This time I fought the Thousand Sons for the first time, and also in a crusade battle. It ended up a bit of a crushing victory, going 60 to 5 my way. It was due to a couple of reasons, one of which was me going first and being able to redeploy three units with Lord Solar allowed me to establish a pretty great gunline to annihilate the enemy warlord (Ahriman).
In terms of mission, it was a pretty standard crusade mission to grab objectives, with bonuses if you had more than your opponent.
For crusade agendas, I opted for:
Headhunters - experience bonuses for killing characters, especially the warlord
Malefix hunters - experience bonuses for killing psykers, especially characters (very good against Thousand sons!)
AFTER ACTION REPORT: Operation Dawn's Retribution
Summary Info
Unit: Vilniaus 39th
Date/Time of Operation: 998.M41, 16:03 Terran Standard Time
Location: Ruins of [REDACTED]
Reporting Officer: Lt Spade
Objective: Engage and eliminate enemy forces; secure strategic points.
Forces Deployed
Vilniaus 39th
Lord Solar Leontus
Primaris Psyker Ragana
Cadian infantry platoon (Sgts Axe and Wrench)
Leman Russ battle tank (Sgt Tread)
Rogal Dorn - The Leviathan
Mordian Iron Guard (Sgt Stern); Chimera transport (Sgt 'Gun' Slinger)
Scout Sentinel (Sgt Walker)
Enemy Forces
Heavy infantry squads (bolters and flamers); led by sorcerers including Ahriman.
Terminator squad
Cultist horde
Operational Summary
Deployment was aggressive with tanks forward. The Sentinel was tactically placed on the left to secure objectives and provide targeting data.
Deployment. Also pictured is a Lion Bar in reserve. An army marches on it’s stomach!
Initial engagement by our forces resulted in wiping out Ahriman and his heavy infantry contingent, thanks to the combined might of Rogal Dorn and the Leman Russ.
Enemy counter-engaged by teleporting heavy infantry behind our ranks, taking out the Sentinel.
Enemy heavy infantry - led by a sorcerer - teleported behind our lines.
The Vilniaus 39th pressed on, with Chimera advancing on the right and our infantry fortifying the center. Our armored powerhouses neutralized a significant portion of the enemy but had to face a sudden onslaught from enemy Terminators.
The Rogal Dorn turns it’s turret to unleash fury on the terminators.
Under Lord Solar's guidance, combined fire from our units decimated the terminators. Concurrently, Chimera incinerated an approaching cultist horde.
A barrage if close-range las, plasma, and melta fire assailed the termintors. It didn’t do much, but it was fun rolling quite so many dice!
The Chimera, seconds before unleashing a torrent of fire on the cultists.
Enemy marines, in a last-ditch attempt, unleashed psychic fury on Rogal Dorn, disabling it. However, our relentless march saw the remaining enemies obliterated, with the Leman Russ especially distinguishing itself in combat, including oblitering a charging sorcerer with it’s battle cannon, and then running over another with it’s iron treads.
Sgt Tread’s tank continued the storied history of the Vilniaus 39th running things over.
Casualties
One Scout Sentinel lost in action.
Minor casualties among Cadian infantry from enemy terminators.
Rogal Dorn temporarily incapacitated.
Recommendations
Scout Sentinels should be further protected or be given additional support to ensure longevity in the field.
Training regimens focusing on rapid response to enemy deep strikes should be enhanced.
Conclusion Operation Dawn's Retribution was a decisive victory for the Vilniaus 39th. Despite the challenges, including a sudden backline assault by the enemy, our forces demonstrated exceptional valor and tactical prowess. It showcased not just the might of our machinery, but the unyielding spirit of our troops. We remain ever vigilant, ever ready to face and vanquish the threats that lurk in the shadows.
For the Emperor!
Signed, Lt. Spade Vilniaus 39th Astra Militarum.
A great victory for the Vilniaus 39th. The Leman Russ and the Rogal Dorn did well enough to gain new special abilities for further crusade engagements:
The Rogal Dorn now has Elite Crew, letting it re-roll Hit rolls of 1.
The Leman Russ now has a Finely-Balanced battle cannon, letting it fire with +1 BS (so BS 3+), just like 9th Edition!
Other key takeaways:
Lord Solar showed his worth multiple times. The ability to redeploy 3 units before the battle, after knowing who goes first, was a great trick. The extra CP also meant I had more freedom and confidence to us stratagems.
Scout Sentinels are quickly becoming an auto-take, their ability to improve the targeting of other units is great for cracking hard targets.
The Rogal Dorn is tough, but not invincible. The enemy had ways to avoid savings throws of really degrade my armour - maybe I need an Enginseer at some point…
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