13.5.7 1850 Grey Knights vs Chaos Daemons "Where the Hammer meets the Anvil"

Had a great game with Connor two Tues ago.  If you ever have the opportunity to play a game with him, I highly suggested it.

JJ playing, what an excellent game.  What a great time.  Quite weird that we are playing a game so soon after our last.  Normally we go at least 3 months before playing again.  I'm glad we had another game.  He's such a fun person to game with.

Wore my Chicks Hate Me t-shirt.  Met Connor at Fantasy Flight.  The place was bouncing.  All gaming tables full.  Wargaming tables as well.  Beautiful thing about going to a store regularly and buying toys, the buying is terribly important, you earn some pull.  Petitioned the big chief in charge.  He was more than visibly upset that one set of tables had others peoples games on them and wasn't being used.  He asked them if they were using that table and they said no.  He set us up on that table.

Quick note about the relationship between patrons and businesses.  It is never about what the business can do for the patron.  It is always about what the patron can do for the business.  We directly influence the environment we enter.

This was a fun battle.  I felt the mettle of both armies were truly tested.  Hence the name in the title.

Connor's list

HQ
Bloodthirster with greater gift (took blade of blood), exalted gift (took The Eternal Blade) -300  Warlord, rolled instant death
Herald of khorne x3, juggernaut, greater gift (rolled two Touch of Uncreation and one hellfire gaze) -360
Troops
20x daemonettes -180
20x daemonettes -180
10x daemonettes -90
Fast attack
10x flesh hounds of khorne -120
10x flesh hounds of khorne -120
10x flesh hounds of khorne -120
Heavy Support
Skull Cannon -125
Skull Cannon -125
Skull Cannon -125

Total: 1845

proxies: dreadnought and killa-cans as heralds on juggernauts, orcs as daemonettes and flyer stands as skull cannons

Mission: The Scouring.  Deployment: Dawn of War.

Won roll off decided to deploy and go first.

In the midst of having fun with Connor forgot to take a pic of the table.

Grey Knights deploy.  Unpictured Daemons deploy.

Connor says he's going to seize initiative by rolling a 6 and does.  Amazing!  How he said it and happened amazed me.

Top of first.  Exactly as Connor says the daemons come roaring out of their deployment zone.  All six objectives are on my side of the table.  Fleshhounds, or as Connor says "Khorndogs," can't assault because of scout move.  I'm getting that horrible, and quite familiar, feeling in my gut about this game.  Lots of models to take down before they wipe me out.  Bloodthirster takes to flight.  Skull cannons take a few Purifiers off the table.

Bottom of first.  I've grown as a 40k and a Grey Knight player.  Originally thought about halberd combat squads disembarking into terrain and hammers onto open ground.  Then it occurred to why have hammers in the open at I 1 when models charging through cover area also I 1.  Oh, perforated enemy, damn funny, Connor, is awesome!  A tremendous amount of shooting and fleshhounds are greatly reduced in number.  Several heralds take wounds as well.  Connor made several awesome saves.  He said he doesn't want to make all these good rolls so early in the game.  1VP First Blood Grey Knights.

Top of second.  Bloodthirster lands and takes out a combat squad.  Daemons continue to come in hot.  Momentum appears to be slowed.  Another combat squad taken out by fleshhounds on the right.  More skull cannon tossing skulls.  Few more Purifiers taken off.  Far herald with hounds multi-assault and nothing happens.  Herald has touch of uncreation and assaults Psyfleman.  Can't roll higher than 5 AP to save his life.  It's about this time that Connor started spiking his dice into the table.  Which I found extremely hilarious.  No doubt others would be wondering what is going with concern stretched across their face.  Connor talks about tabling me.  I do the quick math and number of Grey Knights left.  Inform him he doesn't have enough turns in the game to table me.

Bottom of second.  This is the round that things turned around.  If I was paying attention the whole time I wouldn't have been worried.  Punishing psyammunition laces itself through tethered warp forms of the daemons before them.  Ghastly parishioners of khorne are easily exiled back to whence they came.  A buffer has been created between the Grey Knights and Chaos Daemons.  That buffer will ensure success in winning this battle.  Crowe is more than a little upset because one and half combat squads with a Psyfleman take out the Bloodthirster.  What is Crowe supposed to do now?  Believe it or not, I believe Crowe's stolen opportunity to sacrifice himself while taking out the Bloodthirster is the reason why the game ended the way it did.  Using olde tactics I pulled out of the dusty past.  Psyhinos (rhino with psyammunition), Connor told me to stop calling them that, move to block the incoming daemonettes.  Vindicare did what he does best.  Turbo-pentrator takes out a Skull Cannons weapon.

