G'day,

Sethanon and I managed to get in one last game before everything goes into boxes. I wanted to test out the new trial Codex SM list against an army that has given me a lot of grief in recent months.

Armies
I took 3k from the new 2015 Trial Codex marine list, with the intent of taking the new units, recosted upgrades and no titans:
Tacticals + Supreme Commander + 2x LR Crusader + 2 Predator Destructors + Hunter
Scouts + 4x LS Storm
Vindicators + Hunter
Vindicators
Predators + Hunter
Landspeeder + 2x Typhoon
Landspeeders
Devastators + Librarian + 2x Dreadnoughts
Thunderhawk
Thunder bolts


Orks. I'll have to add the ork list later, for now, here is a photo. Key units are the large fortress mob and the blitz mob with two mekboy speedsters. There are also 9 ork fightabombers though this game uses on model and a D3 as the others were in the mek's workshop getting detailed.


Terrain and Objective placement:
The board is best described by the photos, mostly forests for the area terrain. Hills, roads and river were standard though we allowed crossing of the river in 5 places (bridge, ford and rocky areas). Didn't bother with any abstract terrain interpretations for this one as we all had GW models and no significantly larger proxies.

Blitz objs were fairly central on both sides, I went for two obj fairly close together, knowing I was going to be out activated and wanted to keep close together to avoid being picked off by the ork buggies and bikes.
Ork obj were deep and wide to make defending them hard - I presume.


The orks garrisoned 2 units of dethkopters on OW. I chose not to deploy any garrisons.

Main deployment saw ork place cheap units after cheap units, whilst I committed all my troops down. The fortress mob and biltz brigade then deployed last on my weakest flank. Thankfully it was opposite the annihilators, though I was a little concerned the air cover would be little light for guys on the left side of the river.


Turn 1

SM won the initiative.
SM = Space Marines, OSF = Ork Speed Freaks
Directions are from my perspective..

Actions:
SM: Thunder bolts go onto CAP in anticipation of ork flying circus.
OSF: Kult 1 double down my left flank, and take cover behind some forest. No shooting
SM: Landspeeders 2 (w/ Typhoon) advance and pop up to fire on the right hand OW dethkopters, OW fire cause a BM and the tyhoons score 2 hits but only kill 1.
OSF: Fighterbombers 1 ground attack the LS1 formation, the thunderbolts CAP and go head to head outside 15cm, a single hunter is also in range. 2 FBs are destroyed but the remaining one hammers a LS with a tankbuster rocket.


SM: Vindicators 1 (w/ hunter) a double up and shoot the dethkopters, they hit with 3 disrupting demolisher cannons but 2 hits are save (WTF are these things made of?) but the BMs cause them to break and they withdraw behind forest.


OSF: The other unit of dethkopters(2) double and pop up over the forest to shoot at the predators causing a BM.
SM: Vindicators 2 now double to get line of sight around the cover and shoot dethkopters 2. One hits casusing a kill.


OSF; The warlord and warband double up to take cover in a fortifications network, no shooting occurs.
SM: Landspeeders 2 (3x Tornado, 2x MM) advance to screen vindicators 2 and shoot on dethkopters. Whilst the score some 5 AP hits and 2 MW hits, only one is killed due to save and range on the MW shots). The kopters break an withdraw near Kult 1.
OSF: The next lot of fighterbombers ground attack vindicators 2 from outside my AA. The score 2 hits which kills 1 vindicator.
SM: The scouts in their storms double and setup a large screen across my right flank. A single scout has LOF to a broken kopter and kills one through the BM.


OSF: Ork outriders double from out on the orks left, they fire on the landspeeders shielding the vindicators and cause 1 BM.
SM: Predators go to double, with the intent of shooting up Kult 1 but fail to activate on two consecutive 1s...
OSF: The other group of outriders double and shoot at the scouts, killing 1 stand of scouts.
SM: The Thunderhawk ground attacks and unloads the devastators within 15cm of yet to activate Kult of Speed 2. A bunch of shooting later (and some good saves) 4 are killed and the unit breaks, fleeing towards the ork blitz.


OSF: The last formation of fighter bombers comes into strafe the landed thunderhawk, defensive HBs kill one and the single hit bounces of the thick sides.
SM: Unsure if the orks were going to drop in with the landa or go after an isolated unit like the predators, the large tactical formation went onto overwatch.. In hindsight not the best move.
OSF: The blitz double towards the landed thunderhawk, scoring 1 standard and 1 MW hit, both go through the armour killing the thunderhawk on the ground.. Doh, I had hopes of him strafing the minor crap next turn.


