Fields of Blood 2010 BatReps - Part Two

Hrmmm.  This one will be shorter than the last one.  Essentially, we faced off against a combo of Khan bikes (2x9 strong with AB, 1 squad of 3 Attack Bikes with MM - as many Meltas as possible) and Blood Angel Jumpers (Libby, one Priest, 2x10 RAS with Melta, 1 squad of 6(?) Vanguard Vets with PW and a Plasma Pistol)*

We lost the roll to go first, and were forced to go first.  Shit.


So, we were in the unenviable position of playing Annihilation, on Spearhead, against an army more than capable of going full-Reserve, and coming in from essentially any direction.  So, we set up in our corner, entirely focused on their ability to Outflank.  I take the blame for this - in essence, I did it forgetting that he had the whole long edge to bring the Bikes in if he opted NOT to Outflank...well, I didn't forget, I just considered it a lesser enough priority that it was fine.


Obviously, the Speeders are about to move out and block that edge - or at least, threaten to, in order to force their hand, and prevent Outflanking.  Kewl Beans, this part of the plan worked.  They put their entire army into regular Reserve.  This was great, as we had both had slight time issues in time one (well, theirs were slight...) and we were all happy to get turns one and two through in a flash.   Their army pics, btw:
 

Apologies for the lack of crotch shots so far.  :(

Anyway, when things were about to start happening, it looked like this - though we spent some more time shifting Speeders angles, and pointing out they all moved at least 12.1" to gain Cover...essentially, at the time, I thought that it was best to give everything cover, and was for some reason more worried about the BA coming in and getting Double Dice than the Multi-Meltas.  In hindsight, I think Reserving the whole list should have worked out better, or even Castling more properly, and not expanding outward because there was nothing to fight yet.  Hell - perhaps the Speeders should have Deep Struck, but we both wanted to block the edge and negate the Outflank.  If you're paying for an ability you don't use, after all, surely we are on top? Well...no, not really.  Not if it forces our hand so dramatically.  Anyway.

Things started to happen, and they happened a little like this:


Yay! Crotches, amirite?  As I predicted, the BA tried to be super-aggressive, and leap into double-dice range.  I'm pretty sure the VV came in and got a Mishap, going back into Reserve...I may be wrong.

Anyway, the results of us having one Shooting phase at each other...


Our army has suffered FAR more than theirs.  In fact, thanks to (primarily me) the cock up with not shielding the Speeders, as we did EVERY OTHER GAME, we lost our most significant threat.  Great.

Since it couldn't shoot, we decided to try and hold Khaaaaaaannn back, and give his unit an obvious target in order to preserve our Predators, and to clear the killing zone around the RAS we butchered.

I have this pic, which I think was just to illustrate the excellent positioning of the ABs, something I should have predicted.  That low wall was perfectly sized for them, and granted them Cover against our significant weaponry, whilst giving them clear LOS to vehicles of ours.  More importantly, it was close enough that they had short range to a Predator, and had the reach to threaten most of our armour.  Sigh.  Not going to end well, at this point.

The Librarian, Priest and VV all came in.  I was very dubious about them being in the same unit, as it wasted the point of them having Heroic Intervention...but against our list, and with a Hammer but no other anti-tank, I suppose it worked out okay.  No idea what powers the Libby had.  Shield, actually - cos we kept having our Shooting phase interrupted! :p  Don't recall the other.


I'm missing a turn (ie, ours) at this point, but the next thing I have is the following Movement Phase, with the now Priest-less VV and Libby closing on our remaining Speeders, and the last Bikes coming in from Reserve.  The other RAS dropped in, but scattered, and we placed them all the way at the far corner.  In the end, this meant they played no further part in the game, hiding to protect their KP - but we couldn't have killed them easily anyway - and without Speeders had little reach.  Anyway, the movement:


Oh, a pic of the RAS, after all!  Looks like their 2nd turn on the board, actually.  Whatever.


So, our defences look more and more fragile - but things are turning to face the new threat of the VV...


Those Rhinos are heading off to swamp those Bikes...those dice clearly weren't actually ROLLED...and those Word Bearers in the background of the first pic there were half of the eventual 'Best Painted' winners.

The next pic is titled 'The Carnage at the end of Four'.  See for yourselves.



Alas, the Ultra Tacticals are broken.  The VV and associated Libby died a grisly death that sadly didn't involve the Dread getting to charge.  :(  Predator got wasted by Khan's squad conga-ing past the Wreckage, though a Meltagunner actually died in transit - if only it had forced a Break Test.  :(  Since neither of us remember what delivered the fatal blow, let's say it was the MotF, why not.  Actually, pretty sure I used Vortex of Doom to handle them.  Even so.

Final position of the other RAS...


Wrecked Land Speeders were too much of an obstacle for the Dreads, in the end.  :(

Marines did a good job fighting Bikers - but in vain when they didn't flee.


That Blue Rhino is dead, too...I think we lost 8-5 in the end, but it sure felt like a lot more than that.  For the first, and possibly last, time we got more VPs than the foe, getting over half their army's available VPs.  At least that felt good.  lol

Next time, we face an altogether less terrifying army combo.  lol.

Wait and see...