Lisburn league game 4: Vs ImperialJ with Imperial guard

So Saturday just passed I got down to lisburn for my 4th game of the league, originally it was to be against Cmdr Dante and his Blood Angels but due to it being my wife's birthday and the game only beginning at 11ish I knew I was tempting fate. So rearranged him for another day and played ImperialJ (John) from the forums. This meant I was facing a mirror match. Guard Vs Guard... hum this can either go very right or very wrong depending what we both bring.

Not knowing his style but putting down some assumptions I'd guessed at least worst case hydras, manticores and possibly Vendettas. or the other option was masses of Russes... Turns out it was a mix of the two musings.

John's list was:

CCS with straken, 2 bodyguards in chimera
Priest with shotgun and Eviscerator
2x Vet squads, flamer, melta and demo charge with shotguns
Vet squad, 2 flamer grenadiers
Vendetta
2x Armoured Sentinel with HFlamer
Manticore
Leman Russ Sqd, 1 battle tank, 1 puinisher with Pask and hvy bolter sponsons
2 Hydras


My list was (Saved list in work this was built from memory):

HQ: Company Command Squad (8#, 255 pts)
   4 Company Command Squad, 79 pts = 4 * 6 (base cost 6) + Camo Cloak 20 + Regimental Standard 15 + Meltagun x2 20
      1 Lord Castellan Creed, 116 pts
      1 Astropath, 30 pts
      1 Bodyguard, 15 pts
      1 Bodyguard, 15 pts

Troops: Infantry Platoon (52#, 500 pts)
   1 Infantry Platoon, 0 pts
      4 Platoon Command Squad, 70 pts = 4 * 6 (base cost 6) + Meltagun x4 40 + Captain Al'rahem 76
         1 Captain Al'rahem, 70 pts
      9 Infantry Squad, 55 pts = 9 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x1 10
         1 Commissar, 35 pts
         1 Sergeant, 10 pts = (base cost 5 + Melta Bombs 5)
      9 Infantry Squad, 55 pts = 9 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x1 10
         1 Sergeant, 10 pts = (base cost 5 + Melta Bombs 5)
      9 Infantry Squad, 55 pts = 9 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x1 10
         1 Sergeant, 10 pts = (base cost 5 + Melta Bombs 5)
      9 Infantry Squad, 55 pts = 9 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x1 10
         1 Sergeant, 10 pts = (base cost 5 + Melta Bombs 5)
      6 Special Weapons Squad, 60 pts = 6 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x3 30

Troops: Infantry Platoon (45#, 390 pts)
   1 Infantry Platoon, 0 pts
      4 Platoon Command Squad, 44 pts = 4 * 6 (base cost 6) + Meltagun x2 20
         1 Platoon Commander, 6 pts
      7 Infantry Squad, 45 pts = 7 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x1 10
         1 Heavy Weapons Team, 30 pts = (base cost 10 + Lascannon 20)
         1 Sergeant, 10 pts = (base cost 5 + Melta Bombs 5)
      7 Infantry Squad, 45 pts = 7 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x1 10
         1 Heavy Weapons Team, 30 pts = (base cost 10 + Lascannon 20)
         1 Sergeant, 10 pts = (base cost 5 + Melta Bombs 5)
      7 Infantry Squad, 45 pts = 7 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x1 10
         1 Heavy Weapons Team, 30 pts = (base cost 10 + Lascannon 20)
         1 Sergeant, 10 pts = (base cost 5 + Melta Bombs 5)
      7 Infantry Squad, 45 pts = 7 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x1 10
         1 Heavy Weapons Team, 30 pts = (base cost 10 + Lascannon 20)
         1 Sergeant, 10 pts = (base cost 5 + Melta Bombs 5)

Troops: Infantry Platoon (45#, 400 pts)
   1 Infantry Platoon, 0 pts
      4 Platoon Command Squad, 54 pts = 4 * 6 (base cost 6) + Meltagun x3 30
         1 Platoon Commander, 6 pts
      7 Infantry Squad, 45 pts = 7 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x1 10
         1 Heavy Weapons Team, 30 pts = (base cost 10 + Lascannon 20)
         1 Sergeant, 10 pts = (base cost 5 + Melta Bombs 5)
      7 Infantry Squad, 45 pts = 7 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x1 10
         1 Heavy Weapons Team, 30 pts = (base cost 10 + Lascannon 20)
         1 Sergeant, 10 pts = (base cost 5 + Melta Bombs 5)
      7 Infantry Squad, 45 pts = 7 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x1 10
         1 Heavy Weapons Team, 30 pts = (base cost 10 + Lascannon 20)
         1 Sergeant, 10 pts = (base cost 5 + Melta Bombs 5)
      7 Infantry Squad, 45 pts = 7 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x1 10
         1 Heavy Weapons Team, 30 pts = (base cost 10 + Lascannon 20)
         1 Sergeant, 10 pts = (base cost 5 + Melta Bombs 5)

Troops: Infantry Platoon (35#, 305 pts)
   1 Infantry Platoon, 0 pts
      4 Platoon Command Squad, 44 pts = 4 * 6 (base cost 6) + Meltagun x2 20
         1 Platoon Commander, 6 pts
      7 Infantry Squad, 45 pts = 7 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x1 10
         1 Heavy Weapons Team, 30 pts = (base cost 10 + Lascannon 20)
         1 Sergeant, 10 pts = (base cost 5 + Melta Bombs 5)
      7 Infantry Squad, 45 pts = 7 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x1 10
         1 Heavy Weapons Team, 30 pts = (base cost 10 + Lascannon 20)
         1 Sergeant, 10 pts = (base cost 5 + Melta Bombs 5)
      7 Infantry Squad, 45 pts = 7 * 5 (base cost 5) + Meltagun x1 10
         1 Heavy Weapons Team, 30 pts = (base cost 10 + Lascannon 20)
         1 Sergeant, 10 pts = (base cost 5 + Melta Bombs 5)


John wins the roll to go first and deploys, I spread out my men and wrap around buildings and the likes for cover saves, also hiding as many men on the bottom floors out of sight clumped up to stop the manticore having good targets.
I fail to seize.

