Dominatus Crusade - Battle Report - Blood Angels vs Votanna
CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW
Hello all and welcome back to Armageddon. This is an ongoing series of battle reports based on the Dominatus Campaign currently running at my local gaming club.
NOTES:
- The campaign uses Dominatus as a base, but we have made some changes to the basic rules to include some more strategy and balancing.
- The battle maps are designed by me, but the write up for each report is done by the players of that respective game. This means there will be some change in the written style of each report.
- This week's report was written by James, our Blood Angels player. As always graphics are by myself.
This battle sees the Blood Angels of the Liberators defending Victorinius Spaceport from a Raiders force from the Leagues of Votann. Our players are:
- Liberators Blood Angels commanded by James.
- Raiders Votann commanded by Steven.
More battle reports will be forthcoming as the battle for Armageddon continues.
PRE-MATCH THOUGHTS
James - Blood Angels
Well, it’s all about the battle line units for me. I’m all Auspex Scanning the enemy. Everything that gets hit by a battle line unit gets rerolls of ones to hit and to wound — maybe? Don’t quote me on that. And literally will.
I’ve got a Sternguard unit that counts as battle line courtesy of an enhancement, and then I’ve also got a big unit of Intercessors with a lieutenant that gets lethal hits and precision. So the game plan is really just move up, play quite aggressive, try and take out a lot of his bigger units, and then start mopping up as I go. But that’s basically it.
We’re on the Cerberus base, so I get to deep strike, on my turn, my huge brick of terminators outside of six inches because of my detachment. They get a +1 to their advance and charge rolls, and the captain gives them rerolling charges. So they’re coming out of deep strike within six inches — well, within seven inches with a rerollable charge.
I think the Overwatch and the Hekaton Land Fortresses. He’s got Overwatch on fours, I think, on his Ironkin with ranged weapons. So those could be a big problem. But hopefully, I’ve got to stay in cover to deal with that.
Steven - Votann
The plan is to turn one, run up the board, use my actions on his side, and then run away like a big old chicken. The things I’m scared of the most are the Assault Terminators and the Sternguard. So the Sternguard are getting gunned down with everything I have to gun.
The primary should be easy enough if I can get up the board early enough in turn one, then I can action on the center objective nearest him and get it tagged before it goes away. I can get my Pioneers on the other side to action on the objective over there. So I can tag every single objective except for his home from the get go.
I’m fully intending to drop some Sword Brethren in their back line in a six-inch deep strike and just get right amongst it and see what I can chop up.
He’s probably going to win. It’s a campaign; the agendas are what matter. It’s for the team. It’s not for me.
ARMY LISTS
DEPLOYMENT
FORCE DISPOSITION: Take & Hold vs Priority Assets
PRIMARY AGENDAS: Planetfall vs Vanguard Recon
TURN 1 - VOTANN
Votann began fairly aggressively, moving up the their right flank with Hekaton Land Fortress containing Iron Master and Thunderkyn, screened by Jaegirs to get onto BA expansion objective. Pioneers hard and fast up the left flank sticking to cover. Centre pushes forward with other half of the jaegirs climbing to the top floor of the votann centre objective, supported by a unit of Ironkin Steeljacks.
Aggressive play with the light Kapricus Carrier onto BA centre objective. Not much if any shooting happens this turn for Votann
A bold aggressive start to the game, lets see how that panned out
TURN 1 - BLOOD ANGELS
Oathed the Hekaton landfortress on our left flank, maneuvered the gladiator to draw a line of sight. Techmarine blesses the Landraider’s auspex with +1 to hit. The assault intercessors march forward advancing onto the expansion objective and closing with the jaegirs, supported by the landraider towing onto the objective too. Sternguard pour out of the landraider to do the same, leveraging the Hero of the Chapter enhancement to give them battleline, letting them advance, shoot and charge. Intercessors in the centre move up to draw a bead on the opposing centre objective, while the intercessors on BA home draw a line onto the pioneers, staying just far enough away to avoid triggering reactive moves.
