Grey Knight Training Exercises

My friend and I have this idea (OK, so it was my friend's idea; I'm stealing credit, tho) of playing a final game with the 5th edition rules and then next week play using the exact same table and armies in 6th edition.  Over the weekend we played what will probably be our last 5th edition game.  This was also his debut with a new army and the first time ever playing Grey Knights.  The "training exercise" is not only the story of the game, it is also getting my friend used to a new -- and fluffy -- heavy infantry army.  He is aware that Sister of Battle are one of the better armies for dealing with terminators but this was the point of the game.

We set up the table with two bastions at opposite corners, a large hill in the dead center of the table and defensive walls diagonally across the board.  small groves of trees broke up the corners not taken by the bastions.

On the hill, more defensive walls surrounded the top and debris littered all around.  We declared the entire hill as difficult terrain because of poor footing and scattered junk smaller than what is shown on the table.

 

The Exercise Yard

For the 2000 point game, I took the same list as last game since I have become comfortable with it.  I did cheat a bit in anticipation of the 6th Edition game by giving some of the Death Cult Assassins power axes in place of their power swords.

Sisters of Battle

HQ: Saint Celestine (a.k.a. "The Big Cheese")
HQ: Uriah Jacobus
HQ: (No FOC used) Battle Conclave of 6 Death Cult Assassins and 3 Crusaders.
ELITE: 5 Sister Repentia and their Mistress
TROOP: Battle Sister Squad with metlagun(2) in a Rhino
TROOP: Battle Sister Squad with metlagun(2) in a Rhino
TROOP: Battle Sister Squad with Flamer(2) in a Rhino
FAST:  Dominion(5) with meltagun(2) and combi-meltagun in a Multi-Melta Immolater
FAST:  Dominion(5) with meltagun(2) and combi-meltagun in a Multi-Melta Immolater
FAST: Seraphim(10) with dual Hand Flamers(2) and an Eviscerator for the Seraphim Superior
HEAVY: Retributors(5) with Heavy Bolters(4) and a Storm Bolter.  Their Rhino with dozer blade would be used by the Repentia.
HEAVY: Exorcist

HEAVY: Exorcist

Sisters of Battle forces.

The Grey Knight Forces

HQ: Lord Kaldor Draigo
HQ: Ordos Xenos Inquisitor
HQ: (No FOC used) Henchmen Warband with Psykers(5) and 5 Warrior Acolytes(5)
ELITE: Venerable Dreadnought with Doom Fist, Heavy Flamer and Assault Cannon with Psybolts
ELITE:  Venerable Dreadnought with Twin-Linked Autocannon(2) and Psybolts
TROOP: Paladin Squad(5) with an Apothecary and a Psycannon
TROOP: Grey Knight Terminator Squad(8) with a Psycannon
FAST: Grey Knight Interceptor Squad(5) with Psycannon
FAST: Stormraven Gunship with Mindstrike Missiles, Twin-Linked Assault Cannons and Twin-Linked Multi-Meltas

Grey Knight Forces

"Can Draigo come out and play?"

Mission: Capture and Control
Deployment: Dawn of I hate this stupid freaking deployment War
Grey Knights won first turn and Sisters of Battle did not attempt to seize initiative.
The Grey Knights placed the objective at the corner of their Bastion nearest the middle.  The Sisters' objective marker was placed on the lower part of the hill near their Bastion.
The Grey Knights deployed nothing so Saint Celestine took the hill top and let Battle Sister squad Ruth find a safe spot on the flank to wait in their Rhino.

The Grey Knights walked on with the Inquisitor and his Warband coming on in the center, the ranged Dread on the North near their Bastion and the Interceptors walking on near the South.  Night rules made shooting difficult and ineffective.

Finally on the table

The Sisters took the momentum and walked the remainder of the forces on the board.  The Retributors walked up to the door of their Bastion and embark.  Their Rhino moved on along the northern most edge where the Repentia moved on behind it and embarked.  Battle Sister squads Hellena and Cassia (the flamer squad) moved on behind the hill while Squad Ruth moved into the trees.  The Exorcists each took a table end and the Serphim surged forward in the center, taking cover behind the hill.

First blood

Both of the Dominion squads stayed back in Reserves in an attempt to outflank.  The rest of the Sororitas army was on board in good positions.

Saint Celestine threw herself into the fight, jumping forward as much as possibly and forgoing shooting, she ran towards the Inquisitor then followed up with an assault.  Although takeing a wound herself, she took two acolytes out of the fight and thus drew first blood.

As a side note, Dawn of War is my least favorite deployment rule.  This time it worked for me but it will invariably make someones list and tactics unplayable.

This is gonna hurt

On the Grey Knights' second turn, the Stormraven and the close combat Dreadnought came in from reserves.  The flyer zipped along the Southern edge to the center line and the walker ... umm ... walked on near Celestine.  The Interceptors moved forward and took shots at the Seraphim, killing two.  The Psyfleman fired at the northern Exorcist but failed to penetrate its armor.  The assault dreadnought joined the Inqusitorial forces in fighting Saint Celestine.  The living saint managed to take out 3 more hemchmen but a crashing blow from the Dreadnought put her down.

