Battle Report #8: Lahkers vs. Ork Bikestar

*Following battle report may contain traces of Chaos taint, Chaos Spawn, and HERESY.

The Lahkers have entered the June 40k league at my LGS once more!  After several delays, I bring you Game #1, versus an unusual Ork list.

 My opponent was Mark, he fielded a fast and mostly Orky list with 3 detachments:

CSM allies, Spwn and nurgle lord + 10 cultists
16 bikers with Zhadsnark 'da Rippa' (using Forgeworld warboss model), warboss with power klaw, painboy
15/16? bikers blob with painboy
3 bikes in reserve
1 unit of Grots

I assumed using the Combined Arms Detachment for the Lahkers wouldn't have too severe repercussions, so in blissful ignorance I left my +4 reanimation roll at home and went with a gunline list.

Mission was Cleanse and Control, deployment Dawn of War.  Mark won initiative and deployed both bike blobs, his Chaos spawn and Lord, and his boy mob.

Ork deployment.

Lahkers deployment.

I chose to deploy the main body of my troops and vehicles facing his main biker blob/bikestar, assuming overwhelming firepower could destroy them, and placed my Tomb Blades and Wraiths on the right flank to hold the boyz and other bikes back.

Turn 1

Mark charged everything across the field, as far as everything could go.  The Bikestar turbo-boosted, putting them way too close to my troops for comfort.  There was little shooting, he was concentrated on getting to my side of the board ASAP.

I can't be the only one getting Mad Max vibes...

"Nemesor, let the record show you done goofed."

My first turn, I moved the right flank up to stall Mark's forces, and sat still and fired at the Bikestar with everything else.  It was then I discovered the secret of his Bikestar: Jink+Turbo-Boost+Skilled Rider+FNP=+2 cover save untouchable nightmare approaching on inevitable collision course.  Like Terminators with rocket skates.  I killed two bikes out of the total of sixteen, and mentally prepared myself for a painful time.

The Tomb Blades dealt a few wounds to the Spawn (I think?), and the Wraiths engaged the other bike blob in assault, successfully tying them up.

GO AWAY, GO AWAY NOW

Turn 2

Mark's pain train arrived, tearing the brakes off and throwing them at the Immortals for dramatic effect.  The Bikestar multi-assaulted my leftmost warrior squad and the Immortals in the forest, dealt an overwhelming amount of wounds, and forced a morale check at massive penalty.  My warriors and Immortals broke and were swept.  The Warboss with the power klaw punched my Ark and blew it up.  The Spawn charged and wiped the Tomb Blades.  (In more mundane news, his 3-bike squad arrived from reserve on my left flank.)

Gunline army's worst nightmare come true.

My turn, one squad of Deathmarks came in, I landed them behind the Bikestar.  Zandy switched his warlord trait to Implacable Conquerer, giving him and his unit Relentless.  The Deathmarks, Zandy's squad, the Stalker, and Barge concentrated fire on the Bikestar, and this time they only had a +3 cover save (Jink+Skilled Rider). 

I looked at my options, and decided to take the initiative while I had it.  Thanks to his new warlord trait, Zandy and his squad charged the Bikestar along with the Stalker.  The power-klaw-warboss challenged, and Lord Nahz accepted and began a duel.  Zandy beat around with his Staff of Light and exhorted his warriors to perform feats of martial prowess, lest they become part of a warbike's tailpipe.

Thanks to charge attacks and a major chunk of luck, the warriors killed several bikes and survived, and combat continued into turn 3.

Turn 3

Mark's third turn, his 3-bike squad and cultists dakka'd my Deathmarks to death.  The Chaos Spawn ran up and ate the warrior squad from the Ghost Ark for lunch, and after a further round of furious combat between the Bikestar and the heroic warriors, the Necrons finally broke and were wiped.  The Wraiths and bike blob continued to grind each other down.

My turn, the other Deathmark squad and Doom Scythe finally arrived.  Having not achieved a single Tactical Objective the whole game, desperate for even one victory point, I had the Scythe fire at the cultists, and killed 8.  The Deathmarks put one wound on the 3-bike squad.  The Wraiths and bikes whacked each other.

