First Game with Codex: Space Marines (6th Edition)

My first game with the new Raven Guard I played against an Imperial Fist army that looked quite nasty.

Mission: The Relic
Deployment: Dawn of War

Raven Guard 2,000
HQ
Shrike @ 185 pt.

Librarian @ 90 pt.
..Mastery Level 2 (Biomancy, Pyromancy)

Chaplain @ 115 pt.
..Jump Pack

Troops
Tactical Squad [9] @ 161 pt.
..Veteran Sergeant with Combi-Plasma, Plasmagun

Drop Pod @ 35 pt.

Tactical Squad [10] @ 205 pt.
..Veteran Sergeant with Combi-Melta and Powerfist, Meltagun, Multi-melta

Rhino @ 35 pt.

Scouts [10] @ 148 pt.
..Veteran Sergeant with Powerfist, 9 Boltguns, Heavy Bolter with Hellfire

Land Speeder Storm @ 45 pt.

Scouts [5] @ 90 pt.
..4 Sniper Rifles, Camo Cloaks, Missile Launcher [Flakk]

Fast Attack
Storm Talon @ 110 pt.

Land Speeder Typhoon Squadron [2] @ 150 pt.
..Heavy Bolters

Assault Squad [8] @ 181 pt.
..Sergeant with Power Axe and Combat Shield, Plasma Pistol

Assault Squad [10] @ 225 pt.
..Sergeant with Power Sword, 2 Plasma Pistols

Heavy Support
Storm Raven Gunship @ 230 pt.
..Hurricane Bolter Sponsons, TL Assault Cannon, TL Multi-Melta

I don't have a copy of his list, so this is my best approximation to what he had.

Imperial Fists 2,000
HQ
Darnath Lysander

Librarian
..Mastery Level 2

Elite
Terminator Squad [5]
..Assault Cannon

Terminator Assault Squad [6]
..3 Paired Lightning Claws, 3 Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield

Sternguard Veterans [9]
..4 Combi-Plasma, 2 Combi-melta

Drop Pod with Locator Beacon

Troops
Tactical Squad [10]
..Plasmagun, Plasma Cannon

Tactical Squad [10]
..Flamer, Missile Launcher [Flakk]

Tactical Squad [10]
..Veteran Sergeant with Powerfist, Plasmagun, Missile Launcher [Flakk]

Heavy Support
Devastator Squad [5]
..2 Missile Launchers [Flakk], 2 Lascannons

Devastator Squad [5]
..2 Plasma Cannons

Devastator Squad [5]
..2 Plasma Cannons

Fortification
Aegis Defense Line with Quad Gun [100]

Deployment
So we roll off for deployment and the Imperial Fists win it. The proceed to place their Aegis Defense line stretched out across their front line. It connects up with a crater on their right and a wall with a bannister on their left. The Fists player declares he is combat squad'ing with all of his Tactical marines, and places his first Devastator squad on top of the wall with the two missile launchers and two lascannons. He then places all of his Tactical Squads and his other two Devastator Squads huddled behind his Aegis line.

I place my Tactical Squad in a Rhino in the ruins at the edge of my deployment zone, dead center. I deploy the Speeder Storm on my right flank with my Sniper scouts next to it and the Typhoon Squad behind it. I deploy the Chaplain's squad of Assault marines on my left flank and I leave Shrike to Infiltrate the ten man assault squad. My opponent declares he has no infiltrators, so I place Shrike on the right flank of the table, nearly in my opponent's deployment zone. I also place my boltgun wielding scouts on the right flank at midfield so I can harass the Devastators on the wall with bolter shots.

Time for scout moves, so I redeploy my Speeder storm forward 12" to hide behind a tree, and the Rhino crashes through the ruins to park right behind a barbed-wire fence and the relic. I failed to seize the initiative.