On the Sisters' turn, one Dominion squad came in from reserves.  With an armored target on each end of the table it was a perfect time to Outflank.  Dominion Squad Athena came in on the North right beside the Dreadnought with the autocannons.  Four twin-linked close ranged melta shots later and the Dreadnought exploded beside the Bastion.

Saint Celestine failed to recover and stayed down but that did not stop the army.  The Seraphim moved up to the top of the hill and ran forward a few steps more, the north Exorcist moved into the trees for cover but could still not get line of sight to any target.  The Repentia, were moving straight across with the intent to take on the walker but once Athena and her Dominions smoked it they would have to change directions on the following turn.  Jacobus managed to make it through the maze of walls to mid-table near the Interceptors but stayed in the Rhino for protection.  In the Bastion, the Retributors fired at the Interceptors and two of them went down.

Charlie Foxtrot and friends

The Grey Knights had to continue with their remaining terminator squad staying in reserves for another turn.  All other forces moved forward towards the southern side of the Sister's edge.  The Interceptoes fired on the Exorcist but failed to penetrate its armor.  It would not be so lucky for long because the Knights followed up by assaulting it with their hammers leaving it a smoking wreak.

The Stormraven turned to fire on the Conclave's Rhino and although scoring two penitrating hits, it only managed to destroy the hull mounted Stormbolter and to shake the crew for a turn.

"Go around!"

Saint Celestine recovered enough to rejoin the fight and came back with 3 Wounds. The last Dominon squad came out of reserves and given the choice of table edge, they chose South.  Dominion Squad Jaxx moved on right next to the Stormraven and came out (melta)guns blazing.  The Seraphim also surged forward catching the Inquisitor forces between themselves and Saint Celestine.  On the North, Dominion Squad Athena moved around the Bastion towards the door but were slowed by the crater of the Dreadnought there.   The Repentia turned 90 degrees and headed South along the Knight's deployment zone.  Battle Sister squad Ruth pulled out of the trees headed for the Knight's objective with the intent of an easy capture.  Jacobus decided to hold his position not knowing where to deploy but knowing the Paladins and terminators had yet to be seen.

Dancing with Mr D

Shooting saw vast amounts of fire covering the Inquisitorial unit, removing all henchmen and severely wounding the Inquisitor.  The following assault was not able to finish the Inquisitor and the Seraphim Eviscerator did nothing to the Dread despite two penetrating hits (Venerable Dreadnought re-rolls on damage table changed two 6's into a 1 and a 2).

The Retributors in the Bastion managed to make their Faith and poured Rending Heavy Bolter rounds into the last of the Interceptors finishing off the squad entirely.

Also at the Sister's Southern corner, the Dominion's brought down the Stormraven with melta fire.  The flyer exploded and dropped Draigo and his Paladins in front of the Sisters. 

I love it when I don't have to disembark

Turn 4 saw the final terminator squad making it in from reserves.  They entered by Deep Strike right in front of Jacobus' Rhino.  Their Psycannon penetrated the Rhino causing it to explode.  Between the reflex saves and Feel No Pain, all of the Battle Conclave survived the ordeal.

Draigo and the Paladins fired on the Dominions in front of them and killed three Sisters before finishing the squad in close combat assault.

The Inquisitor finally fell to Celestine's blade while the Dreadnought and Seraphim continued to struggle to no effect.

"Gulp."

On the Sister's turn, the Northern forces continued their trek to the southern side.  The Dominions wanting to take the bastion moved slowly again through the Dreadnought's wreckage and then ran 1" more, still out of range of the door to embark.  Battle Squad Ruth maneuvered through the barriers towards the objective marker and while not quite close enough, they could easily move the 3" across open ground needed to capture it on turn 5.   The Repentia closed in ready to suport the Seraphim with their struggle against the Venerable Dreadnought and while not able to assault this turn, they could the next if the walker remained that long.

One final Multa-Melta shot from the lost Dominion's surviving Immolater caused a wound that was taken by Draigo himself who laughed as it merely bloodied his lip. (one wound taken, but with his T5 it was not enough to cause Instant Death like it would if taken by a Paladin).  The Retributors in the Bastion managed to wound one Paladin with their Heavy Bolters.  With the nearby Exorcist in ruins and the other across the board and closing fast, the Paladins would remain intact for the turn.

The Seraphim's Eviscerator finally struck true and destroyed the Dreadnought's Close Combat Weapon.  The beast was tough but weakened.

Finally, Jacobus saw his moment and ordered his Conclave to charge the terminators.  All 8 terminators fell to the power weapons while 2 Crusaders and an Assassin were lost.

Owning the battlefield.

With Draigo, 5 Paladins and a crippled Dreadnought left to face the melta and missiles of the bulk of the Sister of Battle forces, the Grey Knights conceded the fight.

What Worked:

While I would love to tout my superior tactics, the long and short of it is great rolls at key times and Dawn of War shafting my opponent.  Even with the Sisters of Battles ability to use melta and flamers by the truck load, the battle was really the result of overwhelming force applied to small groups at a time.  Tactically I simply took advantage of his broken deployment.  I don't see this swinging my way in the next game.

What Didn't:

Faith.  The Seraphim made the one test they attempted.  The Dominions passed 1 of 3 as did the Retributors.  At least they made the rolls when they needed it most.