Top of third.  Connor's a little upset with 5th ed tactics of Rhinos blocking infantry movement believe he said "What's with this 5th ed tactics of using tanks to block movement?."  I tell him the Psyhinos, he tells me to stop calling them that, have always been there.  Ten daemonette squad takes out one psyhino.  Overwatch with perforated enemy and cleansing flame attacks help to reduce 20 daemonettes to about 10.  Lose some Purifers in the exchange.  About this time Connor mentions how Grey Knights are specifically designed to take out daemons and goes on about Phil Kelly til the end of the game.  The way he goes on about Grey Knights and Phil Kelly during the rest of the game is quite humourous.

Bottom of third.  Connor's dice spiking becomes damned hilarious.  As he said "You yell at your dice.  Then throw it at the table.  That is how you make your saves." psst, it wasn't working.  More psyammunition and cleansing flame takes out immediate deamonettes.  This is where I jokingly say "I might table your daemons."  Connor scoffs at the remark.  Crowe continues his inexorable march towards his new goal: 20 daemonettes sitting on the middle objective which is worth 4 points.  One Purifier moves to 2 point objective in the foreground.  Around this time I looked at Connor saying "You can call it and give me the win" he wasn't have any of that.

Top of fourth.  The skull cannons haven't treated him well.  One immobilized itself in first turn.  Another immobilized itself this turn and as Connor says they haven't removed their points of Purifers from the table.  Ten daemonettes assault four Purifers and are reduced to one model.  Thanks again to perforated enemy, damn funny, Connor, in overwatch and cleansing flame.  Skull cannon without cannon plans to tank shock single Purifier on objective.  More skull cannon templates to take Purifier off objective and the Grey Knight stands unscathed.

Bottom of fourth.  Vindicare and Crowe are still on the field.  Amazing.  Crowe moves to his target.  Finally the keeper of anarch will get some action.  Vindicare takes out a skull cannon.  Combined shooting from psyflemen, Connor tells me to stop saying that, takes out other two skull cannons.  He's now hap-hazardly tossing them to the side of the table.  If you're thinking I'm terribly excited at this point I am!  Four Purifers take out last daemonette in h2h, hand-to-hand.  Consolidate to Crowe to cheer him on.  Crowe removes a lot of daemonettes from middle objective.  Love that Cleansing Flame.

These are the moments you dream about in 40k.  You're HQ in H2H with the last four models on the table.

Top of fifth.  Crowe takes out one daemonette because he only has one attack.  Connor chidingly says his turn is done.

One daemonette with five Purifiers working on her.  (That comment was on purpose)

Bottom of fifth.  Four Purifers arrive to help Crowe out.  I take my time rolling the dice.  Savouring this moment.  Enjoying a proper finish, well-deserved in my opinion, while using my Purifiers.  Joe x is nearby and I say "My Purifiers are 2 and 12.  I want to enjoy this moment."  Last daemonette removed.  I flew around the table and gave Connor a hug and thanked him for letting me win.

Pile of dead daemons.

Win! Tabled Chaos Daemons

I think I've figured out how to use the Vindicare Assassin.  Still working on him.


Damn I was worried about this game.  The horde rush to the front lines put me on notice.  Forced myself to consider tactics from the past and utilize them in this game.  One point Connor suggested to take a wound on a hammer instead of a psycannon.  I was thinking of using the hammer to ensure the daemons death.  Asked Connor to explain the strategy to me.  He said The Purifiers will take out the one daemon and then I'll have two psycannons to use in my shooting phase.  As he said "Comes down to best use of points."  He goes on to explain that the psycannon is more worth the points than the hammer.  Followed his suggestion took the hammer off.  As he shared his thinking about the greater whole of the game that had me thinking perhaps I should start focusing on the larger game.  One surprising thing about this game is I was able to keep my tactics in mind the entire time.  Last time I was having so much fun with Connor, as usual, that it was difficult for me to stay on task.  Since I've had a few more games I'm not having to focus on tactics as much.

Thanks for the game, Connor!  You're a blast as always.


slainte mhath