Rolling long odds to a single VP

So I got in a game this Saturday versus Bob's Dark Angels.  The lists were at 1750 and the Relic mission with long table edge deployment.  I've not played Bob before now though we've had a few conversations.  It was an enjoyable game where both of us had some very wonky and streaky dice rolls.

Dark Angels assembled

Dark Angels
Unknown HQ (didn't step out of hiding until last game turn so never did anything)
6 man Terminator squad w/ 2 chain fists and a plasma cannon
6 man Terminator squad w/ Assault Cannon
5 Knights
6 Bikes with Multimelta Attack Bike
3 full Tactical Squads w/ plasma gun and plasma cannon

Dark Angels deployed

Lions on the prowl

Lions of HarlechCaptain w/ artificer, relic blade, storm shield
3 ten man Tactical Squads w/ melta, missile launcher, and combi-melta
5 TH/SS Assault Terminators in a Landraider w/ pintle Multimelta
Ironclad w/ melta and heavy flamer in a Drop Pod
10 Sternguard in a Drop Pod
5 man Devastator Squad w/ 4 missile launchers

Lions of Harlech Deployed

Turn OneI had won the roll and choose to go first.  I started with a general push by the three tactical squads and the land raider towards the Relic in the middle.  The Ironclad drop pod landed right in front of the bike squad where I hoped to kill a few of them.  As it turns out, that was a forlorn hope.  The Ironclad failed to hit with the meltagun and failed to wound with the heavy flamer.  My Dev squad and the landraider combined to kill 5 guys out of central DA tactical squad.

The DA turn at least had his bikes bottled up in the corner between the Ironclad and the Drop Pod.  However the Attack Bike made quick work of the Dreadnought which couldn't even be bothered to kill someone with it's explosion.  His other shooting took a marine out of one Tac Squad and two out of another one.

Don't worry, I won't be here long

Turn Two
My Sternguard failed to show up this turn and I continued my general push forward.  This put my central squad just shy of gaining the relic this turn.  I continued to shoot the central enemy squad since they were perched to shoot down on the Relic.  My landraider and some long range Tactical bolter shots killed another 4 of them which left just the Sgt.  My Dev squad killed a long marine out of a second squad.  His dice just didn't want that center squad to live as he failed just about every save be it armor or cover.

They're HEEEEERE

He started his turn with the Deathwing Assault.  I was lucky here in that since my drop pod and Ironclad had boxed in his bikers, they weren't midfield with that teleport homer.  His Multimelta bike struck again, this time killing the Drop Pod which took a DA tac marine with it in the explosion.  The terminators shooting took out half the tactical squad with my Captain and then I lost a couple marines off my flanking tactical squad.

Why won't those Deathwing just die?

Turn Three
My Sternguard once again failed to arrive and I turn almost my entire army on the terminators in the center of my deployment zone.  I figured if I could kill those or at least all but one or two, I could then assault the Knights with my Thundernators.  Well best laid plans and all that jazz, because after 3 combi-melta shots, 2 lascannons, 2 missile launchers, 2 melta guns, 3 assault cannon shots, a multimelta, and roughly 20 bolter worth of wounds later .... one Terminator was dead.  These were obviously Fallen Dark Angels in league with the Dark Powers because they just wouldn't fail a 5+ invul save.  My dev squad killed a few guys out of a tactical squad and I then assaulted the terminators with my Thunderhammers and hoped to deal with the Knights later. I lost 1 Terminator and killed 3 of his so that worked out alright.

His turn three saw him get a glance on my landraider with his attack bike and a few various marines were killed from random shots.  The sole survivor started charging across to try and get to the relic.  The 2/3rds squad on his right flank also started across the open ground for the Relic as well.  His Knights then charged into my terminators.  He charged up the maces and inflicted an even 10 wounds, which the Emperor protected from as I made 9 out of 10 saves.  The thunderhammers struck back killing the lone regular terminator left and and killed a Knight as well.

Turn 4
Alright, so the Sternguard now auto arrive and land just in front of his bikers and close enough to the building that the Dark Angels using the balcony really can't see more than a couple of them.  My mostly intact central squad grabbed the Relic and moved back some with it while the two survivors of the squad by the slid into a sacrificial blocking position or at least to provide some cover.  The landraider killed a couple marines in his right flank squad and the Dev squad got a couple more.  I tried to use the machine spirit to multimelta the lone sgt but failed to wound so he got to be killed by a couple bolters instead.  Sternguard made up for arriving late and killed 2 bikers and the attack bike.  In the attack phase the maces got one terminator due to a failed save and the thunderhammers killed a Knight for a tied combat.

During his turn he concentrated on shooting at the Relic squad or advancing toward it but I only lost a couple marines.  His bikes charged into my Sternguard and we both lost one for a tied combat.  Knights didn't kill anyone and the Thunderhammers did the same. He charged my landraider with his last terminator squad and he failed to pin with two chainfist hits and no glances from the 5 powerfist hits.  Definitely got lucky there as you don't see a 3 rolled on 2d6 for chainfists very often much less on two rolls in a row.

Turn 5
I moved back a bit more with the Relic and kept my blocking pair in position.  I killed all but 2 marines from his right flank squad and then it was on to combat where the Sternguard and bikers did nothing to each other due to saves and bad rolling by us both.  I charged my Captain in to assist the terminators where he killed one, the terminators killed one and the Knights did nothing, but they're fearless so there we stood.

So much death

His turn six saw his shooting everything he could at the squad with the Relic and this brought out his HQ finally.  He managed to kill half the remaining squad which put the Relic four inches away from the closest survivor and thus unclaimed.  I finally remembered that sternguard had krak grenades and for the loss of one Sternguard to the bikers, finished the bikers off.  The battle of storm shields and 2+ armor saves saw no one dead.

We rolled to see if there was another turn and lo it was over.  Relic unclaimed, both warlords alive, no line breaker, and Bob with First Blood.  I think if this had gone one more turn I could have pulled out the win as I think the Relic would have remained unclaimed but my Sternguard were ready to put 16 shots into his Warlord as well as grab linebreaker.  But as it stood, it was a 1-0 win for him on secondaries.  It was a good fun close game, and I'm looking forward to getting another game in against him.  We both had some abysmal saving rolls at times and then each had one major saving roll where stuff just wouldn't die at all which made it quite interesting at times while we both tried to adjust to what should have happened but didn't.

Next up for the blog will most likely be a post highlighting some of the Lions of Harlech's vehicle armory.