The shooting begins with the Ironkin on Steve’s home base overwatch the sternguard, dealing 1 wound total, but it was free, so hey, why not? Then the party gets started, intercessors on BA home kill a pioneer and leave one more with 1 wound remaining. The intercessors deal some damage to the Kapricus but fail to do anything else. The assault intercessors soften up the jaegirs in from of them, and the combined firepower of the gladius, land raider, and sternguard bring down the Hekaton hiding behind their expansion objective. Should’ve started with the Sternguard here, as the heavy bolters alone dealt 8 dev wounds before even rolling the rest of the squad.
The centre intercessors charge the kapricus, bringing it down in combat, while the assault intercessors and sternguard charge the jaegirs. The sequence here allowed the assault intercessors to finish the jaegirs, giving the sternguard the option to overrun into the now battleshocked Thunderkyn bringing them down to half strength for no damage in return. A very successful turn 1 for blood angels, punishing the Votann’s early aggression.
TURN 2 - VOTANN
The turn began with unit of melee ironjacks deepstrike just over 6” behind the intercessors on their home objective, while the pioneers continued to move up the flank. The beleaguered ironkyn fellback to give room to shoot the
sternguard, while the rest of the votann forces consolidated their left flank and pushed further up the middle. The sanguinary guard rapid ingressed into votann deployment zone, ready to make a move on their home objective. The Hekaton opened up it’s magna rails into the landraider but failing to hit, while the small arms fire all goes into the sternguard. The combined might of 1.5 units of ranged ironjacks, small arms from a Hekaton, and pistol fire from melee ironjacks brought down 5 sternguard only, thanks to the 4+ invul, 5+ feel no pain, and Angels defiant stratagem reducing wound rolls of high strength attacks by 1. The centre intercessors hold their ground but start to fall to the ironjacks, preparing to receive their charge.
The librarian’s sternguard squad receive the charge from the ironjacks and miraculously both characters survive unscathed! The intercessors are almost brought down, with just the sergeant and lieutenant surviving combat and dealing 2 wounds by reply. The BA home objective is soundly stolen by the deepstriking ironjacks wiping out the intercessors.
TURN 2 - BLOOD ANGELS
The librarian and sanguinary priest fail battleshock but thankfully survive their desperate escape tests and prepare to charge once more into the fray. The landraider, lancer, and assault intercessors move up the field to make a move on the Votann centre objective and second Hekaton. The sanguinary guard move quickly to return the favour to the Votann home objective, cautious to avoid line of sight on the ironjacks who could do some real damage on overwatch. the Sergeant and Lieutenant on the centre fall back up to the second floor. Finally the Heavy hitting Terminator assault squad hits the field on the centre left flank, taking advantage of the spaceport to land just over 6” away from ironjacks and the warriors on the centre objective, hoping to tag the Hekaton and create even more problems for the Votann. Left with much less infantry firepower now, the land raider and lancer set about trying to destroy the second Hekaton before it can bring its guns to bear more successfully. They bring it down to below half strength, ripe for thunderhammers and powerfists.
The charges work well, with the Terminators getting into the ironjacks, Hekaton, and warriors. the librarian charge back into the ironkyn and the robots, while the
assault intercessors make it into the warriors and Hekaton. The assault intercessors successfully bring the heakaton to 1 wound remaining, with the terminator captain finishing it off. Miraculously, the votann warriors only take 2 casualties after some truly appalling rolls from the thunder hammers. The librarian, sanguinary priest, and lightning claw terminators bring down 4 of the ironjacks, leaving just two standing who bring the librarian down to 1 wound remaining. The sanguinary guard do the same, with 2 alive on the votann home objective.
TURN 3 - VOTANN
Hit hard and fast by the aggressive counterattack from the Blood Angels, the Votann make stellar use of their dwindling resources, consolidating their positions to compress the Blood Angels right flank and push back into the centre from their own home base. The Pioneers move to BA home objective, while the ironjacks, covered in intercessor blood, move to take revenge on the gladiator savaging their armoured vehicles.