OSF: The ork lander drops in behind the devastators and ork bikers scream into HtH with the heavy weapon troopers and their dreadnoughts. The devastators are hard pressed to score any hits but the librarian dreadnought smashes 2 bikers into the dirt. The bikers have similar difficulty wounding the marines in their power armour. A lucky shot from the Blitz brigade in support fire hits him in the back though and his ancient contemptor suit explodes. This engrages the marines and they somehow hold their ground in the face of overwhelming orks, killing more bikes and gutting the lander before it can take off.
(assault resolution was 6:4 in favour of the SM after crap rolls by Orks, 2 & a 1 IIRC). Broken orks flee to the far right corner.


OSF: The fortress mob double up the road and attempt to kill the Landspeeders. A bucket of dice later only one is killed. (now on 3BM)



End Phase:
The AC fly off, the thunderbolts are not troubled, nor are the fighter bombers that strafed the thunderhawk but the other two units take further missiles from the marine hunters but only one more is killed.

Rally phase: All SM bar the vindicators facing off against the fortress mob rally. Orks are less lucky and only 1 dethkopter formations rallies. kult 2 fail but pass on second attempt with the SC reroll.

Turn 2

SM win initiative again.

Actions:
SM: Predators advance and fire on the fortress mob, keen to kill some before they roll up the left flank. They manage to damage 2 fortresses and are rewarded further when one flips into the air, narrowly avoiding a third.
SM: Landspeeders then attempt to double and form an annoying ZOC screen but they fail to activate twice, so they take a BM and spread out as best they can.
OSF: In rather un-orky behavior, the blitz mob comes to a halt and blasts the devastators and close range. The marines break under the fire and only the last remaining dreadnought makes it across the river to the safety of the tree line.
[note this action is being reported to the ERC as, not only did the orks sustain fire, my opponent also had his wife roll the dice for him, since he can't hit sh*t by himself, and the b*****p amount of 5s & 6s rolled clearly turned the tide of battle - end rant]
OSF: In a continuation of the total disregard for ork behaviour and gaming etiquet, the fortress mob marshalled, thats right :armata_PDT_13: and pasted the landspeeder screen in shower of 6s.. i mean bullets.
** at this point the individual in question is asked to leave the Man Cave **
SM: Landspeeders 2, advance and shoot up the outriders 2, again saves aren't bad and only 1 is killed.
SM: On the left flank the vindicators 1 adv, into cover and shoot the outriders 1, killing 2 and breaking the formation.
OSF: The other outrider 2 formation attempts to marshal but fails, remaining still to clear 3 BM.
SM: Vindicators 1 then engage the outrider formation with scouts and speeders in support. The engagement wipes out the outriders for the loss of one vindicator.
SM: The SM commander calls in the thunderbolts to strafe Kult 1 on the left flank before they can trouble the annihilators but despite being the perfect target, in the open, the Imperial Navy choke.. I mean.. have to query their rules of engagement with higher, and fail to effect the orks. FAAAARRRKKKK!!!


OSF: Ork warband then doubles across the river crossing and up onto the hill, they manage to kill a single scout at long range, well long range for orks..
OSF: The orks retain and the left over Kult 2 return to the fight after their encounter with the devastators. They declare a large intermingled assault against the Scouts, Landspeeder and vindicator formation. Given the warband in support I decide not to countercharge with anything to reduce the likelihood of casualties. Unsurprisingly the orks kill the two targets in range, but loose the assault resolution due to numbers, BM and another cr*p roll - (should have got your wife to roll!! :armata_PDT_11: ) SM win 8:5 and the orks buggies withdraw again. [need to check we did this right - end of assault round, no units in 15cm, neither side wiped out, do you just roll for result - quick check of rules suggested so..]


SM: Tactical formation then doubles straight forward and infantry dismount close to the ork warlord and his warband. They shoot, killing 3 units, (pred destructors, hunter and LRCs were a big help here).



SM: Scouts then plan to double away and finish off some a broken Kult 3 in the right corner but fail to activate so remain and clear BM.
OSF: With the marines finished, all three ork Fighta Bomber formations activate, targeting the scouts (killing 2) and the predators (killing 0). A bunch of hunter missiles are fire in defence but only 1 hits and is saved.
OSF: Kult 1 adv after a SC reroll and fire on the annihilators, killing 1?


