Angels Sanguine Battle Report (Using Vassal)

I've wondered about doing a battle report series of posts since starting this blog but never known what to do for images. Also making notes is a pain but at least that's easily solvable.

Here's a report using the Vassal engine for internet games of 40k. I got (stole) the idea from Buffo in the BoLS forum doing a series of reports on his Dark Eldar. They were pretty useful and interesting so lets see how I can do...


* Quick disclaimer here - through this report I've had to use a degree of 'artistic licence' to make things fit. i.e the pictures are there for a representation. There's a few distances I had to stretch to make the images fit what happened in the actual game. Hope you enjoy :)


So, let's get this show on the road! I was playing an Ork player I've had one battle with previously where I was almost tabled at the cost of only a few Greenskins. It was time for revenge.

Forces were 1,500 points as follows:

Angels Sanguine - 
   Librarian w Blood Lance and Unleash Rage
   Honour Guard w Chap Banner, 2x L. Claw, 3 x S Shield, Blood Champ
   Sanguinary Priest with jump pack x2, one with infernus pistol
   Furioso w Frag Cannon, Ex Armour, Mag Grapple, H. Flamer
   RAS1 x 10 Sgt w 2x L Claw, Melta, Flamer
   RAS2 x 10 Sgt w P Fist, Melta, Flmaer
   Land Speedr w M Melta and H Flamer
   Land Speedr w M Melta and H Flamer


Orks - 
   Big Mek w KFF
   19 Boys, Big Shootas, Nob w Klaw
   20 Boys, Rokkit, Nob w Klaw
   12 Boys, Big Shoota, Nob w Klaw, Truk
   15 Lootas
   20 Grots, 2 Runtherds
   20 Grots, 2 Runtherds
   3 Killa Kans, Kustom M.B's
   Battlewagon w 4 Big Shootas, Red Paint, Big Gun
   Zapp Gun Battery w 8 extra krew

We rolled a Dawn of War/Capture and Control mission. I had the first turn (he won the roll and chose second) but kept everything of the table. In response he also kept everything off the table. That meant turn one became a glorified deployment phase:

Turn 1

Click To Enlarge

I learned from my previous mistakes (when I arrived it bits through reserve deepstriking) and deployed everything about 12" onto the table, ready to react using my mobility. He brought on everything but the Truk Boys who stayed in reserve. My Librarian, Honour Guard (HG) and Furioso were in the Stormraven (SR). He deployed in a line protected by a screen of Grots.

Turn 2

Click To Enlarge

The SR moved 6" and dropped the Furioso which shot it's magna grapple at the Kans, hoping to drag one towards it to charge. As it happened the shot was too tough for the Kan and punched straight through the Grot walker and destroyed it. In return the remaining two fired their KMB's at the Furioso and blew off the deadly tow cable. The SR and Land Speeders (LS) fired their MM's and the Battle wagon but were out of the shorter melta range (we played this range too short almost the whole game, whoops) so did nothing.
Both RAS just moved up as far as they were able. RAS1 ran a short distance but RAS2 stayed still to avoid an Ork charge in their turn.
The middle Grots moved and took their home objective (skull icon). The Grots infront of the wagon moved to cover the Kans from a potential Furioso charge next turn. The Battlewagon (BW), it's boys and the Zzap Guns all shot at the SR and LS, immobilising one LS.
The Boys on my right moved up towards RAS2. They shot the squad then declared a turn 2 WAAAGGH! and just made it to combat. I killed a couple of the greenskins and they only took one down in reply...until their Nob swung his klaw and killed three. I lost the combat and RAS2 fled a whole 2" - they'd continue to flee next turn.

