Warhammer 40,000 Battle Report #46 – Blood Angels vs Tau Empire

Stulte Mors remains under attack! In the closing days, a space anomaly is opening that is affecting space and time within the system. A desperate battle has ensued, with the invaders frantically trying to leave the system or cause as much last-minute damage as they possibly can. Heavenfall Station has been a big target in these days, as ordnance from its siloes reaps a deadly toll on the ships that stray too close to the capital world.

The forces of Vior’la have been embroiled in the bitter fighting since the very beginning, and now they are attempting to withdraw their forces before the system collapses. One of Mal’caor Mont’yr’s Shas’el leaders has been tasked with destroying a particular battery on the surface of Heavenfall. If it can be brought offline, the Tau will be able to enter low orbit above Stulte Mors and recover their warriors on the planet. The Blood Angels, however, have no intention of allowing that to happen.

“Forces are in position.”

Shas’el Shi’ka nodded solemnly. “Mal’caor is depending on this action, brothers. Establish your attack patterns and begin the run.”

On his viewscreens, he could see the Gue’ron’sha positions coming up quickly. A slew of AA batteries surrounded their position, but they had long since spent their ammunition against countless Tyranid and Chaos attacks that had battered themselves bloody against the station’s defenses. Among the drab scenery, Ski’ka picked out the movements of warriors in bright red livery. The human defenders were significant in number, with more being reported nearby by Stealth Teams. The strike had to do maximum damage early, or the reinforcements could break the attack before it struck home.

Gue’ron’sha heads turned to consider the Tau Orcas as they closed, and Shi’ka could almost feel the hatred emanating from within their helmets. The attack could only end if they were all slain; time and again, they had seen the Imperials defend to their last breath.

“Begin the Mont’ka. Now.”

Thrusters screamed as dozens of battlesuits leapt onto the Blood Angels below.

The Armies

Knights of Baal

Blood Angels – 2,000

Combined Arms Detachment

HQ

Sanguinary Priest: WARLORD (Red Rampage); Jump Pack, Auspex

TROOPS

Tactical Squad: five additional Space Marines; Multi-Melta, Meltagun

Tactical Squad: five additional Space Marines; Heavy Flamer, Flamer

Tactical Squad: Plasma Gun; Razorback transport with Lascannon and Twin Plasma Guns

Tactical Squad: Plasma Gun; Razorback transport with Lascannon and Twin Plasma Guns

Tactical Squad: Heavy Bolter

Tactical Squad: Heavy Bolter

ELITES

Death Company: five additional Death Company Marines; Jump Packs, Thunder Hammer

FAST ATTACK

Assault Squad: five additional Space Marines; 2x Meltaguns

Assault Squad: five additional Space Marines; 2x Meltaguns

Bike Squad: two additional Space Marine Bikers; 2x Grav-gun

HEAVY SUPPORT

Devastators: three additional Space Marines; 4x Lascannon

Baal Predator: Twin Assault Cannons, Heavy Bolter Sponsons

Baal Predator: Twin Assault Cannons, Heavy Bolter Sponsons

Vior’la Tok’rhenna Shi

Tau Empire – 2,000

Retaliation Cadre

Commander: XV8-02 Crisis “Iridium” Armor, Puretide Engram Neurochip; 2x Fusion Blaster,     Vectored Retro-Thruster, Shield Generator

XV8 Crisis Team: two additional Crisis Shas’ui; 6x Fusion Blaster, 3x Target Lock

XV8 Crisis Team: two additional Crisis Shas’ui; 6x Missile Pods, 2x Target Lock

XV8 Crisis Team: four additional Crisis Shas’ui; 10x Plasma Rifle, 5x Advanced Targeting          System

XV88 Broadside Team: two additional Broadside Shas’ui, 6x Missile Drones; Twin High-Yield   Missile Pods, Twin Smart Missile Systems, 3x Target Lock

XV104 Riptide: Ion Accelerator, Twin Fusion Blasters, Early Warning Override, Velocity            Tracker

Optimized Stealth Cadre

XV95 Ghostkeel: Cyclic Ion Raker, Twin Fusion Blasters, Early Warning Override, Velocity Tracker

XV25 Stealth Team: three additional Stealh Shas’ui; 2x Fusion Blaster/Target Lock, 4x Burst             Cannon/Advanced Targeting System

XV25 Stealth Team: Fusion Blaster/Target Lock, 2x Burst Cannon/Advanced Targeting System

Drone-net VX1-0

4x Marker Drones

4x Marker Drones

4x Marker Drones

4x Marker Drones

After-Action Review

It is safe to say that the Mont’ka went through, and Shi’ka was successful in his debut attack in the name of the Greater Good. I’ve been wanting to try a battlesuit approach since I first started Tau, and this is the first time I had a good excuse to do it. I almost always prefer the combined arms end of the Tau Empire’s way of war, so it was nice to have an excuse for the hammer blow.

The Drone Network is a very fun formation, and they fit well with the mobile warfare aspect of the battlesuit army. Jinking on the Drones is awesome, as it allowed them to soak up some serious firepower and remain in play for future target confusion. Any bullets they draw off of the battlesuits is a win in my mind, and their BS3 Markerlight contribution was an excellent force multiplier. The suits were much more devastating with their firepower than I was expecting, especially the Plasma XV8 team. Everything that approached that corner of the table was absolutely incinerated, leading me to believe they will function well in the future as close-in defenders when I run my bubble of Devilfish. Nothing wants to eat that much plasma fire!

I think the Blood Angels would have been better served with the Assault Marines coming into play via Deep Strike later in the game. They were easy casualties for the firestorm, as were the Devastators. I think he would also have made a better defense if there were multiple hard points to be cracked, with more terrain that blocked line of sight. I initially thought that the wide open fields would be an advantage for him, since Crisis Teams aren’t exactly the most resilient unit in the game. Instead it all worked against him, giving me one position to focus against while using my superior mobility to dance out of harm’s way. I think doubling down on the Devastators in this scenario would have been superior, as those Lascannons would have been absolute hell on my suits.