This Astra Militarum vs Necrons game is a rematch against Tom’s army from the event I attended in late 2021. You can see more of Tom’s wooden Necrons on Instagram. That game was the only game I lost in that event; 2 wins and 1 loss – which was pretty amazing for me. Let us see how today goes…

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This game was at Boards and Swords, in Derby.

Astra Militarum 2,000 Points List

Command Points

• Patrol Detachment 2CP
• Super-Heavy Auxilary Detachment 1CP
• Whiteshields 1CP
• Imperial Commander’s Armoury 1CP
• Tank Ace 1CP
• I will be starting on 6CP – spending this many CP might be my downfall…

After writing about using fewer CPs, or more CPs, in this recent Astra Militarum Tactics Reset article I decided on the latter. Take more CPs and rely less on Stratagems

Cadian Battalion Detachment

No Force Org

• Malleus Psyker Inquisitor with Bolt Pistol, Chainsword Smite and Warding Incarnation

HQ

• Warlord Company Commander with The Laurels of Command and Grand Strategist 
• Demolisher Tank Commander with Multi Meltas and a Lascannon
• Demolisher Tank Commander with Multi Meltas and a Lascannon

Troops

• 20x Whiteshield Conscripts
• 20x Whiteshield Conscripts
• Infantry Squad

Elites

• Nightshroud Astropath
• Psychic Barrier Astropath
• Mental Fortitude Astropath
• Platoon Commander with Relic of Lost Cadia

Cadian Super-Heavy Auxilary Detachment

• A Baneblade with a pair of Lascannon and Heavy Bolter Sponsons

Disciplined Shooters & Gunnery Experts Patrol Detachment

I will run the infantry in this detachment using my Catachan models.

No Force Org

• A Callidus Assassin

HQ

• Company Commander

Troops

• Infantry Squad
• Infantry Squad
• Infantry Squad

Heavy Support

• Manticore with Full Payload Tank Ace and a Hunter Killer Missile

Elites

• Platoon Commander
• Master of Ordnance

Necrons 2,000 Points

A Novokh Patrol and a Novokh Vanguard

HQs

• Chronomancer – Hyperdermal Ablaitor
• Chronomancer
• Illuminor Szeras
• Royal warden, Veil of Darkness
• Command Barge – Hand of the Phaeron, Gauss Cannon, Staff of Light

Troops

• 20 Necron Warriors – Gauss Reaper

Heavy Support

• Lokhust Heavy Destroyer – Gauss Destructor
• Lokhust Heavy Destroyer – Gauss Destructor
• Lokhust Heavy Destroyer – Gauss Destructor

Elites

• C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon – Transdimentional Thunderbolt
• 6 Skorpekh Destroyers
• 6 Skorpekh Destroyers

Fast Attack

• 8 Canoptek Scarabs
• 3 Canoptek Scarabs
• 3 Canoptek Scarabs

The Mission – Surround & Destroy

Neither of us took the mission-specific secondary.

Deployment

I think I got my deployment pretty good in this game. The Baneblade and Manticore were in opposite corners, splitting the attention of the Heavy Destroyers. But with Fly they can move up with ease to spot things.

The Demolishers were protected from a Turn 2 charge by the 40 Conscripts close by, the Manticore was wrapped with 30 infantry models close by plus a Platoon and Company Commander for orders.

Callidus was in Deep Strike.

Turn 1

I went first.

The Movement Phase went well and I screened out most of my force with a whole line of infantry with Psychic Power going off too. The two Tank Commanders moved forward a little to just get into range of the Skorpekh Destroyers right in front of them. And the Baneblade moved up the left flank to get a line through the centre of the table.

Infantry Screen

I popped the Relic of Lost Cadia at the start of this turn which gave my Baneblade and Demolishers Re-roll ones for Hit and Wounds.

One Tank Commander killed all 6 Skorpekh Destroyers in one volley of Multi Meltas, Lascannon and Demolisher Cannon! The Manticore fired at something but I cannot remember what.

The Baneblade then killed three Scarab models in front of it and opened up with its main Blast Baneblade Cannon into the Warriors on the other side of the battlefield. That is 18 shots guaranteed! I also used Fire, Reload, Fire on the Warriors for an extra hit for each 6 to hit. I killed 15 in total and 6 came back to life. Well, that sucks!

The Necrons moved forward into the centre, with no real commitment to either the Demolishers or the Baneblade to their left. One Squad of Conscripts got absolutely vaporised, with 17 dying from a total of 20. But they had auto pass Morale thanks to the Mental Fortitude power. Tom spent 2CP to auto pass Morale on the Warriors.