Turn 1, he moves up the CCS and Vet chimeras across middle at his back edge, the russes move up, manticore fires 1 shot which hits 5 but I save them all due to being in cover. The punisher opens up on my big blob at the front, wounds 12, I save 9... good start. his hydras open up on the CCS and kill 2. In my turn I move the PCS up to melta the Vendetta, they fluff their shots, the main blob BID's a hydra to a wreck, he saved 2 more pens (one on each) and a glance. Luck's evening out I suppose. Finally the back platoon BID the Vendetta and imob it but since it moved flat out its a wreck. vets pile out and are not pinned.

just before turn 2

Turn 2 he moves up chimeras again the russes again rumble. Shooting the manticore shot goes off the table... glad I placed the men so close to the edges now, he assaults my back blob with the vets and they hold.. he then opens on the mid blob who again save well. In my turn I get both blobs on from reserve. Al'Rahem gets the right hand side, so does the creed blob, they both come on my right, and the PCS from the outflank non Al blob walks on by my obj. I blow a chimera on the left and Straken and co fall out,  I fluff meltas on the right from the outflank blobs which sucks, Like the wind order helps me get close to the Manticore and Vet chimera for assaults which I multi charge both I blow up and explode the manticore in HTH and kill 14 of my own men!! the chimera is shaken.

just before turn 3

Turn 3, he moves the hydra and walkers to counter my blob, the mid blob is thinned by russes. the vet chimera tank shocks my Al blob but is stunned by meltagun (Phew, I rolled a 1 for result), the sents flame my right blob but its minor as I spread out. He assaults the walkers into the blob  which suffer only a shaken from my meltabombs and hold, and he assaults straken into mid blob (Tried to also get the Vets by Straken in but I removed the men closest) which holds after a fair few cas, the left blob finally wins combat as it was kind of uneventful until it got fully into base to base (he won by 1 each turn but each turn I thinned 1-2 guys so it was gradually worn down) I catch him and consolidate back a bit to my short edge. In my turn I move up and stun the hydra on right, blow up the vet chimera killing lots of my own men from the blast again, but he's pinned so i don't assault... also wreck a Sentinel in CC the mid blob holds.

just before turn 4

other side shot (The rhino is a chimera which raced forward)

Turn 4, he moves the chimera forward 12 towards my Obj and shoots up the PCS with the Russes. In HTH I blow up the sent (Wreck yay) I lose by 1 wound in straken fight, but hold. In my turn I move and decide not to shoot his chimera on my left, I BID on his russes from the right hand blob's Lascannons and blow up the Battle tank, the punisher is fine due to cover saves. In HTH I assault the chimera, get my meltabombs landing, wreck it and the vet squad which had jumped in before it raced forward is killed as cannot deploy.  the mid blob holds.

Turn 5, He shoots my PCS doing 13 wounds, I only fail 1 on each of the two remaining guys after going to ground, damn so close. in HTH Straken kills off the blob but his squad only has him and 3 guys now (Inc the priest). In return i stun his Russ to save my men on my obj with right hand blob, I move my small blob to surround straken to stop his advance but the squad soaks all my damage (And my meltas fluff). I finish off the Vets by his obj too in shooting and make sure I have men on his obj.


We roll to continue... it does.


Turn 6, Quite quick turns... he shoots my PCS on my obj with straken and I save the lone Plasma pistol shot which hits, but more importantly it means he cannot assault the blob to begin chewing through it in case of a turn 7. The Russ turns its side armour to my right Blob to increase survival chances. In my turn I open fire on straken's squad again and only kill 1. the Russ makes its saves as I fail my LD for BID and only 1 hits.


We roll to continue and it ends.


So a good game vs a different to normal guard list. I think it was roughly 700 VP to him and 1495 (Maybe a little high estimate) to me.

I still have half my smaller blob alive, 3 in Creed's command, the full outflanking blob and my PCS from it which walked on by obj, Al's command is alive, the special weapons survived after fleeing for two turns as they were above half str and rallied final turn (Thank god), and just under half of Al's big blob are living.

So basically still about 80+ men left out of my original 187 who entered. Poor John has a leman Russ, Straken, priest and a single man after the Orange Sea washed over his forces. But did well against the list... I think he mentioned he hadn't played a blob list before.

My mistakes? possibly bringing both outflank blob son the right (Though this is hindsight), I was worried my left defenses were too weak and he'd break through, thankfully my gamble to wreck his chimera worked, although if he had lived all he could have done was shoot out as tank shocking had meltas and melta bombs all round it to stop further advance.. Straken earned his points too surviving so long for John and thinning down my blob, but they did their job and held him in place for most of the game. Other than that outflank decision I think I was spot on in my calls.

So a good game with a good guy. Now for game 5 which is Hopefully in a few weeks time Vs Cmdr Dante and his Blood Angels! or Vs Elixier and his nids.