End Phase
Aircraft disengage, a further hit is scored on an ork FB but the pilot jinks successfully.

Turn 2 rallies for the marines are all successful, the orks fail a lot but the Warband clears its BMs and the kult 3 in the corner rallies.



Turn 3

SM win initiative again.

Actions:
SM: Annihilators advance to contest the nearby objective and fire again on the fortress mob, resulting in 5 hits, of which 4 go through and one results in a critical. This breaks the fortress mob who retire well away so as to prevent BTS.
SM: The tacticals retain and engage the warband. The marines form a line to make sure none of the counter charging orks can get an the vehicles. The marines generate around 10 hits whilst he orks score 3 and a MW from the warboss. 3 tactical stands are killed whilst the orks are all but wiped out, their poor armour not giving them much chance. The remainder of the formation is wiped out in resolution. The marines consolidate toward the objectives and re-position to protect the exposed SC.


OSF: The blitz brigade attempts to sustain but fails, they still shoot and cause 3 standard and 2 MW hits which kills both predators, a landraider and some tacticals.
SM: The remaining dreadnought, somewhat angry, stops through the forest and takes out a scortcher with his lascannons. The startled orks take off..
SM: The thunderbolts again come into ground attack the same kult of speed, this time they go to town, getting good effects on target (causing 5 hits) but it seems this kult is protected by a mekboy force field or similar (nope, the lady in question returns, rolls a bunch of 5s, giggles... Damnit!! in my own house FFS!!)
OSF: The divinely protected kult then drive away, circling around the annihilators and vindicators on a sunday drive to my blitz.
SM: Engraged the vindicators rotate and plow through the forest after them, halting at the treeline they fire a thunderous volley, shockwaves and molten frag goes everywhere but into the buggies, one gunner did have to adjust his goggles though.. (hitting on 3s: 1, 1, 2.. these guys were just blessed)


OSF: A group of fighterbombers appears overhead but don't commit to the fight. (stands down)
SM: The scouts double back to secure a position overlooking the ork objective on my right and one storm is able to contest my blitz with the Kult of speed.


OSF: A second FB streaks overhead but is either lost or out of ammunition. (stands down)
SM: The landspeeders take a risk and double towards the ork blitz and a marine objective. They fire into some retreating buggies, kult 2, causing the rest to rout.


OSF: As the speeders engage the buggies, they fail to notice a 3rd group of fighter bombers attacking at low altitude, the orks manage to take out two speeders in the pass, causing a moment of panic amougst the surviving crews.
SM: The vindicator then march to join the remaining speeder, fanning out to secure the area (and thus claiming Blitz and a T&H objective)



Result:
Marines winning 2:0 with the final activation. It was a pretty close game. Had the orks been a bit more lucky on a couple of those assaults the marines wouldn't have secured either Blitz or T&H but would have had to withdaw to try and achieve TSNP and DTF.




Cheers for reading and thanks to Sethanon for a great game! (and his lovely wife )

Will post up some thoughts on the new units shortly.

great report, great pics!! Thanks alot!

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"You have a right to be offended" - Steve Hughes
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Thanks for the report, it looked like a great game.

One note for the future. Deth Koptas don't have scout or a movement of 15cm or less so shouldn't have garrisoned.

Also the SM list made me rush to see what changes Dobbsy was making to the Marines. Interesting ideas indeed.

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NetEA Ork + Feral Ork + Speed Freak Champion

What!!

Cheating mother f....

I'll be sure to point this out :-)

Great read and well done marines!

D.

LOL! Never trust an Ork.

Great looking armies and terrain.

Great terrain, cracking battle, and very readable report. Well done.
Just a thought, it would help if all photos were taken from the same side of the table as the initial table top photos.

Finally, I believe you played the queried assault resolution correctly. An assault is automatically won/lost where either the entire defender formation is destroyed, or none of the attacking units survived that were directly engaged. If this has not occurred, then support fire occurs after which assault resolution (and dice rolls) take place. It sounds as though you had a clipping attack which killed off a few defenders but not the entire formation, and most of the engaged attackers also survived; consequently you correctly went on to assault resolution.

This was impacted by the 'banning' of the Ork assistant, whereupon the demoralised Ork commander threw poor dice while the exuberant SM commander threw high.