Conflict in Charm City: 2005
On February 18-20 2005, Games Workshop held Conflict alongside the Baltimore Grand Tournament. My pal Patrick Eibel and I went on the 20th to get in some gaming and see some friends who came to the GT.

Test-Driving the Tigers 
The new Space Marine codex had inspired me to make some changes to my army, but I hadn’t yet played a game with my reconfigured Fighting Tigers. Conflict provided a perfect opportunity. I brought:

• Kshatriya Jirbu Ghosh (Space Marine Captain) w/ plasma pistol, power weapon, auspex, teleport homer, and melta bombs;
• Tiger of Tvashtri: Techmarine w/ power weapon, signum, auspex, and servo-arm
• “Shiva’s Guard”: Terminator Sergeant w/ storm bolter and power sword; two Terminators w/ storm bolters and chainfists; two Terminators w/ assault cannons and power fists;
• Tigers of Rudra, Squad 1 (Tactical Marines): Veteran Sergeant w/ bolter-flamer, seven Marines w/ bolters, one Marine w/ flamer, one Marine w/ meltagun (Squad uses Cleanse and Purify trait); Rhino w/ extra armor, smoke launchers, searchlight, and pintle-mounted storm bolter;
• Tigers of Rudra, Squad 2 (Tactical Marines): Sergeant and three Marines w/ bolters, one Marine w/ missile launcher; Razorback w/ twin-linked lascannon, dozer blade, extra armor, and smoke launchers;
• Tigers of Rudra, Squad 3 (Tactical Marines): Sergeant and three Marines w/ bolters, one Marine w/ plasma cannon; Razorback w/ twin-linked lascannon, dozer blade, extra armor, and smoke launchers;
• Tigers of Agni, Squad 1 (Devastator Marines): Sergeant and five Marines w/ bolters, four Marines w/ heavy bolters
• Tigers of Agni, Squad 2 (Devastator Marines): Sergeant and five Marines w/ bolters, four Marines w/ missile launchers

Shoot-em-Up
Though I am sure he will vehemently deny it, my friend Pat is slowly but inexorably losing his status as an unrepentant close-combat junkie and is mutating into a fan of the “Shooty Army From Hell” concept. I offer as evidence the fact that all I see him play lately is his way-cool, Star-Wars themed Daemonhunter/Imperial Guard army. Pat left Lord Vader and his crew at home and brought the grunts and their big guns to Conflict:

• Command Platoon
• Anti-Tank Support Squad: Three teams w/ lascannons
• Two Infantry Platoons with plenty of heavy bolters, missile launchers, and autocannons
• Hellhound
• Two Leman Russ tanks
• Leman Russ Demolisher tank

Mission: Recon (Gamma level)
Points per Player: 1500

What happened? The table we were playing on was a Mars-like desert board (eerily similar to the Blood Deserts of Auros IX, where my Tigers got skinned by Pat’s Orks), and my deployment zone had a huge gap, without any cover, in the middle. Getting into a shoot-out with the Imperial Guard is always a bad idea, and you only compound your error by not grabbing every shred of cover you can. I put Agni Squad #1 on my left, among some rocks, and behind that terrain, I placed Rudra Squads #1 and #2, embarked on their transports. I attached the new and improved Jirbu Ghosh with Rudra Squad #2.

I put Agni Squad #2 in the rocks on my right. I ordered the Techmarine to join Rudra Squad #3, and placed them, in their transport, behind the rocks that Agni #2 held. “Shiva’s Guard” waited in reserve, to teleport in at an opportune time. 

Pat spread out across two thirds of the board, also hugging cover, with his tanks loaded up on his left side (my right). He won the roll to go first and advanced the Hellhound and the Demolisher. The former had no range, but the latter fired a tremendous burst that exploded among Agni #2, killing four of them. They were inclined to retreat, but Jirbu Ghosh exhorted them to hold fast—in game terms, I was able to use her Leadership 9 to counteract the 9 I rolled for Agni #2’s Morale test.

Pat also fired a heap of shots—including a blast from a Leman Russ—at Agni #1, but they only lost two members. Any Shooting Phase where you only lose six Marines to the Imperial Guard is a good one….

On my turn, the Techmarine got out of Rudra #3’s Razorback to help Agni #2. Agni #2 and my Razorbacks combined their fire, taking out the Demolisher and one Leman Russ with some lucky rolls. Agni #1 returned fire on the Guardsmen, killing four of them, but they held. Meanwhile, Rudra #1 (in their Rhino) trundled up the left side of the field, launching smoke grenades to cover their advance. 

On Turn 2, Pat’s Hellhound crept forward but was still not in range. Pat ordered an autocannon squad to draw a bead on the Rhino and they destroyed it, killing three Tactical Marines and pinning the rest as they bailed out. 

A missile launcher squad destroyed Rudra #3’s Razorback, killing two and pinning THEM. As they climbed out of the wreckage, another heavy weapon took out one of them members—Rudra #3 was not having a good day. 

Pat’s Anti-Tank Squad piled on by firing at the other Razorback and shaking it. Not having much to do on my turn, Agni #1 fired their heavy bolters again, killing three more Guardsmen. The three left stubbornly refused to flee. The swine. 

You know, it’s never a good sign for you when IG Infantry Squads are moving toward your deployment zone instead of hugging every bit of cover in theirs. On Turn 3, Pat moved up two squads, plus a Leman Russ, and the Hellhound. The ‘hound fired on Agni #2, killing three of them. Follow-up fire dropped another Devastator and wiped out Rudra #3. Agni #1 weathered fire from four different squads while taking no casualties, while Agni #2 fell back. 

On my turn, Agni #2 put on their big-boy underwear and went back into the fight, moving up for better lines of fire on the next turn. My Terminators showed up, deviating 11" away from their target. Nevertheless, they were still in range with their weapons, and wiped out a pesky Guardsman squad that had been trading fire with Agni #1. Agni #1, by the way, killed the heavy bolter crew—the only targets in range—in another squad. 

On this turn, Jirbu Ghosh decided to make her move. She ordered Rudra Squad #2, with whom she was riding, to drive their Razorback up the field, following Rudra #1, who were hoofing it towards cover. The Razorback fired on Pat’s Hellhound, shaking it: no more inferno cannon  nonsense, at least for one round. 

IG squads continued to advance on Turn 4. The remaining Leman Russ fired its battlecannon at “Shiva’s Guard,” who amazingly bricked their armor saves, losing two. Squad fire picked off another member of the ill-fated Agni Squad #2. On my turn, the Terminators advanced, killing six Guardsmen, and the Techmarine charged the Hellhound, his servo arm shaking it again.

Pat polished off the last member of Agni #2 and turned his attentions to the other side of the field, where my Terminators and Tactical Marines were threatening. A battlecannon shot missed “Shiva’s Guard,” but a lowly Guardsmen found a chink in their armor and brought down one Tiger Veteran. 

The Terminators fell back 4", then regrouped on my turn, advancing again and killing the other four Guardsmen in that squad. Jirbu Ghosh led the surviving Tactical Marines behind a clump of rocks while the Razorback destroyed the Leman Russ on a lucky Glancing “6.” The Techmarine kept at the Hellhound, his servo arm tearing apart something vital, exploding it. 

On Pat’s last turn, a squad of Guardsmen made it into my deployment zone and Pat’s Anti-Tank squads exacted cruel revenge on the Techmarine, vaporizing him with their lascannons. On my turn, the Terminators killed four more Guardsmen. 

Outcome: Tigers win (1115 Victory Points to 766 Victory Points)

© Copyright Kenton Kilgore, March 2005
 

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