HQ: Chaplain

Powerfist, Jump pack, Melta bombs

9x Death Company

Jump packs

10x Assault squad

Vet Sgt, power fist, melta bombs

7x Veteran Assault squad

2x flamers, power weapon, melta bombs

10x Tac marines

Vet Sgt, Plasma gun, Lascannon, power weapon

10x Tac marines

Vet Sgt, Meltagun, Missile launcher, power weapon

Predator

Extra armor, lascannon sponsons

~~

Death co. is the only unit with furious charge and has gained rending.

my list:

Devil Flyrant: 215

2x TL Devourers

+BS, +Str, Wings, Warp field

Broodlord: 70

6x Royal Guard: 144

+SV, +ST

16x Tgaunts: 144

+Str

3x8 Genestealers: 160 (each)

+SV

2x Devilfex: 143 (each)

+BS, +SV,

Spinebanks, 2x TL Devourers

3x Zoanthrope: 165

Warp Blast, Synapse

1504 points

Mission:

Gamma level Secure and control

Rolled 5x Objective markers.

Terrain was a ruins-heavy city table, with 6-8" gaps between buildings, and a river running across the center of the table (length- wise) and several bridges.

Setup:

he really spread out, while I loaded up mostly on the left side, per the map. he won first turn.

Turn 1:

Him: He moves everything up. Death co walks into the main building. other marines gain cover saves and position themselves. no shooting, as everything is behind cover.

Me: I move everything forward, gaining LOS with most units. I open up on him with everything that can reach (Silly me, I was thinking the zoanthropes only had 18" warp blast) that said, I reduce the forward melta unit to 2 models, and do no wounds to the death co. Zoanthrope kills a couple of marines from the assault squad.

* I position my troops so that they can receive the charge from Death co (should he come after me) but I'm stuck in the building, so I hope that he won't assault me

Turn 2:

Him: he decides that he probably couldn't get his death co into assault with the genestealers (he would have had to make a dangerous terrain test for landing in the water, then about a 3" or 4" difficult terrain test) so he walks them again. sporadic shooting. 5 tac + Las moves (they had a terrible move round on turn 1) His 10x assault squad charges Stealer 2 which is in the open. I strike first, kill four. his return attacks kill 4. there we remain

Me: I get my screening genestealers out of the building and in the open and the gaunts out of the building and into the water. More shooting, this time killing 2 from Tac + ML. Gaunts open fire at Death co, kill a couple. more shooting at death co reducing the unit to about 6 + chaplain. fight with the assault squad continues, losses on both sides. he suffers no retreat but no lost models.

*I moved the stealers into the open knowing that I would suffer a little from shooting, but if I'm in cover he gets to use his frag grenades and fight at I 10. If I'm in the open, then it's my I 6 vs his I 5. Gaunts had the opposite issue. being I 4, I wanted to stick them in cover, forcing him to use his grenades, and then my gaunts strike simultaneously on I 10

Turn 3:

Him: his predator blast Fex 1 (in cover) and wounds it 1 time. Vet assault squad charges into combat with stealer 1. I kill 2, he kills 2, so we pile into each other. Death Co. charges into assault with gaunts (them being in front of the stealers) Fight ensues, he kills 13 of the gaunts, I kill 2 death co, suffer No Retreat! and only lose 1 model. remaining genestealers from Stealer 2 kill off remaining normal assault troops. all 3 of them consolidate into the water.

Me: Tyrant kills remaining guys from 5 Tac + ML. 3 genestealers and Fex 2 charge the Death co. Stealer 3 charges the 1 remaining guy in 5 Tac + Melta. From 2 death co guys, Carnifex earns 3 wounds. I forgot they get Rending now!! stealers put 1 wound on chaplain, 2 remaining gaunts put 1 wound on chaplain and kill it. gaunts are killed by death co, Fex squashes 1 death co. Assault with veteran squad kills 3 vets, I lose 1 genestealer. I force him into No Retreat! and the fight continues.

*My manipulation of Initiative with terrain successful, now I only had to hold him in place while I bring enough force to bear to crush each squad individually. Forgetting that Death Co now has rending was a painful experience, but I'm really glad they didn't kill my fex.

Turn 4:

Him: he's looking a little thin on the table, nearly all 3 of his assault squads are nearly spent. he does some more shooting: his predator blast Fex 1 (in cover) and wounds it 2 times. Fex 1 has 1 wound left. Tac + lascannon zots left hand zoey for 1 wound. Assault finishes off Death co (the fex squashes the last two) and assault squad.

at this point he only has:

5 tac + Lascannon

5 tac + Plasma gun

Predator annihilator with las sponsons

I have:

Flyrant with 3 wounds left

Broodlord + retinue (unscathed)

8x Genestealers

6x Genestealers

2x Genestealers

2x Carnifex with 1 wound left on each

2x zoanthropes (unscathed)

1x zoanthrope with 1 wound left.

he resigns at Turn 4.

Final observations: v~he was overconfident in the toughness of his marine squads, and spread the assault units too thinly.

~killing half of Death Co. from shooting alone was an excellent way to thin their numbers.

~being able to manipulate the initiative was a powerful tool allowing me to cause casualties when I otherwise would not have been able to.

~ I should have had my carnifex charge into the combat with the veteran assault squad. it would have likely finished them off a round earlier and would have protected him from the las shots I took.

~ I shouldn't have moved my tyrant so far into the corner. I would have only 3 turns to get him back to a spot where he would be effective. I was most concerned about taking out the predator. In fact, I could have left that corner unit entirely alone and had the tyrant go off to beat on other units on the left.

Diagram: