Battle Report - Combat Extraction! (Amalthean Crusade 2)

On Thursday night, JY came over (JS was supposed to come too, but he couldn't make it) and we set up for a game of 40K. The scenario had originally been planned to represent a combined Imperial Guard/Space Marine thrust outwards from a landing zone to try to seize an important town on the main road to the nearby spaceport, against Tau and Galg Mercenary (Ork) forces. Unfortunately, with the absence of JS and his Galgs (Orks), we instead just used the same board setup for a 1,600ish point game.

We rolled up Sieze the Relic, fighting lengthways up the board. JY got to choose table sides and sensibly picked the one with the wood! The Relic, I decided, would actually be an Inquisitor carrying vital information about the Tau defences of the world. After setup, the Righteous Fists seized the initiative and moved first.

Tau Force:

Commander Bob (Twin-linked missile system, missile system) - Warlord Trait: The Ghost That Walks Amongst Us
Bodyguards Bill (Twin-linked plasma rifle) and Ben (twin-linked fusion blaster)

Fireblade

Blue Team - 12 Firewarriors

Red Team - 12 Firewarriors

Stealth Team Assault - Fusion Blaster

Stealth Team Hide - Markerlights

Piranha - Fusion Blaster, two Seeker Missiles

Piranha - Fusion Blaster, two Seeker Missiles

Hammerhead with Railgun, Longstrike, twin-linked burst cannon

Broadside Team - High Yield Missile Systems, Missile Drones

Righteous Fists Strike Force:

Chaplain Maeon with Jump Pack - Warlord Trait: Master of Offence

Codicier Tithonius with Smite and Force Dome

Techmarine Sabas - Power axe

Terminator Squad II Altes - Assault Cannon

Tactical Squad II Polix - Power fist, melta, multi-melta

Tactical Squad IV Rhesus - Power fist, plasma cannon, plasma gun

Scout Squad Mydon - Sniper rifles, boltgun, chainsword

Assault Squad II Oleon - 5 Jump Pack Marines, power fist, two plasma pistols
Assault Squad II Minos - 5 Bikers: attack bike (heavy bolter), plasma gun

Devastator Squad II Plato - Power fist, two lascannons, two heavy bolters

I Combat Squadded all of my Marines, and kept the Terminators in Reserve.

Deployment: from the Imperial side. The ruins with the Devastator Demi-Squad in were bolstered by the Techmarine to provide a 3+ cover save.

 End Marine Turn 1: Demi-Squad Polix with Codicier Tithonius move up under a Force Dome to try to reach the Inquisitor, while the Assault Squad moves up at speed to try to get into combat with Blue Team. The Scouts, infiltrated into the Tau deployment area, move to cover. Shooting kills two Tau from Blue Team,  three from Red Team, and gives the Fireblade a scare. The Devastator's lascannons glance Longstrike's Hammerhead. I miss the Vanquisher cannon!
Victory Points: 0

 End Tau Turn 1: The Broadsides moved backwards to annihilate the Scout Squad with 16 missiles, and shooting from Red and Blue Teams combined with markerlights from the Stealth Teams and Fireblade destroy the Jump Pack squad totally, Chaplain Maeon being the last to fall. The Piranhas have moved up and  kill one Marine from the Demi-Squad behind the tail section of the crashed Aquila. A large amount of gunfire patters off the armour and Force Dome of Demi-Squad Polix and I begin to think I might be able to get in, get the Inquisitor, and get out.
Victory Points: 2 (Slay the Warlord, First Blood)

End Marine Turn 2: The Terminators attempt to Deep Strike into battle, but a malfunction with the teleporter on board the orbiting Strike Cruiser prevents them from doing so. Demi-Squad Polix has grabbed the Inquisitor and moved back towards cover, again under a Force Dome. Shooting from the two Tactical Demi-Squads in the trenchline as well as the Heavy Bolter Devastators fails to do more than glance the Piranha on the right flank. The Lascannons again glance Longstrike's Hammerhead, and the Bikers exact a small measure of revenge by killing five members of Blue Team. Polix's Demi-Squad and the Plasma Cannon on the left flank shoot up Red Squad quite badly.
VP: 0

