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

Stulte Mors is still burning! This week we’re playing a mission to represent armies that have been abandoned without supplies. They are now in a war for flaming debris, as it comes crashing down on the planet below!

Mesh’a looked around the human ruins, satisfied that each of his Pathfinders was concealed adequately. With a practiced eye, he turned back to the wall of red armor that was pouring into their sector.

“Gue’ron’sha, incoming,” he whispered into the comm-bead.

“Designate targets,” responded Shas’o Ka. “My Orca is moving into position now.”

“Affirmative,” Mesh’a responded. Below, he saw the blur of a Ghostkeel as it moved out into the street. The first of the armored tanks didn’t even slow, their targets tracking a Broadside team that was far to the rear.

“All elements, engage.”

The Armies

Knights of Baal

Blood Angels – 2,000

Combined Arms Detachment

HQ

Sanguinary Priest: WARLORD (Descent of Angels)

Librarian: Psyker (Mastery Level 2), Subvert Machine, Warpmetal Armor, Machine Flense;           Gallian’s Staff, Terminator Armor

TROOPS

Tactical Squad: five additional Space Marines; Heavy Flamer, Flamer, Sergeant has Melta             Bombs, Rhino transport

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

ELITES

Terminator Squad: Assault Cannon, Land Raider Redeemer transport with Extra Armor

FAST ATTACK

Assault Marines: four additional Space Marines; 2x Meltaguns, Sergeant has Melta Bombs,           Rhino transport

HEAVY SUPPORT

Devastator Squad: three additional Space Marines; 4x Lascannon

Baal Predator: Twin Assault Cannons, Heavy Bolters

Baal Predator: Twin Assault Cannons, Heavy Bolters

Whirlwind: Overcharged Engines, Storm Bolter

Vior’la Tok’rhenna Shi

Tau Empire – 2,000

Hunter Contingent

Hunter Cadre

Commander: WARLORD (Predator of the Skies); Shield Drone, XV8-02 Crisis “Iridium”           Armor, Puretide Engram Neurochip; Shield Generator, Vectored Retro-Thruster, 2x           Fusion Blaster

Strike Team: five additional Fire Warriors, Devilfish transport with Disruption Pod, Twin Smart   Missile Systems, and Sensor Spines

Strike Team: five additional Fire Warriors, Devilfish transport with Disruption Pod, Twin Smart   Missile Systems, and Sensor Spines

Strike Team: five additional Fire Warriors, Devilfish transport with Disruption Pod, Twin Smart   Missile Systems, and Sensor Spines

Breacher Team: five additional Fire Warriors, Devilfish transport with Disruption Pod, Twin         Smart Missile Systems, and Sensor Spines

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

Pathfinder Team: four additional Pathfinders

Pathfinder Team: four additional Pathfinders

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

Optimized Stealth Cadre

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

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

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

After Action Review

The whole process of random Objectives rarely seems to work out for Griff. Whether we’re playing 40k or Dropzone Commander, it just seems to rain on his parade far more often than not. This, coupled with the steady diet of destruction the Tau were putting downrange, simply left him in an ugly spot he couldn’t climb back out of.

The damage he did to my battlesuits was impressive, but the Fire Warrior core remaining intact spelled disaster for those Marines looking for a last-minute rally. This was my first time deploying Breachers, and while they were particularly suited for the foe at hand, their response to the immediate threat was devastating. I don’t think there is any way I would have brought down all those Marines without dedicating everything I had to them that turn. The Breachers made it an easy task.

I’m still up in the air on the best way to fight Armor 14 with Tau, especially with that Librarian’s ability to up it to 15. Fusion is the way to go, but delivering it safely and in a cost-efficient manner is one of the bigger questions for me. In the days of the last Codex I almost always ran three Piranhas with Fusion Blasters, using their speed to get them in before the opponent could react, and then relying on their bulky profile to screen any advance from enemy armor. Sadly I’ve sold them all off; in the coming weeks I’ll probably look at restoring this old staple to my collection, as they’re cheaper and much faster than the XV8 unit I was using in this game.