ork objective
Image

The Big Warband reacts, contesting the objective and killing a stand of Marines
Image

Thunderbolts strafe the Stompa Mob with the idea of putting down blast markers for a last-ditch Death Company assault to capture BTS
Image

Realizing that isn’t likely, the Death Company lands on the Blood Angel’s blitz objective, in case any of the broken Ork units rally on top of it
End of Turn 3
Image

End of Turn 3 Status
Orks – Break Their Spirit
Blood Angels – They Shall Not Pass

Unfortunately, the game store was closing and we had to declare the match a tie.

Post-game thoughts:

Hoo-boy.  Where to begin.  Well, it was an exciting and closely contested match.  The Ork player is relatively new to Epic, but he is learning very quickly.  It was a fun and very close game.

Blood Angels Playtesting Thoughts:

Eight-stand Assault Marine Squads – in the past, I have stated that this unit is useless or close to it.  I stand corrected.  They can be useful under certain circumstances.  For coming in via Thunderhawk and mopping up isolated small units and grabbing backfield objectives, they can be useful.  However, a Thunderhawk is absolutely required for this unit to be effective, making it a pretty hefty investment at 575 points.  I’m not sure it’s 575 points useful.

Baal Predators – While I had success with this unit the first time I ran it, I am becoming less and less impressed the more I use it.  I absolutely can’t see what justifies a 300 point price tag for these.  The problem is that they are only useful against infantry, but most infantry stays cooped up inside of their transports, and Blood Angels don’t have a lot of tools for cracking those transports.  So, most of the time, the Baals end up firing on armor, a task for which they are ill-suited.  This unit should be 250 points maximum in my opinion, particularly in the context of the Blood Angel list.

The list as a whole still feels woefully under-powered to me, especially against armor, in spite of the fact that I took Stormravens and more Land Raiders.  The Stormravens are simply too fragile to start on the table with, however, because all of the other Blood Angel units are so expensive, the 200 points that it costs to planetfall them is too much.  I was already very light on activations for this match even without burning another 200 on a spacecraft.  I almost feel as though Stormravens should be 50 points apiece, especially in light of the AT missile nerf.

675 points is an absurd cost for my command squad consisting of six stands of tactical marines, three Stormravens, and a Hunter.  Just too much.  I never want to take that unit again.

The Devastator squad with two Land Raiders performed decently and I will take that unit again.  However, it’s a unit that any Space Marine list can take.

Due to the lack of AT weaponry in the Blood Angel list, the BTS objective is effectively off the table in every game.  There was simply no way I could have destroyed that Stompa Mob through shooting, and I would have had to dedicate at least three or four units to assaulting it in order to win decisively and break it (which still would not have earned me the BTS).  The Death Company with Furioso dreadnoughts, while powerful, just doesn’t pack the punch it needs to reliably break units like this.  As a result, the Blood Angels enter nearly every game with a one-objective handicap.

Even being gifted with the Ork commander’s poor decisions – the Landa strafing run and then the poor placement of the Big Warband (giving me TSNP objective), I only managed a tie.  Had the game gone to turn four, I am nearly certain I would have lost.

I should also note that I was running the Furioso Dreadnoughts at a 50 point cost.

I love the Blood Angels, but I can’t help but feel that justice is not being done for this venerable chapter with the army list as it stands.

Blood Angels vs. Steel Legion – An Epic Armageddon Battle Report

Hello!  Here we are with a battle report from out Los Angeles Epic League 2014.  The Steel Legion army is not completely painted unfortunately.  Ordinarily I am reluctant to make a batrep unless the armies are 100% painted, but, in the interest of gathering playtest data, here it is.

The lists:

Steel Legion Ducal Guard

REGIMENTAL HQ [500]
Supreme Commander, 12 Infantry, 7 ChimeraINFANTRY COMPANY [275]
Commander, 12 Infantry, 1 SniperTANK COMPANY [825]
10 Leman Russ, Tank Squadron (3 Leman Russ)SUPER-HEAVY TANK COMPANY [500]
3 BanebladeSUPER-HEAVY TANK PLATOON [200]
Shadowsword

SUPER-HEAVY TANK PLATOON [200]
Shadowsword

FLAK BATTERY [150]
3 Hydra

SENTINEL SQUADRON [100]
4 Sentinels

SENTINEL SQUADRON [100]
4 Sentinels

THUNDERBOLT FIGHTERS [150]
2 Thunderbolts

Blood Angels

DEATH COMPANY [450]
Chaplain, 4 Assault Death Company Units, 2 Furioso Dreadnought

THUNDERHAWK [200]

SPACECRAFT [200]
Strike Cruiser

TACTICAL DETACHMENT [275]
6 Tacticals

TACTICAL DETACHMENT [275]
6 Tacticals

SCOUT DETACHMENT [150]
4 Scouts

DEVASTATOR DETACHMENT [275]
4 Devastators, Blood Angels TL Lascannon Razorback

DEVASTATOR DETACHMENT [275]
4 Devastators, Blood Angels TL Lascannon Razorback

LAND SPEEDERS [200]
5 Land Speeder

PREDATORS [300]
4 Baal Predator

ASSAULT DETACHMENT [250]
6 Assault Units

THUNDERBOLT FIGHTERS [175]
2 Thunderbolts

The Battlefield and Deployment

Image

Blood Angels win the strategy roll and force the Steel Legion to go first.