Turn 1
The Imperial Fists drop pod lands directly in front of Shrike's assault squad and opens fire. Their Librarian fails his psychic power, but the Sternguard kill five of Shrike's Assault Marines. A krak missile from a combat squad pops open that Rhino of mine and 6 Marines die in the onslaught of Plasma Cannon fire. They were forced to ground and will remain pinned on my turn. The missile and las devastators open fire on my Speeder Typhoons and score a glance and a pen, but I jink both of them!

My drop pod arrives directly in front of the Aegis line, and my Tactical Marines display their ability to shoot a wall at point blank range. I only kill two enemy models with their fire and my Librarian's primaris flamer power. My speeder typhoons move up and open fire on the missile-las-devastators, killing 3 of them before my two scout squads finish them off. The chaplain's assault squad moves up past the halfway point and hides in some rocks on my left flank. Meanwhile Shrike positions himself for bloody vengeance against the sternguard unit. He weathers a couple hits from hellfire rounds on the way in, but is unfazed as he cuts down three Imperial Fist veterans himself. My assault sergeant wins the challenge against the sternguard sergeant, and the 3 remaining veterans and librarian try to flee but can't.

Turn 2
Zap! Zap! Lysander teleports next to the drop pod with 11 buddies in Tactical Dreadnought Armour. The assault cannon opens fire on the speeder storm and causes 1 glance after another lucky jink save. Boom, boom! My poor tactical squad is taking a hail of bullets and plasma cannon fire. I see my Tactical squad In front of the Aegis line get torn to pieces. I lose all 10 marines, including the Librarian. It is clear this will not be an easy fight. The Imperial Fist librarian is challenged by Shrike and meets his doom on the Raven's Talons. My Assault Squad finishes the Stern Guard and consolidate away from Lysander.

Ah! Reserves! We can be saved! However only the Storm Talon arrives. It takes heavy fire from the quad gun, but only loses 1 hull point. I see that there is no escape for my poor scout squad of ten, so I move them toward my deployment zone to force any charge from Lysander to move in that direction. I move my speeders back into my deployment zone so the Terminators can't charge them. Shrike jumps behind the wall in the enemy deployment zone and the chaplain's squad jumps right in front of the crater and the other end of the Aegis defense line. I target the two remaining devastator squads with my Speeder Typhoons and scout snipers and take out everything except a sergeant and plasma cannon. Shrike is safely away from the terminators and I charge both ends of my opponent's defensive bubble. Two combat squads are torn to pieces by jump marines and I consolidate further behind the Aegis line.

Turn 3
Two different directions of bolter fire are trying to cut down my assault marines who now have all of the Imperial Fists pincered behind their own lines, but they just don't have enough fire power. I lose 4 marines from the chaplain's squad and another 1 from Shrike's. A flak missile from one combat squad takes the Storm Talon down and it crashes into the Assault Terminators, but they aren't even scratched. They may not even have noticed, they're too busy gunning down my poor scouts. They kill four in shooting before turning the rest of them into a fine albino jam crusted into the joints of their powerfists and hammers.

My Storm Raven arrives, but that damnable quad gun is still manned and forces me to make jink saves. I avoid a glance but suffer two penetrating hits and a stunned result. Shrike and the Chaplain's squads continue their pincer-move blender marathon of Imperial fists, moving up to have optimal charges. The tactical marines trip over themselves and the exploded rhino bits and move 1 inch, the run 2. My sniper scouts are staring down 11 Terminators (one died and I don't remember when or why) and they decide to heck with this and jump into the Speeder Storm. All three speeders continue to dance around the Terminators and their shooting takes out two of the shooty Terminators. My Storm Raven snap fires on the quad gun, but can't kill it. Shrike and the Chaplain get stuck in against 3 combat squads and kill some more yellow dudes.

Turn 4
My opponent doesn't have much left. His remaining Plasma Cannon shoots my tactical squad and reduces it to two models: Sergeant and tactical brother. Lysander's squad shoots at the Speeder Storm containing the scout snipers and fails a charge against it. His assault terminators moved closer to my Tactical squad, but also were outside of a charge due to the terrain. I killed one with overwatch too. Once Shrike and the Chaplain finished off the last combat squads there were just the two devastator marines left.

