This is my second time taking on Chris Space Wolves, the first time was before Hammer of the Emperor – I Iost 47 – 94. Now with some Auto Wounding on 6s to Hit – can I do any better? It cannot be worse?

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This game was at Boards and Swords, in Derby.

Cadians 2,000 Points List

Note – all the Heavy Weapon Teams are Lascannons, not a mixture of Autocannons and Lascannons. The three Lascannons are slowly being painted so they will be done sometime soon.

The Punishers were not fully painted… but since this game, I have finished the Punishers!

Cadian Battalion Detachment

Command Points

• I will be starting on 12CP

HQ

• Company Commander Warlord with Grand Strategist and Laurels of Command
• Company Commander
• Pask Plasma Executioner, Lascannon, Plasma Cannons and a Hunter Killer Missile

Troops

• 3x Infantry Squads with Vox Caster, Lascannon and a Melta Gun, Sergeant with Plasma Pistol and Power Sword
• 3x Infantry Squads with Vox Caster, Lascannon and a Plasma Gun, Sergeant with Plasma Pistol and Power Sword

Elites

• 3 Bullgryns

Heavy Support

• 2x Wyverns
• 3x Leman Russ Punishers with Multi Meltas and Lascannon
• 3x Heavy Quad Launcher Battery (Thudd Guns)

Cadian Secondaries

• For The Emperor
• No Prisoners
• Raise the Banners High

Space Wolves 2,000 Points List

• A Character on a Thunder Wolf
• A Drop Pod
• 2x Units of Thunder Wolf Cavalary (3 and a 4 model unit)
• Chaplain on Bike
• Wulfren
• 2x Long Fang Units
• Bjorn
• An Attack Bike
• Blood Claws
• Wolf Guard
• A Cyberwolf

Space Wolves Secondaries

• Warrior Pride
• Bring It Down
• Engage On All Fronts

Mission – Secure Missing Artefacts

4VP per Battle Round for each of the following;

• Control 1
• Control 2
• Control more than your opponent

We then nominated an Objective to be the Precious Artefact for our opponent and that Objective scores them 3VP at the end of each Turn.

Deployment

I think this was one of my better deployments of the Astra Militarum. I got my infantry out there in front and I got them in ruins where I could. I also got my tanks forward, but not too far forward that they would be shot to pieces by the heavy weapons the Space Wolves did have.

I also got Wyverns and Thudd Guns into decent hidden positions so they could easily hit two-thirds of the battlefield.

Turn 1

Space Wolves

Chris got the first turn and threw everything forward as one would expect. I got off lightly from his shooting because there was not a lot of it and because it was in the Drop Pod. There were no charges in turn 1 from the Space Wolves too. I think I lost a handful of infantry models from their shooting and a few Wounds on a Punisher and Plasma Pask.

The Drop Pod did arrive too but no charge came from the Blood Claws – I think it failed?

Cadians

I moved my Bullgryns up into cover to give them a 1+ Armour Save and also try and act as a speed bump for the Wolves that would be coming at me. My other movement was just onto objectives – nothing major here.

This was only the second game I have had a chance to use Hammer of the Emperor. And it worked well this turn! I managed to rid of lines of the Drop Pod, its Long Fangs and the Blood Claws. I also got rid of the other Blood Claws, not in the Drop Pod that had come down my left flank near Bjorn. My Wyvern killed a Cyberwolf on a back objective, which was handy.

I charged my Bullgryns into the three Thunder Wolf Cavalary in front of them. They took two out and lost none in the subsequent combat. That had put a lot of distance between their right flank and my right flank. A good move.

Turn 2

Space Wolves

I had done some real damage in that first turn, but the Space Wolves were now upon me and I had to endure their brutal melee attacks.

Their shooting whittled down my infantry even more but I did not lose a Leman Russ from shooting this turn. I was surviving well.

The charges came into a Wyvern and an infantry squad. They both died and the Bike Chaplain consolidated into a Punisher Leman Russ. The Thunder Wolves who took out the Wyvern were well into my backline now. The Bullgryns took on a charge from the Thunder Wolf Character guy and 1 survived!

The Wulfren also got into an infantry squad too and wiped them out, removing them from an objective and giving the Space Wolves an objective.

Cadians

With my infantry line in tatters, I needed to push the enemy back and away from my tanks.

I moved up an infantry squad for Move, Move, Move later to try and take the middle and did the same with a Punisher. That was it for moving. I was pretty pinned in at this point. Oh, and my Bullgryns pulled out of combat.

The Punisher that was in combat with the Bike riding Chaplain killed him at point-blank range – it’s hard to argue with a Punisher Cannon, a Lascannon and a Multi Melta – even at -1 to hit for being in Engagement Range.

Shooting went well, I cleared out all but one of the Wulfren and killed all the Thunder Wolves that had charged and killed my Wyvern. The Attack Bike only took 2 Wounds and lived. I had focused so much on that part of the battlefield I have little left to clear up the units around my lone Bullgryn. I may have killed a Wolfguard over there with a single Thudd Gun.

I was pinned, but now I am breaking out a bit after dealing a decent amount of damage to the Space Wolves knocking on my door.

Turn 3

Space Wolves

Things get hazy now. From the photos I know I lost my Bullgrn and the Infantry that moved forward for the centre, along with the accompanying Leman Russ Punisher.

This was because I got charged by the single Thunder Wolf left over from the Bullgryn combat, and the Thunder Wolf character guy and I think some other character with a Jump Pack. That did leave them in the open though…

Cadians

… and I killed them all. The centre was now free, but I forget to snipe the last Wulfren off the Objective! The Wolfguard remained along with Bjorn.

Turn 4

Space Wolves

The Space Wolves were now hoovering up points as I had no models in the middle and no infantry to Move, Move, Move onto Objectives.

I think I lost Pask this turn from Bjorn’s firepower.

Cadians

I scrambled for the centre with a Leman Russ and tried to gain ground for those last few VPs

Turn  5

We now were just totalling points and talking out the game, I had just about tabled the Space Wolves. I think I killed Bjorn, or he was on 1 Wound – either way it was very close for a tabling.

Summary

Sadly a loss though. But a great fight and I felt like I was playing and doing things because of the extra weapons in my Infantry and Hammer of the Emperor. Having 6 Lascannons which normally cost 120 points in total for free is decent. If a couple of those successfully Auto Wound then I have a couple of D6 worth of damage I would not normally get.

The Space Wolves’ ability to move quickly and then survive that little bit longer than my guys meant they took the win from taking and controlling the board for most of the game. I did wipe them off the battlefield, but it was too late.

This was a better result than my last game, a loss of 47 – 94.

This time it was 53 – 78 – a much closer game.

Total Space Wolves Dead Pile

Final Score

Astra Militarum – 53
Space Wolves – 78

Space Wolves Victory