Turn 4

Mark's forces converged on my remaining units–Deathmarks on my left, Annihilation Barge on my board edge, and Wraiths and Immortals on my right.  The Bikestar took out the Barge, the 3-bike squad (now at 2 bikes) got entangled with the Deathmarks, and the Spawn charged the Immortals and laid into them.

"This is BS, our contract never covered physical assault. Tell the nemesor we intend to renegotiate."

My turn, the Doom Scythe finished off the cultists, giving me my first and only victory point for the game.  The Deathmarks and Wraiths held in assault, the Immortals failed their check and were swept.  With the victory points at 9 to 1, Mark's favor, I conceded the game.

"Hotel Uniform Alpha to Command, battlefield is one big mess, no contact with friendlies, I'm RTB."

Words will be had with the Doom Scythe pilot for stopping at Taco Bell on the way to the battlefield.

Give Mark's 40k Youtube a look, and check out the battle from his perspective. 

Lessons?

- Use Decurion.  USE DECURION.

- Skim through every codex before a league or tournament, see what combos they can achieve and throw at you.

- At least I got beat by a well-painted army.  Those bikes are gorgeous.

Extra pics:

Airbrush Addiction

It's real, it's wonderful, and the only downside is my wallet potentially taking a hit so I can paint more models!  MORE!

Uh, anyway.  Working on painting up my Marines now.

Battle Report #7: Orks vs. Lahkers Planetstrike, ft. Doom Scythe and 2 Coffee Mugs

Good day, Lahkers fans, today I have a Planetstrike battle for you!  Me and my buddy Ike met for a 2k match, my Necrons as the attacker, his Orks as the defender.  Ike was eager to show off his three custom-built Ork Bastions, two of which have not until now see the limelight.

My list, which operated under the assumption I would be facing 60+ boyz, and somehow missed the fact Ike has brought 3+ vehicles to every 40k match, ever, Orks or not.

Funds meant for Lahker intel have, until now, been assisting Nahz in acquiring artisan tea sets.

Ike's list:

1x Big Mek [3x Ammo Runt, Cybork Body, Gift: Da Finkin' Kap, Gitfinda, Warlord] 'Eavy Armour [Choppa, Kustom Force Field]

Mek [Killsaw, Slugga]

Painboy [Grot Orderly]

Warboss [Ammo Runt, Attack Squig, Bosspole]
'Eavy Armour [Kombi-weapon w/ Skorcha, Power Klaw]

4x Nobz w/'Eavy Armour in Battlewagon ['Ard Case, Extra Armour, Grot Riggers, Kannon, Reinforced Ram]

+ Troops +

17x Boyz w/Boss Nob w/Bosspole, Power Klaw, Shoota, 2x Boy w/ Big Shoota

17x Boyz w/Boss Nob w/Bosspole, Power Klaw, Shoota, 2x Boy w/ Big Shoota

Burna-Bommer w/6x Skorcha Missiles

5x Deffkoptas

Battlewagon ['Ard Case, Grot Riggers, Kannon, Killkannon]

Deff Dread [Extra Armour, Grot Riggers, 2x Skorcha]

Deff Dread [Grot Riggers, Power Klaw, Rokkit Launcha]

5x Lootas w/Mek and rokkit launcha

Looted Wagon (WD) [Grot Riggers, Killkannon, Reinforced Ram]

The list I brought included one more troops choice than I usually go with, all my vehicles, and my new Doom Scythe.  I managed to remember all my models and game aids...with the exception of my warlord, Lord Nahz.  Ike scrounged up a custom Space Marine servitor model I could use.  In hindsight, this could be considered an omen for what was to come.

We went with the basic mission, Planetfall.  Ike took the Fortified Stronghold stratagem, increasing his Square Bastion to AV 15 on all facings.  I took the stratagems Dawn Assault (for Night Fighting) and Laserburn (variable S10 AP1 orbital attack).  Ike rolled up five objectives, worth 3 vp each, and set up his forces in the table center.

