Got another game in against the same chap but have made some significant changes to my list, deciding to put my faith in other units. Namely I've ditched all the immolators and the dominion upgrades that I have almost always used, and instead decided to trial exorcists as an upgrade. It also let me boost my activation count with sentinels. I've put a batrep at the end for those who'd like to read it, I don't think I do too good a job describing what happened without needing way more pics than I have but people might find it worth reading.
Thoughts:
Retributors: I like these now, adding exorcists went great!
Avengers: for ground attack these are miles better than thunderbolts, I somehow missed the forward AA shot last time I used them. Might be too cheap...
Faithful: I succeeded a lot with this in last night's game, never passed an invulnrable save but fearless was great as usual. If I used the idea I suggested above(lose faithful on a failed rally roll) my exorcist fm would have been thunderbolt bait. My opponent agreed also agreed with this idea, it wouldn't have have had a huge impact on this game but it would in others.
List construction: with the way I'm now constructing/using lists, I'm beginning to see some formations/units in a less favourable light, either due to cost/survivability/speed. Even penitents, an old staple of mine, are getting left in my case, in favour of a couple of extra activations. This is a shame IMO.
Lists used:
Ministorum
Code:
Mission: Transport(2 sets of rhinos)
Mission: Heroine, Supreme Commander, Transport(2 sets of rhinos)
Retribution: Heroine, Transport(2 sets of rhinos rhinos) & Exorcists
Choir: Heroine
Exorcism: Hunter
Cathedral (BTS)
Chapels
Avengers
Avengers
Scout Sentinels
Scout Sentinels
Guard list(from memory)
Code:
Tank Company: Hydra
Reg Hq: Hydra
Storm Troopers + Valkyrie
Vultures
Vultures
Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts
Warhound Pair
Battle report
The few pics I have aren't great but they may help with context.
We drew on the turn 1 strategy roll, making this the first time I've ever used the birthday rule! I took full advantage of this by using my Avengers to attack both the garrisoned(overwatch) vultures, my opponent did have hydras but had foccused his deployment on a pincer move(Russ/RegHQ on one flank, warhounds on the other & vultures in the middle), this had left his vultures in a postion where I could attack them out of flak range. So the Avengers took the first activation and a retain, 1 killed 2 and the retain killed 3 from the other formation, both commisars were slain. A lucky (overwatch)sentinel managed to kill another with a blast marker as they disengaged. The guard returned the favour and destroyed all my avengers using both his thunderbolts. flying into their blind spot(between fixed forward and rear)... totally worth it!
Pics:
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc18 ... AG0516.jpgThe 1st formation of vultures was behind the towers, the second just out of shot behind the forrest. The Hydras would be out of shot to the top left.
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc18 ... AG0517.jpgVulture fms fled together to here.
Wider view of battlefield, objective in centre is where a lot of the action happened:
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc18 ... AG0518.jpgThis probably won me the game(I hate vultures) but it didn't all go my way, I pushed my two missions up the middle and my exorcists were lured into the mix by the warhounds which left all three intermingled with a sentinel formation that I had stretched thinly across the middle of the board. The guard then moved his RegHQ into position to support the Stormtroopers in a clipping assault that my sisters would take no part in. Long story short I lost a couple of exorcists to supporting fire and the sentinels all died, the rest had prayed so only broke and fled. My retribution filled the gap vacated by the rest of my army and with help from the cathedral downsized the ReqHQ a fair chunk.
Start of turn 2 my seraphim then somehow pulled off an assault against the Warhounds(resolution took 3 rounds, all seraphim and 1 warhound destroyed), taking them both out of the game. This left my retribution free to punish RegHQ, killing the supreme commander and breaking what was left securing a T&H objective. My rallied Missions were in a position to take his Blitz(formerly guarded by the warhounds) and support the T&H held by the retributors if necessary. In return the guard attacked the retributors with the storm troopers and hammered the chapels with both of the thunderbolts.My Cathedral attacked the stormtroopers, killing the 2 stands(inc the commissar) & a valkyrie. My chapels moved to protect the blitzkrieg, which was looking vulnrable to the flanking Russ Co.
By the start of turn three it was looking grim for the IG, the remaining warhound had failed to rally whereas my Exorcist fm had finally rallied along with my remaining 2 sentinels. The Sisters won initiative and started by pulling my cathedral back into cover, shooting the stormtroopers that were contesting the T&H, they broke and fled. I retained and cheekily doubled my sentinels into a position that would force the leman russ to destroy them or drive through a forrest to get to my blitz, which would place them at point blank with both my superheavies. The Guard then tried to clear the sentinels with one of his thunderbolts but failed to act due to bms. I advanced my retribution to totally secure the central T&H and finished off the freshly rallied vulture. The guard then succeeded to act with the other thunderbolts and broke the sentinels, I fled but still managed too keep them in position to force the Leman russ to use the forrest.
Pics
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc18 ... AG0519.jpgFear my sentinel and his path blocking ways.
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc18 ... AG0520.jpg War engines covering the forrest/blitz.
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc18 ... AG0521.jpg My Retributors on the T&H, the other T&H is behind the forrest and the blitzkrieg is just visible in the top right beside my Mission.
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc18 ... AG0522.jpgMission takes Blitz, remains of stormtroopers driven off.
I had Blitz & T&H in the bag and the guard would have a fairly hard job getting just Blitzkrieg so we decided to call it at this point.