End Tau Turn 2: Demi-Squad Polix is gunned down, but Codicier Tithonius' Force Dome holds up (again) against a main gun round from Longstrike. The Bikers are blown away by Broadsides, Blue Team and the Command Team. Hm. I'm losing Astartes a lot faster than JY is losing Tau! Markerlights are extremely powerful indeed!
VP: 2 (Slay the Warlord, First Blood)

End Marine Turn 3: The Terminators remain delayed by the malfunction. Another Demi-Squad of Marines leaps from cover and into Tithonius' Force Dome, desperate to keep the Inquisitor safe from the vile xenos. Demi-Squad Rhesus moves past the Devastators in the trenchline to provide backup. The Lascannons this time fail to do anything to Longstrike's Hammerhead. Techmarine Sabas engages the Piranha in close combat, but doesn't destroy it. Some relief is found in the destruction of Red Team by the Heavy Bolters and the killing of a Stealthsuit from Team Hide. The two foremost Drones from the Command Team are destroyed, too, which will become important soon.
VP: 0

End Tau Turn 3: Tau firepower is finally too much for Tithonius and eventually he is killed by a seeker missile hit after the last of Polix's squad falls trying to rescue the Inquisitor. The Piranha on the left kills the Plasma Cannon Marine, and on the right stays locked in combat (Sabas' servo-arm had clearly grabbed it!)
VP: 2 (Slay the Warlord, First Blood).

End Marine Turn 4: With all of Polix dead, and just eight Marines left capable of holding onto the Inquisitor, things are looking dicy. But the Terminators arrive and kill the Fireblade as well as all bar two of Blue Team. At least now the Tau are unlikely to be able to seize the Inquisitor. The Lascannons finally take out Longstrike's Hammerhead with a penetrating hit (at last!) and Sabas smashes the Piranha into the ground and kills the crew with his bolt pistol. Gunfire from Tactical Marines and the Heavy Bolters knocks several wounds off Commander Bob.
VP: 0

End Tau Turn 4: Three more Marines are killed from Squad Rhesus (two from the Plasma Cannon Demi-Squad, and one from the Sergeant's Demi-Squad in the trench), but the main effort of the Tau shooting goes into destroying Terminator Squad II Altes. Which they do. High Yield Missile Systems are terrifying!
VP: 2 (Slay the Warlord, First Blood)

End Marine Turn 5: Squad Rhesus' remaining Marines converge on the Inquisitor and move her into the trench and - maybe - safety. The Heavy Bolters and Lascannons and bolters - after much shooting - kill Commander Bob and two Markerlight Drones! Hurrah! But it's pretty Pyrrhic at this point.
VP: 1 (Slay the Warlord)

End Tau Turn 5: Demi-Squad Rhesus is wiped out, but Squad Leader Celeas is still alive. There is a faint chance of victory...
VP: 2 (Slay the Warlord, First Blood)

End Turn 6: Squad Leader Celeas managed to get the Inquisitor into the trench and then hit the dirt, but the 2+ cover save didn't save him. The firepower arrayed against him was just too great and with his death the game ended - a clear victory for the Tau... but the Inquisitor was still loose. Perhaps the Imperial Guard can succeed where the Astartes had failed?

Tau Victory Points: 3 (Slay the Warlord, First Blood, Linebreaker)
Marine Victory Points: 1 (Slay the Warlord)

Lessons learnt - cover saves are not enough. With the Tau, you have to either stay out of sight completely, get right in their face straight away, or bring lots and lots of AV14 armoured vehicles. Land Raiders, say, or more Leman Russ battle tanks than one can shake a stick at. I made a mistake by leaving Maeon and his Assault Squad in the road - I should have hid them behind the building and leapt out of sight again next turn, aiming for a turn 3 charge into assault. The Broadsides died happily to Lascannons, and really should have been my main target for the Devastators - Longstrike was not a serious threat.

Next time, JS, next time!