The Shire and everything after: 40k Escalation Tournament

Session 3 here...

Session 4 here...

Session 5 here...

And so our second session came around quickly and I've updated my list to bring in some assault tanks (two Plagueburst Crawlers).

After the initial conflicts the "traitor" team is ahead in the overall score, and I'd won my first two games.

My list for this sessions was as follows:

Death Guard Battalion (8CP) - 999pts

++HQ (2 units)

Daemon prince of Nurgle with wings (Warlord) – 195 (“Krysler”)

Malefic talons, Plaguespewer

Suppurating plate Revoltingly resilient

Smite, Blades of putrefaction

Malignant plaguecaster (“Lastor”)

Pandemic staff (relic - 1CP) - 110

Smite, Plague wind, Miasma of pestilence

++Troops (3 units)

5 Plague marines 2x Blight launchers - 100

5 Plague marines 1x Blight launcher - 90

11 Poxwalkers - 66

++Fast (1 unit)

Foetid bloat drone 2x Plague spitters - 158

++Heavy (2 units)

Plagueburst crawler 2x Plague spitters & Heavy slugger - 140

My first battle was against an Aeldari force, the core of which were Rangers and Dark Reapers.

The mission was "Breakthrough" and as the attacker I had to assault the defended fortress and get my units off the far end. this was going to be very tough for me, as a mostly tough but slow moving army. It seemed a forlorn hope and that it would be very difficult to get anything off the table. My plan therefore was to try to destroy the Aeldari, and deny them a victory by killing off their units.

The initial deployments

The Aeldari mill about preparing to take to the battlements. the wraithlord would take position outside the gate, and the infantry took up positions in the towers and on the ramparts.

I deployed in as much cover as I could. The plan was to bombard with the Plagueburst Crawlers, put the plague marines up to the walls as a distraction, and to get the Daemon Prince and Foetid Bloat drone in amonst the Aeldari to wipe them out.

The plan worked fairly well, and indeed most of the Aeldari were wiped out, but I just couldn't push forwards with enough force. The battle ended with a 4pts to 1pt win for the Aeldari defenders.

Papa Nurgle wants us to sacrifice ourselves brothers! So be it then; may His Garden grow...

The attack goes in...

Briefly, Aeldari banshees arrive to try to grab the outer objectives, and are quickly doused in corrupting filth by the daemon engine nearby. They are wiped out!

The daemon prince and his copmanion bloat drone begin their blessed work butchering theyr way through the fort's defenders.

His wet, giggling, howls ring across the battlefield as Krysler the daemon prince forces the surviving Aeldari to flee for their lives, but its not enough to prevent the loss. The Death Guard do not break through the defender's lines.

It was a hard battle, which I was pleased to lose by so little a margin!

I think I did as much as I could to make the best of a hard scenario.

What I learned:

- The Plagueburst Crawler's mortar is a poor weapon, and its short range deathspitters are amazing (wiping out the banshees in one shot!)

- Every battle so far, my plague marines have been targetting early and reduced to 1-2 remaining in the unit, but those last two just. Don't. Die!

Game 2 was against Tom's so far all-conquering Sisters of Battle and this was a match I was looking forwards to.

We had three central objectives which would score each round, and score more if held by characters. The Sisters had far more of those so this was going to be a tough fight for me.

I misdeployed my Plaguecaster in a defensive position in the backfield, fearing the sheer volume of bolter/melta/flamer fire the Sisters had.

Other than that things went to plan with a Plagueburst Crawler going solo on my right flank, the plague marines occupying the centre, and a strong left-flank advance with the daemon prince, bloat drone, and the other crawler...

The Sisters blocked up in the centre to gain local fire superiority and to take advantage of all their character aura buffs. It was a good deployment and better than mine.

Celestine herself oversees her host!

On my right flank, things went as planned; I lost the plague marines, by the plagueburst crawler dominated, destroyed the sister Immolator tank and then proceeded to camp the objective here for the rest of the battle.

The Sisters dropped a large unit of Seraphim jump troops in to try to contest the flank. Their bolt pistols and hand flamers chewed up the powwalkers milling around my Malignant plaguecaster but after their drop, the Plaguecaster's psychic power, and the plagueburst crawler's death spitters all but wiped out the flying Sisters.

All the action was on the other flank though with the main power of both armies locking horns. Celestine was killed...twice...and the Sisters gasped in frustration as the Death Guard giggled in glee, shrugging off swathes of Righteous flame, and point blank melta fire!

Come to Papa's Embrace my children! He has such blessed infections for you to enjoy...

The game ended, and although the Death Guard "won the fight" (there were few Sisters units remaining), the Sisters had player a better battle and won the battle, taking most of the Victory Points.

It was a good, fun game.

Things I learned:

- Keep your eyes on the objectives

- Get your deployment right

- The Death Guard really can shrug off a lot of damage

So two wins for the first session, and two losses for this session.

I must say I'm really enjoying Warhammer 40k.

Some shots from the other battles...

Tyranids in great host...