Turn 3

Angel Sanguine Phase - Click To Enlarge

In turn 3 things got messy for the Orks. Rather than bog itself down with Grots and then receive a charge from the Kans, the Furioso hopped back aboard the SR. The mobile LS destroyed another of the Kans.
RAS1 moved to the left of the Ork's objective terrain and shot between the Zzap guns and the Grots in the woods at the Lootas and took down one or two. RAS2 fell back a further 15" meaning that, if they survived, they'd auto-recover next turn.
As you'll see from all the red spots at the top of the above map there was a lot still to happen. RAS1 declared a charge on the Lootas. As most would have to cut through the woods we rolled for the terrain and got a 4. This meant only three made combat with the Lootas. The rest of the squad went for the Grot mob and the Zzap Gun krews, with one model bridging the gap to keep everyone in coherency. The marines inflicted so many wounds they won the combat by 24(!) only losing two in return. All three units fled off the table leaving a very big hole in the Ork line. RAS1 consolidated into the woods, claiming the enemy objective.

Ork Phase - Click To Enlarge

In the Ork turn the boys shot RAS2 and dropped a couple more marines. The Grots started moving round the flanking LS and the BW shot everything at the SR but the only effects were negated by the extra armour.
The Big Mek and his accompanying boys got out of the stationary BW, shot at RAS1 killing a marine, then declared their charge on the offending marines. Thankfully they squad was in the woods and the Orks terrain test left them just less than 1" short so they had to stay still, becoming sitting ducks.

Turn 4

Angels Sanguine Move/Shooting - Click To Enlarge

RAS2 recovered then jumped and ran towards the home objective. The SR dropped off the HG and Librarian then moved across to let the Furioso out near the boys on my right. RAS1, the Librarian and the one member of the HG with a gun all shot the Mek Boys, killing a few. Blood Lance did nothing to the BW. The LS flamer-ed the Grots, toasting a few and the Furioso flamed and fragged his way through a few boys, though was out of charge range.

Angels Sanguine Assault - Click To Enlarge

RAS1 and the HG/Librarian then charged the Boys and Mek and wiped out the squad. The Mek did some damage back to RAS1 before fleeing the table like the Grots and Lootas before him.

Ork Phase - Click To Enlarge

In the Ork turn the BW got angry and rammed the SR. I needed anything but a 1 or 2 on a D6 to avoid the collision, but promptly rolled a 1. This immobilised the SR.
The Truk boys finally decided to show up and came on his left flank, I think with desires to race over to my home objective. The boys from the Truk and the Kan shot and killed a couple more of RAS1 leaving the Sgt as the last man standing.
The Grots continued trying to sneak past the LS and the shoota boys charged the Furioso. They lost the combat but stuck around for some more fightin'.

Turn 5

Angels Sanguine Phase - Click To Enlarge

Things started speeding up now there'd been so much death going on. RAS2 made the home objective and settled in for the camp until the game ended. The LS flamed yet more Grots and the SR blew up the Truk but killed no boys.
The HG charged and killed the last Kan after Blood Lance had once again failed to damage it, though the Librarian did get lucky with it and finally take out the BW. The Furioso continued to squash boys and took no damage it wasn't protected against thanks to the extra armour.

Ork Phase - Click To Enlarge

The Grots continued their suicidal trek to my objective and his truk boys moved onto their home objective in the woods then shot the HG who shrugged off the few bullets that hit. The Nobs klaw continued to bounce off the Furioso as more boys died.

Turn 6

Turn 6 - Click To Enlarge

The game hit tun six and the bloodbath in the Or deployment zone continued. The lone Sgt from RAS1 and the HG charged into the woods and killed the whole boys squad, therefore reclaiming the objective there. The Grots continued to work on their tans thanks to the heavy flamer on the LS. At the loss of the boy squad the Ork player called it a day with only three or four Grots and a Nob and a Boy, all no where near any objective. I won 2 objectives to 0.

This was a worthy revenge for my previous humbling defeat. I was proud of my multi assault that removed the whole of the central Ork force, including all their anti-tank guns. The assaults worked very well and some of the dice were very fortunate but overall I benefited from actually having a plan for once!

Let me know what you think of this format using Vassal folks, I'd like to report more on my battles and what I'm picking up in experience - this is only my 7th game since 'returning' to actually playing - so there's plenty of room to improve!