Ike's setup. The Wraiths at bottom right are not there, they are figments of your imagination. 

Turn 1

As the attacker, I got to launch several Firestorm attacks (number of bastions on the table plus d3) before my first turn.  At S9 AP3, they didn't do as much damage as I'd hoped, but they did immobilize Ike's metal Deff Dread and squash a couple boyz on the Rectangle Bastion.

With the Firestorm concluded, I phased in my forces, and thus began a series of mistakes that (spoilers! kind of) may or may not have led to the game's result.  First off, I brought in my Ghost Ark, the 10-warrior squad in it, another 10-warrior squad, and my Immortal squad accompanied by the Warlord-Servitor, Overlord Rynkelyh, and the Cryptek.  I was really hoping for the Stalker or the Doom Scythe, and failed to recall that the Planetstrike-specific army detachment allows the player to choose a unit and have it auto-pass/fail its reserve roll.  Whoops.

My turn 1 shooting wasn't great, either.  I had chosen the Dawn Assault stratagem, which put Night Fighting in effect till the start of my second turn.  When I targeted Ike's Lootas and he had them go to ground, this meant he rolled for a +2 cover save, because they were atop a Bastion (+4), go to ground (+3), and then Night Fighting giving Stealth (+2).  Yeah.

Ike's first turn, his Battlewagon with Nobz and the Warboss and his Burna Bommer (A-10 proxy) arrived from reserve.  So did the five Deffkoptas, if they weren't on the battlefield already.  The 'koptas fired a volley of krak missiles at my Ghost Ark, and all missed.  Thank you BS2.  The AT-ST Dread fired a shot and dealt a glancing hit to the Ark.  The Ork3 Lee laid it on my Immortals and pals with its kannons, dealing a few casualties.

No, please stop, please, no, I'm on a diet, I don't want pie...

Turn 2

The Stalker, one Deathmark squad, and last remaining warrior squad came in from reserve, as well as the DOOM SCYTHE!
And then the quad gun used Intercept to knock the Scythe's death ray off.  I was irked.  I struck back by annihilating all but one of his Deffkoptas in a hail of gauss bolts.  The Doom Scythe, its tesla destructors still intact, tried and failed to knock hull points off the Lee.  Warriors near the Square Bastion claimed the objective in the grass, and the Immortals shuffled around and plinked away at the immobilized Deff Dread.

Ike's turn, his forces plinked away at things.  The boyz killed a few more warriors, and the Lootas failed to do anything.  The AT-ST Deff Dread charged my Stalker, and to both my and Ike's surprise managed to whiff with his S10 power klaw.

Turn 3

My other Deathmark squad landed, and the two squads concentrated fire on Ike's Big Mek and killed him off, getting both First Blood and Slay the Warlord.  Yes, up till that point not a single full unit had died.  The Immortals and Overlords finally made up their mind, attempted to assault the immobilized Dread, and failed to make it into combat.  (I know, I know, attacking something with pairs of heavy flamers and power klaws is a bad idea, but how else was I to get to an objective?  What else could my beastly-in-CC-useless-at-range Overlords do?)

On Ike's turn, the Burna Bommer ground down my Deathmarks, the Warboss and his Nobz hopped out of their transport, and the walker duel continued, with another glance dealt to my Stalker.

Turn 4

Finally, forced to by game rules, the Wraiths and Annihilation Barge rolled in.  The Barge went to support the failing right flank, and the Wraiths deep-struck by the giant mob of boyz, scattered onto the ruins, and rolled a 1 for their mishap.
Yeah...that was embarrassing.

shamefur dispray, commit sudoku

With that over with, Overlord Rynkelyh charged into combat with the metal Deff Dread and slew it, redeeming his failure from last game.  The Doom Scythe, unable to maneuver for a strafing run on anything, charged off the battlefield and into ongoing reserves.