I moved the Chaplain to finish off the last two devastator models in assault, while I moved my Speeder Storm about 24" away from the Terminators, onto the other side of the Relic. My Storm Raven and Speeder Typhoons kill all but one of the assault Terminators. Shrike shoots him with the Quad Gun, but his armour holds up. The chaplain's squad finishes off the last two marines behind the Aegis line.

Turn 5
Lysander walks right up in front of my two Tactical Marines and parks himself right on top of the Relic. The assault cannon shoots down the Speeder Storm and one scout dies in the explosion. The final Assault Marine is heading toward my Chaplain's squad behind the Aegis line.

The Scouts move toward the Relic, and the Speeder Typhoons, Shrike on the quad gun, two Tactical Marines and the Storm Raven all open fire into Lysander's squad. 3 of the shooty Teminators die. The last Assault Terminator was killed by a Power of the Machine spirit missile from the Storm Raven. The game continues.

Turn 6
Lysander charges my two Tactical Marines and challenges my Sergeant. He and his two Shooty Terminator buddies pound them into crud and consolidate right back onto the Relic.

I move Shrike in to charge if I need to. Another round of shooting at the 3 remaining Terminators. Both Terminators fall and Lysander takes two wounds. It's just Lysander standing on the Relic with First Blood and I've got nothing. I can't claim line-breaker because my scouts can't get there fast enough. I'm gonna lose. So what the heck, I charge with Shrike and accept Lysander's challenge. Initative 5, I deal a surprising two rending AP2 wounds and a third AP3 wound. Lysander rolls the AP2 wounds first. 2. 4. Last save. 1.

I can't believe it. I just killed this beast of an army to the model. Man, what a game. My opponent's name was Dan, and he played a hard match. It was very fun.

Caulay Aerfen and Thro'ahlar's Fate

     When the Age of Dragons was ended and the Ellyllon and Duar warred for their kingdoms, Corrain took a wife named Nora Ni from the hill tribe Aerfen of Nivena. He sent his avatar to court her, and she was soon with child. When the child arrived, she named her son Caulay. Corrain knew the other gods forbid disrupting the lives of mortals after the fate of the Dragons, and that he could not raise this child of both worlds. To protect his son, he asked an elder spirit of fire to watch over Caulay, and fill him with a burning passion for life.

     Caulay was a healthy boy, and soon a powerful man and respected warrior within his tribe. When the fallen Ellyllon sought to establish a kingdom in Nivena after The Scarring, they burned the villages of the hills tribes and pushed the humans from their ancestral home. Caulay answered the call to battle, and he led his tribe to defeat 500 Ellyllon warriors and sorcerers who threatened their homeland. Three other tribes united under Caulay's banner, and the invaders were pushed to the sea against the Kerr mountains.

    Against the cliffs, on the Northern coast of Nivena, the armies clashed. The Ellyllon sorcerers created a grand magical circle and summoned a great flock of harpies. As the armies of men were being torn apart by the fowl creatures, Caulay plunged his cold iron longsword into the rocks, and the cliff face split and broke away burrying the harpies in falling rocks.

     The Ellyllon warlord, Thro'ahlar, met Caulay in battle with his blade. Caulay's reserves now fading, the warlord's ensorceled blade and armour began to give him the edge. With each swing of the sword, Caulay knew he was running out of time, so he made a deft feint and swung hard for the pommel of the sorcerer's sword. Thro'ahlar cried out in pain as his four fingers launched into sea-misted air. He summoned all of his power and transformed into a great serpent with 6 heads. Caulay was disarmed by the first head's snapping teeth, and the second, third, fourth and fifth caught his limbs and held him aloft. As the sixth head plunged its teeth into his chest, his fiery heart was revealed. The elemental burst forth, incinerating the serpent and casting its outline across the cliffs.

     Thro'ahlar's Fate as it is called now, can be seen from the sea off the Northern coast of Nivena.