The sergeant and lieutenant in the centre are destroyed convincingly by the ironjacks from which they fell back. The ironjacks bring the lancer down to 1 wound remaining, before the terminators then destroy the lucky warriors and last 2 ironjacks, consolidating into the Votann centre objective, while the Librarian and Sanguinary Priest start on the ironkyn. The sanguinary guard, unsurprisingly finish off the last two ironjacks.
TURN 3 - BLOOD ANGELS
The terminators move further towards the centre, while the assault intercessors and sanguinary guard pass them to charge back into the ranged ironjacks on the blood angels centre objective, with the land raider moving to provide fire
support. Lancer recovers 1 wound courtesy of the techmarine, and the jump pack intercessors come down ready to retake their home objective from the pioneers.
The lancer kills two ironjacks in combat with big guns never tire, but otherwise completely ineffectual shooting from the land raider is followed up by a failed 7” charge from the JPI’s (even using a reroll!). the ranged ironjacks in the middle are finally brought down by the combined might of the sanguinary guard and assault intercessors, as are the ironkyn, while the lancer is finally destroyed by the ironjacks in the BA deployment zone. The Votann are starting to struggle for assets, with just their left flank alive and the unit of jeagirs on the roof in the middle hoping to be unnoticed by terminators beneath them.
TURN 4 - VOTANN
The Ironjacks move further into the centre over the wreckage of the lancer, hoping to address the sanguinary guard and assault intercessors, while the pioneers draw a bead on the jump pack intercessors left in the wind after their failed charge. The Pioneers fail to do any damage to the jump troops, while the sanguinary guard suffer 5 losses to the ironjacks before killing 3 by reply with the help of the assault intercessors. The Librarian and Sanguinary Priest, surprised at their continued survival, finish off the Ironkyn.
TURN 4 - BLOOD ANGELS
The Librarian and Sanguinary Priest move onto the Votann home objective, while the Jump pack intercessors prepare to charge the two remaining pioneers.
The Land Raider prepares to bring down the jaegirs on the top floor above the terminators, who stake their banner in the centre, staring menacingly at the sagitaur and warriors remaining on the Votann left flank. The land Raider finally gets its machine spirit tamed and guns down the remaining jeagirs. The sanguinary guard and captain finally finish off the remaining 2 ironjacks, and the pioneers are destroyed by the jump pack intercessors.
TURN 5
Left with just the Sagitaur, 5 warriors and the Memnyr strategist, the Votann elect to complete the last bits of reconnaissance for their agenda.
The Blood Angels do the same and secure the objectives they’d fought so hard over, consolidating their victory over the Votann.
A strong performance from both armies, each of which completed their agenda, but ultimately a victory for the Blood Angels.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER
James - Blood Angels
Capitalising on a slightly too aggressive turn 1 from Stephen I was able to remove some threats and really tie up the left flank heavily, putting him on the back foot from the start.
The sternguard and terminators did exactly what I’d hoped for, with the former taking the full wrath of the remaining votann force and still surviving. This gave me the perfect opportunity to position my remaining reserves to strategically engage the remaining assets and force the filthy Xenos to make difficult decisions.
A fitting thematic primary agenda mission for Planetfall saw the Blood Angels landing their forces to great effect, while the characters led the destruction with their respective units. Stephen tried the same with a play for my home objective, but given how consolidated my force was in the centre left, and how resilient and destructive they proved to be, he just wasn’t able to catch up.
A great game, brilliant moments, great opponent
PLAYING THE LONG GAME
Steven - Votann
I pushed hard into doing the hard part of the agenda first and moved out aggressively to start scanning the enemy first couple of rounds. Although after checking I think i would have scored it anyway as i definetly had more than 35VP for my primary and could have probably focused more on killing stuff than actioning.
The plan to push forward and weather the storm as long as i could paid off, I lost as i expected to as marine bodies are just incredibly hard to chew through but scored high in the game despite severe losses and got the agenda for the team like I had hope i would.
Phase 1 is only the planning phase, Phase 2 is where the Raiders come to take what they found!
