Ultramarine First Contact

Ultramarine aircraft arrive to support the beleaguered defenders

The vanguard of Calgar's force made landfall on Angamar to find the Forge World fully engulfed in a raging battle.  While the Dark Angel and Blood Angels forces had focused on recapturing the vital Manufactorums, the Ultramarines turned their attention to securing the planet's defensive fortifications.  The xenos had shown remarkably little interest in actually controlling the planet or its facilities to this point--they only seemed to be searching for something... 

One sector showed a particularly high amount of Eldar activity.  After the Battle of Orr's Sepulchre, Calgar recognized the lengths the treacherous xenos would go to steal any artifact that they thought could give them power.  But like Orr's Sepulchre, Calgar wanted nothing more than to make sure that once again the Eldar left empty-handed...

Opponents: Bob (GK/SM) versus Noah (Eldar)


GK/SM List
Captain Coteaz (Prescience/Misfortune) with
10 GKSS (Honorguard) with Psycannon x2, Psyback with SL
10 GKSS (Honorguard) with Psycannon x2, Psyback with SL
Stormraven with MM, AC, Hurricane Bolters, Pysbolts, and SL (Tank Hunter)
Psyfleman with SL
Psyfleman with SL
Dread Calgar with Heavy Incinerator (FNP)

Libby (Enfeeble/Psychic Shriek)
Tactical Squad with Flamer, ML, and Rhino
Tactical Squad with Flamer, ML, and Rhino
Stormtalon with TML

Eldar List
Eldrad (standard powers)
Autarch with Wings
7 Guardian Bikes
7 Guardian Bikes
10 Wraithguard (ouch!)
~8 Striking Scorpions
~8 Harlies
~8 Swooping Hawks
3 Warwalkers
2 Vipers

Deployment: Vanguard
Game-type: Relic
2000 points
Assets: Bob (Double Bastions=2 USRs chosen before lists revealed)
             Noah (Double Power Stations= +2 to roll to go first)

Game Summary:  Noah won the roll off and decided to go first.  I was super afraid that he was going to be able to use his Jetbikes to swoop in, grab the objective, and pull it back behind the brick of Wraithguard where I would never be able to pry it loose.  However, he held a unit of bikes, the Swooping Hawks, and the Warwalkers in reserve, which I hoped would buy me enough time to make a play for the Relic.  I lucked out and stole the initiative (<3 Coteaz), which allowed me to bum rush the middle and set up a perimeter around the Relic. 

One Tactical Squad locked up the Striking Scorpions for the whole game, while everything else focused fire each theat as they approached the Relic.  The Pysflemen shredded the Vipers while Calgar's Heavy Incinerator made quick work of the Harlies.  Mindstrikes killed off the Conceal Warlock, allowing focused ML, MM, and Rending fire to handle the Wraithstar and Eldrad.  The Guardian Jetbikes made a late push with fire support from the Swooping Hawks and Warwalkers, but Calgar, Captain Coteaz, and the Honorguard were able to drive them back. 

Result: Win for Bob (Relic, First Blood, Slay the Warlord)

Bob's Highlight: Stealing the initiative was THE deciding factor of the game.  Had Noah been able to go first, there would have been very little I could have done to prevent them from getting the Relic.  By stealing the initiative, I was able to form a Rhino Wall and set up a kill zone.  At that point it was simply a matter of playing defense.

Noah's Highlight: I am assuming Noah's highlight was either ruthlessly gunning down a Tactial Squad with a Jet Bike squad, or watching the Warwalkers take two wounds off the T6, 2+, FNP Dread Calgar in a single round of shooting.

Captain Coteaz's daring, lightning assault had succeeded in preventing the Eldar from gaining the momentum required to break the Ultramarines' lines.  Each time the Ultramarine line threatened to buckle or break, Calgar and his Honorguard pressed forward into the gap, and drove the xenos back with blade and bolter.  Stormravens and their Stormtalon escorts scoured the landscape of any Eldar that dared to reveal themselves, the scream of their engines drowning out the other sounds of battle.  As Librarian Muran carried the fragments of a seemingly ancient artifact to the rear of the battle, he knew the battle to free Angamar had just begun...



The Kill Zone

Swooping Hawks after applying melta to the Rhino containing the Relic