Can She Do It?

The other day as I painted some Tau Firewarriors quietly at the dinner table, my wife informed me that she's set her sights on a new goal: Beating me at my own game.

Clearly the gauntlet had been thrown, and I could not back down from such a challenge. Prepare yourselves! It is time to choose a side! Are you Team Darksol, or Team Wifey?


750 points
The Mission: Capture and Control
Deployment: Dawn of War

Katie chose my beloved Dark Angels, playing them as normal Space Marines. Everything you see is WYSIWYG with the exception of the Termie Assault Cannon. She couldn't afford one, so it counts as a normal Storm Bolter- Power Fist combo. She'd also read my recent SM Librarian post and wanted to put that learning to the test. Her powers? Null Zone and The Avenger.

My army of choice would be Chaos Space Marines. She's new to the game, so I thought I'd keep things MEQ on both sides for simplicity's sake. Chaos Lord has standard Twin-Linked Bolter and Power Weapon. Thousand Sons Sorcerer has Doombolt. The Rhino does not have a Havoc launcher (couldn't afford it). The 5-man in the back is a unit of Chosen with 4 of them having Power Weapons and the other having a Meltagun.

I win the roll-off, and cede first turn to her. She chooses the above corner, and sets up her Tactical Squad around her objective with an attached Captain.

Her Scout Squad is deployed just to the left of that (after I had deployed my side).

I am going for a very aggressive tactic from the beginning, and so have deployed my objective relatively close to hers. My Chaos Marines with Glory Icon set up around it. Thousand Sons in the Rhino, and Lord in the back.

We're ready to go.

Aspiring Sorcerer Tekmet's transmission to Champion of Khorne: Memnar,
Dated 1.065.322:

Lord Brahm's presence is insufferable, and my talent wilts under his command. Today we engaged some more of the Emperor's dogs. It is strange that I did not see you among our ranks this day; they are your favored prey. No doubt because your god believes their skulls worth more, or some such nonsense? I had at least been afforded the use of our Rhino. Out the window I could see the lay of the land. The world was sickeningly colorful; a healthy kind of sick. My retinue had been sluggish of late. Must remember to look into cause later... forgive me, I ramble.

Katie's Librarian and Assault Squad enter the field near her Scouts and move forward. Some rolls for night-fighting from her Scout squad fail, and it is my turn.


Rhino forward, CSM forward. The Lord hangs back for the Chosen to arrive, then attaches to their unit. My initial idea here is to throw out the Rhino for her to focus on. The Thousand Sons will pop out rapid-firing while the CSM move unmolested forward to hopefully take the objective. The Lord and Chosen with Meltagun are going to attempt to counter her Terminator Squad.

So far, she appears to be taking the bait. her Assault Squad moves forward alone, and a few shots are fired at the Rhino to no avail. Bolters can't touch AV11.

On my turn, the Thousand Sons come out (perhaps a bit prematurely) and utterly destroy the Assault Squad with rapid firing Sorcerous Bolts. My Sorcerer's Doombolt is nullified by the Librarian's Psychic Hood. CSM and Chosen advance. The Rhino moves forward in order to get directly between her Terminators/Tactical Squad and my Thousand Sons. The Thousand Sons are my best anti-Space Marine I have.

Our time upon us, we exited our transport in order to neutralize their close-combat specialists. It was no challenge, though I felt an odd and familiar tugging through the Warp. Another presence denied me access to the twisting energies. This would be remedied in short order. How else can I be expected to do my work? Feh. Are you still incapacitated? I was told your system shut down in order to purge a strange toxin.

Katie's Terminators rush the empty Rhino. 1 Glancing Hit and 5 Penetrating Hits. Crazy enough, the Glancing Hit causes an Immobilized, and all 5 Penetrating Hits roll 1's and 2's! Bad dice!

Lots of stuff going on here. It's the bottom of the Third Turn. My CSM advance and rapid fire into the Librarian. He cannot stand up to the massed Bolter fire. My Sorcerer, now free from meddling Psychic Hoods, fails his Psychic Test! Thankfully, only rolling an 11 and not getting a Perils of the Warp. The Thousand Sons fire into the Tactical Squad, causing minimal casualties due to Cover Saves. My Chosen and Lord successfully assault her Terminators after missing (!) the Meltagun shot. Tragedy strikes as I roll like an all-time loser and only cause one wound. She claims 4. The dice have spoken.

In Turn 4, her Scouts claim a Thousand Son and her Tactical Squad takes aim also at the Thousand Sons, to no effect. Bad rolling is on both sides, at least. My Lord claims 2 more Terminators, but takes a wound himself (from the Sergeant) and loses his last Chosen.

My CSM press forward and annihilate the Scout Squad. The Thousand Sons reduce the Tactical Squad to nothing and cause a wound on the Captain thanks to some bad armour save rolls. The Lord fails spectacularly to cause a single wound, then recieves a Power Fist to the noggin. Instant Death!

They fell like flies, Memnar! I laughed aloud that you might hear what you were missing, but alas! That one hideous thing you craved more than the skulls of our former brethren came to pass while we fought that day. The great Lord Brahm is no more; struck down by a loyalist's powered fist. Oh the crimson and pink spray! His revolting and continually mocking face was obliterated in exactly the fashion that you used to tell us it would... only not by your hands. You have been denied, my friend. I wonder if Lord Brahm's last thoughts were regarding your strange absence. Anyway, despite this setback, the original plan still moved forward without him. Is it possible something you ate disagreed with you? I do hope your condition wasn't inflicted.

Turn 5, Katie's Captain amazingly stands and shoots! He is defiant to the last. The Storm Bolter does nothing. Her Terminators turn their attention back to the Rhino. She really hates that Rhino, but again fails to kill it.

My thousand Sons put the Captain to bed, and I move the CSM to take the objective. At this point, my plan is to intercept the Terminators in close combat with the Thousand Sons to prevent them from contesting the objective ... but I decide to lay into them with the CSM Bolters anyways (assuming I won't do much) and annihilate them both!

The last of the foe vanquished, we set to our work. This world was now defenseless and it's burning destruction would serve as a death toll to the Hive Worlds that depend on its constant supply of food.

With Lord Brahm dead, the great Warmaster's Council set to assigning a replacement. There was much talk of you, Memnar. I imagine if you had strode into the meeting with fresh Marine helms hanging from your loin-chain you would have garnered much praise and support. So fortuitous for me that only your absence was noted. The Council's selection was for someone much more reliable. I hope you will attend next week's raid. We assault Cirinth Prime. Do wake soon, won't you?

Sincerely,

Lord-Sorcerer Tekmet

Victory: Mine! I gloated heavily while she made me some tea (my prize).

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Well? How did she do? Give my wife some advice for next time: tips, tricks, what-have-you. I've already told her what I would have done differently in her position, but the more advice the better. I only ask that you be nice to her because she's only played a few games. Ever. Her actually playing 40K with me bodes well for my future happiness, and I don't want her discouraged ;)