Ike's turn, his boy mob on the left flank obliterated the few warriors left in the junkyard.  The Looted Wagon tried to squash my last Deathmark, he went to ground and barely scraped by.  The Warboss and Nobz charged the Immortals.  Warboss challenged, Rynkelyh accepted to protect the Warlord, and history drearily repeated itself when Rynkelyh was instagibbed by the power klaw.  And, at long last, the walker duel came to an end, with the Deff Dread victorious.  He consolidated towards the butt end of the Ark.

Turn 5

  The Doom Scythe claimed its first kill by wrecking the Looted Wagon.  Lord Nahz/servitor and the Immortals fought back gamely against the Nobz, but the writing was on the walls, and Nahz/servitor was challenged by the Warboss.  He made his invuln saves, staving off the inevitable for one more (player) turn.

Ike's turn.  The Ghost Ark finally met its end, the warriors inside singing Dragonforce piling out for the nearest terrain.  Lord Nahz/servitor finally died to the Warboss's klaw.

I determined I could not pull a win out of this, and conceded the game to Ike.  Final score was 9-5 VP, Orks' favor (9 for three objectives, five for one objective, Slay the Warlord, and First Blood).

Endgame.

In hindsight:

- I forgot Laserburn.  My S10 AP1 sky fist.
- We may have spoofed on following the Flyer movement rules with the Bommer.
- Deploying my Stalker from reserve within 12-15" of a CC unit, a.k.a. Deff Dread.  Bad Gabe.  The Stalker is named Stalker for a reason.
- The Deathmarks did their job!  Proud of those boys.
- Ike has quality coffee mugs.  Big easy-grip handle, tough and solid mug, it feels like I could knock out a grox with one of those.
- Ike's scratchbuilt models are awesome.  AT-ST Dread, A-10 Bommer, Ork3 Lee?  All worthy opponents, cool details, well built.  I can't wait to see them painted.
- Doom Scythe got a kill and survived!

Additional pics:

Best use of spare toys.

"Guys, they're gaining, step on it!"

Snap-firing heavy weapons at Flyers...it works as well as you think it does.

Workbench #3: Doom Scythe, Part 2

Again we return to the construction and painting of the Doom Scythe!  In this episode, I get off my rear and conquer my fear of screwing up with the airbrush.

So, the plan was to complement the gray/white camo on the wings with a dramatic royal purple carapace, with yellow and orange trim.  This meant masking off those edges, which at 2/16 of an inch wide, took almost an hour.

My airbrush is a Badger single-action external-mix kit.  This was only my second time using it, I first used it to basecoat my Tomb Blades.  Needless to say, I was and am a total airbrushing noob.  The first coat on the Scythe was pale and spattery (but not thick, I learned that the first time around).  I let it dry and put the second coat on, leading to this:

Better, but not as smooth as I wanted.  I topped the paint jar up to half full, and gave it a third coat.

Oh yeah!  Light-years better than before.

I finished up the carapace sections, let it dry, put a little white paint in my mix, and laid a light-purple gradient down on the front of the carapace.

Here's the whole model so far.  Lesson learned: paint jar half to three-quarters full.  Next time I'll get into the details and weapons of the Doom Scythe.

Workbench #2: Doom Scythe, Part 1

Greetings, subjects!  Today we go over the beginning stages of constructing the Doom Scythe/Night Scythe kit.  It's not a complicated kit, and it needs no magnetization, so you can swap out the death ray and the wormhole aperture whenever you want. 

The cockpit is the most complicated part to build on the Doom Scythe.  The pilot and instrument panel are the detailed bits, the interior of the cockpit is plain no-greebles plastic.  Black, dark gray, any neutral color is good for the interior.

Don't forget to paint the cockpit section of the carapace.

Progress painting and assembling the pilot...

Pilot finished, weathering courtesy of silver drybrushing.

...and that's the toughest part over with.  From here on, assembly is "glue this here, here, and here".  Leave the guns off and paint them separately.

The outer carapace piece you can leave unglued up to the very end.  It sits snugly on top of the model, you can keep it on and remove it as needed for basing/painting/etc.

And there's the Doom Scythe basecoated and (almost) fully assembled!  Tune in next time for the fully painted model.