UK Indy GT: Game 4: Salamanders

So Game 4 vs Salamanders (Vanilla Marines).

This will see me pitted against Thomas Jackson in Capture and Control (bore draw) and pitch battle - same combo as game 2.

Overnight the tournament organisers had the brilliant idea of reversing the table numbers for day two i.e. Table 1 is now the bottom table, the bottom table became 1. This was to stop the top players getting use to the same handful of tables and generally shake everything up for everyone.

So the Salamanders had:
Vulkan Hestan
Terminator Librarian in Terminator armour, storm shield, avenger and null zone
5 Assault Terminators (4 sets of hammers and shields)
Ironclad Dreadnought with a heavy flamer and a drop pod with a locator beacon
10 man Tactical squad with a missile launcher, flamer, melta bombs on the Sergeant. in a Rhino
10 man Tactical squad with a multi melta, melta gun, combi meta, all in a drop pod
5 Scouts with a Sergeant with a Power fist, combi melta in a.....
Land Speeder Storm with a Heavy Flamer
2 Vindicators
Thunderfire Cannon
Land Speeder Typhoon with a Multi Melta

So a real mix bag of units, but with multiple tools for every job.

So Deployment saw me shove my objective behind a building in my right hand corner while Thomas put his out in the open just over to my left - I would of gone for behind the 2 buildings on the left but hey and set up his army in a general gun line. I set up with the two 10 man units up on the left to go up and around to his objective (it worked in game 2!) and left everything else to defend mine in a anti deep strike set up (Thanks to Tom's Daemons) The Thomas I was playing Turbo boosted his Land Speeder Strom for his scout move.

Deployment out of shot on the far right are my 2 10 man squads

So Turn 1 saw the Land Speeder Storm fly in to try and toast up a Rhino. The Vindicators and the Terminators advanced at full pelt. The Drop Pod with Vulkan and a Tactical Squad went to land on the other side of the building my objective was behind but scattered 11 towards my board edge and off it! But where only delayed. My 1st turn saw my flanking units fly up the left hoping to make the most of the buildings in future turns. It takes all my shooting to kill the Land Speeder Storm and the scouts :/ but their Kamikaze attack run had to be stopped.

Turn 2 sees both drop pods arrive on time and spot on. The Vindicators open up on my flanking Rhinos but a combination of poor rolling and smoke launchers saved them. Vulkan's Tactical squad combat squads for multiple scoring units in my face while the Sergeant's combi melta wrecks a Rhino. The Thunderfire cannon lets rip on a unit of Long Fangs and kill all bar 2!

This is a problem....

My Turn 2 sees both my Scout units in and wanting to make up for their no show vs the Tyranids in Game 3. Not only do they blow up the Rhino holding the Tactical Squad camping his objective but also smash up the Tactical squad wholesale in combat as my flanking Rhinos start to reach cover. Meanwhile over near my objective a Land Speeder tryies to dish out some flamer based irony to Vulkan's combat squad to no effect, but my 2 Long Fangs brighten up and destroy the Thunderfire cannon while the 2nd unit take down the Ironclad before it became a really big problem.

The Scouts do what they do best - Surprise Attack!!!!

In assault the Grey Hunter Squad and the Rune Priest who was with them smash up a combat squad and the last man flees.

Things seem a lot rosier now

Turn 3 sees the Vindicators hit reverse as they lose contact with the Tactical squad in the back line, but the Scouts hide well in the Rhino's crater. The Terminators close the gap by charging a Land Speeder and Vulkan's combat squad charge the Grey Hunters and Rune Priest. Vulkan pretty much Solo's the entire unit in his and my assault phases. A Vindicator manages to stun a Rhino sneaking up the left, but the lead Rhino gets away and is ready to take his objective come turn 4. The Land Speeder Typhoon shoots the same Rhino but to no effect. I choose to pile in the unit of Long Fangs (who killed the Ironclad) into Vulkan's combat to a) slow him down, b) get more attacks on his few reaming Tactical Marines, and c) they had bugger all to shoot at. It's a good job I did as the last Grey Hunter legged it and left the job to the Veterans - with the heavy weapons! The Techmarine charges the Scouts only to be dropped with a sneaky blade into a soft spot.

Start of Turn 4

Turn 4 sees the stunned Rhino finally receive some real damage and become immobilised. The Rhino now near his objective is destroyed but the Grey Hunters remain ok. The Grey Hunters on my left jump out and melt the Vindicator with a sneaky shot under the Land Speeder as 2 scouts manage to take out the 2nd Vindicator. Vulkan finishes off the Long Fangs but the time they brought was vital.

Things on the left flank for the Salamanders go from bad.......

......... to worse

Turn 5 sees my Land Speeders form a line to block the Terminators who have had a rotten time as they keep on fluffing their rolls vs the lightly armed skimmers. My last Grey Hunter squad defending my objective jump out along with a Rune Priest needing only to kill Vulkan's two friends as they are his only true threat - as scoring models. The 2 Tactical marines die in a flurry of flame, melta, and psychic blasts - and Vulkan finally takes a wound. With the result of the game already decided I pile in my Grey Hunters and Rune Priest in an attempt to drop Vulkan.

Turn 6 sees me destroy his Land Speeder and continue on blocking his Terminators with my Land Speeders. Vulkan keeps on chopping up Wolves but the battle is lost.

Salamander objective - in Wolves hands

Vulkan keeps chopping away but he's all alone

So what did I learn from this game:
Same as Game 1 and 2 - Aggression
Don't be afraid what your opponent can do to you, concentrate on how you're going to mess him up
Sitting on objectives from turn 1 isn't always the smartest move - as long as you get there or jump the enemy by turn 5 you will be fine

Games 5 and 6 will posted together tomorrow as I have no pictures for game 4 (as my opponent didn't want any) and game 6 was really quick - but both are filled with stupid mistakes on my part.

So what will happen against the Blood Angles in Game 4? And can I repeat another massacre on the Orks again??