A Tank Commander was wounded by the C’tan, losing 3 Wounds, but the hit meant it halves its number of wounds when working out which bracket it is on. So it was basically on 4 Wounds for the purpose of moving and shooting for my next turn. I worked out that using Relentless was worthless too, that would make it 12 Wounds again, halved is 6 Wounds, still bracketed.

The C’tan can only take 3 Wounds per phase, I had done no Wounds to it this turn.

A quick note that the Callidus really did well in this first turn, I think she only forced Tom to spend an additional CP, but he was not doing things because he was worried about that extra CP tax from the Callidus.

Turn 2

My Callidus arrived this turn in the back left corner.

I moved up my infantry again and got them into positions to slow the Necron charge. The last unit of Conscripts with 3 models and then ten Guardsmen from the Patrol Detachment spaced out in front of my Tank Commanders. I also had infantry run onto the rightmost central objective to slow things down and force the Necrons to split their fire.

Infantry Screen

The Baneblade I moved up the left flank but it could not see right past the building into the main Necon force. It was content to delete a Heavy Destroyer. While the Callidus that arrived over that side charged and killed 1.5 Scarab models.

This Psychic Phase I had my Inquisitor Smite the C’tan for 3 Mortal Wounds! Rejoice! That was 3 Wounds in NOT the Shooting Phase.

My shooting was poor, with one Tank Commander bracketed and the other suffering for targets. The wounded one killed maybe one Skorpekh Destroyer and the other one did 12 shots using Blast into the Warriors, some died and too many came back. Again.

The Manticore again, I could not tell you what it did, it was so unnoteworthy.

In the Necrons turn, they pushed towards my main lines, not the Baneblade. I lost my first Tank Commander and the other was hit by the C’tan surfing 3 Wounds and the same halved Wound state as the first one in the first turn. I lost a lot of infantry this turn, maybe 25 models in all, which removed my screen and allowed the C’tan to charge my front most Tank Commander – which of course was destroyed.

While my front line was now engaged in combat I had taken the left flank with the Baneblade and Callidus. The right was looking weak now as the Warriors moved in and I had just one unit of ten Infantry left on that side, along with a worried looking Manticore.

Turn 3

Turn 3 and we are into damage control I think, it is close, I think I might lose now. The Baneblade continues its back and forth movement on the left to spot targets out across the battlefield. The Callidus stays put to secure an objective.

In an almost dance-like display of finesse, my Astropaths fan out to force the enemy to split up if they want to charge them all.  I do some other movement to get onto objectives or screen the Warriors from my Manticore.

I Smite again and do 3 Mortal Wounds to the C’tan.

I do kill the C’tan this turn in my Shooting Phase! Maybe I can get back into this fight…

My infantry is now crumbling from the Warriors charging, the Skorpekh Destroyers getting into my left rear flank and the two HQs are now on my Conscripts on the left centre of the battlefield.

The Manticore was lost this turn from Heavy Destroyer shots – those things are usually deadly but it took them until now to kill anything. Tom rolled a lot of 1s and 2s with them.

Turn 4 & 5

We are wrapping things up now as I have not got a lot left, I will lose but it was a case by how much.

My shooting was OK, my Baneblade failed to kill all the Warriors, despite there being 14 of them, with 18 shots and exploding 6s. Then loads came back which meant they moved forward and onto an objective. Sigh.

The Baneblade had not been shot at the whole game. Not once. I think this goes to show how awful it might be? He did charge and Crush ‘Em against two Skorpekh Destroyers, killing both. That was nice.

The infantry has to be Man of the Match – the bodies, I had missed the bodies. Playing with 80 bodies vs 40 is night and day in terms of fun and my ability to feel like I can play the game and complete objectives.

80 bodies will return…

Summary

This was an incredibly close game and I was really pleased with my gameplay and list. It felt a lot closer than recent games, especially vs 9th Edition Codexes.

So yeah, well done me, even if I do say so myself.

I think my Movement Phases were a lot better than they have been. My Shooting was OK, but again there were times when things should have been decent – and they just were not. I cannot remember what the Manticore did at all.

The Baneblade? It did some decent work over the course of the game killing;

• A Heavy Destroyer (4 Wounds)
• 6 Scarabs (24 Wounds)
• Many Warriors (20+ Wounds) – which came back
• Illuminor Szeras (7 Wounds)
• 2 Skorpekh Destroyers (6 Wounds)

He shall return…

Final Score

Astra Militarum – 69
Necrons – 78

Necrons Victory