Battle Report #10: Lahkers vs. Salamanders

Third week of the league, the Sons of Vulkan appeared and challenged the Lahkers to a battle.  It was a glorious fight, and would have been more so had I not forgotten my camera, and had to resort to taking pics with my phone.  Apologies for the drop in quality.

I had modified my list from last week (again), this time deciding to go pure 'crons.  On the plus side, this gave me loads of troops; on the minus side, I removed the only long-range anti-tank I had.  Rynkelyh was my warlord, and he had the Nightmare Shroud (+2 save) and the Veil of Darkness (deep strike him and unit once a game, even out of combat).

there should be a divider for the Royal Court between them and the Canoptek units

My opponent, Harry, had a list with Vulkan He'stan himself, and was very troops- and flamer-heavy.  All three Tac squads (10 men each) had Rhinos with HK missiles, and both Dreadnoughts were running twin Autocannons.  Vulkan was buddying up with the level 2 Librarian and a Sternguard squad with three combi-meltas, two heavy flamers, and melta bombs, all in the drop pod.

Deployment was Hammer and Anvil, mission was Spoils of War, the Maelstrom mission where you can steal each others "Secure Objective X" objectives.

I won the roll-off to deploy, and set up with the Canoptek Harvest in the center, Kobeh on his Command Barge with them, and weighing the left flank heavier than the right (more objectives over there).  Rynkelyh and the Cryptek were on the left with the warrior blob, and Nahz was on the right with the regular squad.

Harry weighed his right flank up, made sure his Tac Marine transports had cover, and put his lascannon Devastators on the top floor of the building in the upper left.  Remember that.  They were key in this battle.

Harry failed to seize, and the game went ahead.

Turn 1

I liked my setup, I had my fire lanes, I controlled two objectives, I just needed to be in range of the enemy.  My first turn was completely taken up with moving up, and then running a little in the shooting phase.

Here we see Kobeh.

Harry's first turn, he dropped Vulkan down by the warrior blob and Ghost Ark.  The Vendread waddled in a threatening manner towards my Wraiths.  In shooting, Vulkan and his Sternguard opened up with meltas and flamers; the Ark jinked the meltas, but lost a few warriors inside to the flamers.  The rest of the Salamander prioritized Overlord Kobeh and his barge, and a hail of autocannon and las-fire later, Kobeh's barge was but dust on the wind, giving Harry first blood.  The VenDread tried to charge the Wraiths and failed by a couple inches.

Here we see a distinct lack of Kobeh.

I achieved no objectives, Harry achieved one or two.

Turn 2

My turn, one squad of Deathmarks arrived, I put them within sight of the Devastators.  The warriors and Nahz strolled up the right flank, the Immortals followed, and the Canoptek Harvest moved into the center of the board.  The Ark swiveled around to hide its back armor against a building.  During shooting, Rynkelyh's squad and the Ark's warriors killed off a couple Sternguard and laid a wound on Vulkan.  The Deathmarks killed the Devastator sarge, and everything else was out of range.  The Wraiths assaulted and wounded the VenDread once, and they became locked in combat.  The Scarabs attacked the green Rhino, hit with 35 attacks, and failed to remove a single hull point.

Rynkelyh made a note to have harsh and possibly excruciating words with the current Canoptek overseer at the tomb world.

Harry hit back by moving his Rhinos towards the Wraiths, inching his AC Pred on his right flank up, and moving Vulkan and Bros. towards the Ghost Ark.  The Devastator squad killed the Spyder, denying my Harvest their reanimation rolls.  The Sternguard killed the Ark and then charged the warriors that scrambled out of the Ark.  The left-flank AC Dread charged and wiped my Tomb Blades (jetbikes unable to win initiative test against a walker...shameful...), and the VenDread tanked my Wraiths and only lost a single hull point, now down to 1.

You'd think we could surround him and hit his rear armor, but noooo...

Harry achieved a Secure Objective, and stole another one from me.  I think I achieved one or two, but I was behind in VP.

Turn 3

My other squad of Deathmarks came in.  Their only viable targets were to my left of midfield, so I set them down there.  They and the other Deathmarks killed a landspeeder, getting a multi-melta off the field, but left the Devastators alone.  A mistake, in hindsight.  Rynkelyh's squad plinked away at the AC Pred and failed to do damage.  Nahz's squad took possession of the right-most objective, and the Immortals continued to troop forwards.  In assault, the Wraiths fared uncommonly badly, unable to wound the VenDread.  At least the Scarabs got their scrap together and chewed two hull points off the green Rhino.

Harry decided to take his Rhino, move at cruising speed, and go flat out, through a building, and try to contest the objective Rynkelyh was holding.  It was such a ballsy move that, in the spirit of fun, I let it go.  Besides, I got this shot:

too epic to disallow

Vulcan finished off the warriors from the Ark, and the VenDread continued to embarrass my Wraiths.

Harry got an objective for killing the squad from the Ark.  I got two Secure Objectives, one of mine, and one of his.  At this point we were tied.

Turn 4

Drop pod was absentmindedly moved for a moment, whoops.

After sending the migrating drop pod back to its proper spot, Rynkelyh's squad glanced the nearby Rhino to death, and the Marines jumped out to contest the objective.  Nahz's squad sat on their objective.  The Scarabs went on to kill the other Land Speeder, and the Wraiths still couldn't kill the Vendread.

Harry's turn, his Librarian, who had been fluffing his powers the whole game, finally started to earn his points.  He cast Enfeeble on Rynkelyh's squad, causing Rynkelyh himself to become T4, and the warriors T3.  Vulkan's squad and the Tac squad killed most of Rynkelyh's warriors at range, and then charged in and killed all but one warrior and Rynkelyh.  The Wraiths finally killed the VenDread, and headed for a Rhino.

Nahz got a Secure Objective for me, for once Harry scored nothing.

Turn 5

Rynkelyh used the Veil of Darkness to teleport out of combat and away to my right flank, with a single warrior with him.  There was halfhearted shooting at the other Marines, and the Wraiths may have got into combat with the debarked Tac squad in the center.

Alas, in my haste to get Rynkelyh away from Vulkan, I failed to check to see who could still see him.  The Librarian cast Enfeeble again on Rynkelyh, and Vulkan's squad, the AC Dread on Harry's left, and possibly a HK missile all took shots at the Overlord.  They brought him down to one wound, and then the Devastators opened fire on him.  Rynkelyh was unable to reanimate, and gave Harry Slay the Warlord.

Welp.

MVP Devastators, punishing the inattentive, the xenos, and sometimes both at once.

The game concluded, with the scores at Lahkers 10 VP to Salamanders 11 VP.  The Emperor's boyz brought it back for a SALAMANDER VICTORY.

I think this list could have worked, and made it without long-range anti-tank, had old Vulkan not dropped in for some fun.  I dunno.  I had fun, Harry was a chill opponent.  One more week.  I aim to win this one.

Extra crappy phone pics:

Aw damn.  There goes another prospective vacation home.

Epic duel on the table nearby.