Steel Legion places Thunderbolts on Combat Air Patrol

Space Marines double with their scouts and occupy the buildings on their left flank
Image

A Steel Legion Shadowsword advances and vaporizes a Baal Predator
Image

Blood Angel Land Speeders push forward and hide behind the building that the scouts have occupied
Image

Steel Legion Attack Buggies (counts-as Sentinels) advance and fire on the scouts, but do no damage
Image

Blood Angel Devastators double and fire on the Leman Russ Tank Company
Image

Baneblades retaliate, killing 3 stands of devastators and their Razorback
Image

The second formation of Devastators doubles and fires at the Baneblades, but do no damageImage

Shadowsord advances and fires on the damaged Devastator squad, killing the marines and breaking the formation.  It flees back towards its deployment zone
Image

Assault Marines double along the right flank
Image

The Regimental HQ advances and fires upon the Assault Marines, killing two stands
Image

Baal Predators double, but only inflict two casualtiesImage

Steel Legion Hydra Battery advances and fires on the Devastators, killing one stand
Image

Thunderhawk Assault!  Steel Legion Thunderbolts attempt to intercept, but do no damage.  Death Company assaults, supported by the Baal Predators, and breaks the Regimental HQ
Image

The garrisoned Infantry Platoon on the left flank opens fire on the scouts, but inflicts no kills
Image

Space Marine Drop Pods arrive.  This was a pivotal issue in the game – The Steel Legion commander had correctly predicted the location of the Space Marine drop in the center of his own deployment zone, and set his forces up to pincer the dropping marine forces.  The Marines tried to alter their drop zone as far as possible from the Leman Russ Company hoping to establish a beachhead on the right flank, but were still left exposed and in poor position.

One Tactical Squad opened fire on the broken Regimental HQ, killing all but two stands.
Image

The vengeance of the Leman Russ Company is swift and furious.  They double, open fire on the other Tactical Squad and break it.  The Tac Squd retreats to nearby ruins.
Image

The end of Turn 1
Image

After some suppressing fire from the Tactical Squad, Space Marine Devastators Launch a valiant assault against the Leman Russ Company
Image

The Devastators manage to force three rounds of combat!  Alas, the Russes are just too strong.  But the Marines manage to take three tanks with them.
Image

The Baal Predators advance and fire on the Buggies in terrain, but only kill one.  The Steel Legion Baneblades advance and open fire on the Tactical Squad, killing one stand
Image

The Attack Buggies and Infantry Company fire at the Scout Squad, breaking it
Image

Land Speeders advance and break the Attack Buggies
Image

Stormsword advances, fires on the Tac Squad, killing one stand
Image

Blood Angel Thunderbolts ground attack the Attack Buggies, breaking them
Image

The Death Company Thunderhawk Assault goes horribly wrong.  Despite only needing to roll a 3 to tie the assault or a 4+ to win, the dice come up double-twos, and they lose.
Image

The Hydra Battery advances and breaks the Tactical Squad
Image

Steel Legion Thunderbolts ground attack, killing two Land Speeders
Image

In the Rally Phase, the only Blood Angel formation that manages to rally is the Death Company, who, of course, cannot capture objectives.  At top of 3, the Angels only have four unbroken formations left (one of which cannot score).
Image

Infantry Company opens fire on the Land Speeders, breaking them.  Down to three unbroken formations
Image

The Baal Predators attempt to march to take a Defend the Flag objective, and fail activation on a 1
Image

The Leman Russ Company opens fire on the Death Company and destroys it, sealing victory with Break Their Spirit and Defend the Flag.  The Blood Angels do not have enough unbroken formations to contest or take any objectives with.
070

Victory Steel Legion.

Game called middle of Turn 3
Image

Post-game thoughts –

1. First of all, kudos to the Steel Legion commander for setting up that drop zone trap.  And shame on me for falling for it.  That was a huge blunder that was difficult to recover from.  Ordinarily, however, I don’t think it would have necessarily been a fatal mistake, but several other factors combined to make victory very difficult for me.

2. Blood Angels have no anti-tank.  There is basically no way I could have dealt with that huge 13-strong Leman Russ Company.  I did get close to breaking it in assault, but, with so many tanks, any given Space Marine formation is likely to be outnumbered, sometimes even 2-to-1 just going in.  In the way of anti-tank shooting, I only had the Razorbacks and missile launchers, which needed 7s most of the time.  There just is no way for this list to deal with Baneblades and Russes short of assault.

3.  Bad dice-rolling.  Couldn’t rally any units, failed a bunch of activation checks, etc.  I feel like BA dice-rolls need to be on point going up against a bad matchup for the army such as Steel Legion, and the dice just weren’t there for me.  Perhaps it is a reflection of a weakness in the list that there is no room for bad dice rolls.

4. Furioso dreadnoughts are not worth 75 points.  For what they bring to the table, I can’t see why they are so expensive.  At 50, they might be worthwhile – I could have had two additional LasCan Razorbacks with those additional points.  But even at 50 they are far from “auto take”.  Seems better to load the Thunderhawk up with Death Company and a Devastator formation.

5. I think Stormravens could have helped against Steel Legion with their AT missiles and alpha strike abilities.  Unfortunately, however, I have pledged all painted for this league, and I didn’t have my Stormraven models painted up yet.