The following battle report has been pieced together from what records survived of an encounter that took place a couple of months ago, when my brazenly "Red Edition" Blood Angels faced off against Archaeopteryx's brazenly awesome Genestealer Cult in a 1500pt game of Second Edition Warhammer 40,000.
The Space Marines of the Blood Angels 3rd Company were commanded by Brother Captain Erasmus Tycho and had been deployed as a last resort to prevent the experimental Guthmachen power source from falling into the hands of the hands of the most foul Genestealer Uprising on Cubos IV.
The Marine Captain's force consisted of two Tactical Squads (split into four, 5 man combat squads), a Predator Tank, Dreadnought Furioso, Chief Librarian Zadkiel and an accompanying Tech Priest.
The Cult Of The Four Armed Emperor consisted of it's Patriarch and Magus, an Icon Bearer, 2 broods of Purestrain Genestealers, a brood of Genestealer Hybrids, 2 squads of Brood Brothers, a pack of Beastmen, 2 Cult Limousines and a Leman Russ Battle Tank.
It sought to vanquish the Space Marine's Psyker as it's primary objective.
MARINE TURN ONE
The Blood Angels took the first turn, with Furioso and the Tech Priest moving towards the ruined tower under the ever ready eyes of a combat squad's bolters and missile launcher.
On the right flank, the rest of the Marines raced towards their objective.
Furioso's multimelta fusion gun reaped death on the adjacent Brood Brothers while the missile launcher in the supporting squad saw off 2 Brood Brothers from the squad that moved alongside the Leman Russ.
The Predator targeted a Limo and let loose with it's fearsome heavy armaments- the Limousine exploded spectacularly, killing the Beastmen that had been inside it.
Chief Librarian Zadkiel attempted to use his psychic powers but was assailed by a DAEMONIC ATTACK- the Space Marine barely fought the clawed fiend back into the warp from which it had sprung...he managed to NULLIFY the Magus' attempt to summon a GATE.
GENESTEALER TURN ONE
Accompanied by the Icon Bearer, the Magus resided safe from enemy fire at the rear of the battle, as just ahead the Patriarch and a brood of Purestrains moved towards their enemies at a silent, lightning fast pace.
The other Purestrains made their way towards the enemy at the same blinding pace, while the Leman Russ rolled forward ominously.
The Brood Brother with the autocannon
and the Hybrid's Missile launcher opened fire on the hulking form of Furioso, but the heavy weapons fire bounced off the Dreadnought's armour ineffectually.
The Leman Russ's main battle cannon accounted for a Marine and very nearly the Chief Librarian, who survived thanks to his conversion field.
The Magus then accosted the endangered Marine Psyker with a PSYCHIC SCREAM, rendering him unable to use any of his psychic abilities.
MARINES TURN TWO
The bulk of the Marine force went into overwatch, ready to face the oncoming wave of Genestealers that threatened to overrun their objective.
Dreadnought Furioso stalked around the ruined tower and vaped 4 of the Purestrains that were attempting to sneak past
The Techmarine gunned down a Hybrid with his boltgun, and the Missile Launcher in the second story ruins targeted the Leman Russ, loosing a krak missile that pierced the tank's armour and turned it into a flaming wreck
The Magus kept the Librarian out of the equation again with another PSYCHIC SCREAM.
Blast!
GENESTEALER TURN TWO
The foul Xenemorphs made their way inexorably closer to the Space Marine's gunline
The Brood Brothers and Hybrids attempted to destroy the marauding Dreadnought once more, to no avail.
The Limo that had carried the Hybrids unsuccessfully attempted to mow down the Adeptus Mechanicus Techpriest
The Magus terrorised the Librarian with another PSYCHIC SCREAM, and then opened a GATE, callously willing a squad of Brood Brothers through it and onto the waiting guns of the Blood Angels.
On overwatch, the Space Marine's fire whittled down their number with righteous fury.
MARINE TURN THREE
Led by their Captain, the marines pressed forward towards their objective, letting loose with deadly accurate bolter fire as they strode.
With the Predator adding it's might, the Brood Brothers and a number of the incoming Purestrains were slaughtered.
The combat squad with the plasma gun had broken off to the left, and opened fire on the Purestrains that had survived the Dreadnought's melta blast- one fell.
Furioso ignored the Brood Brothers and Hybrids and made for the Guthmachen Power Generator- the venerable one correctly surmised that it must be seized at all costs.
The Magus inflicted yet another PSYCHIC SCREAM on Zadkiel in the psychic phase!
GENESTEALER TURN THREE
The marauding Limousine now attempted to run down the combat squad with the plasma gun, but the Space Marine's superhuman reflexes allowed them to jump from it's murderous path
No sooner had the Limo careened past, the two surviving Purestrains were upon them!
Meanwhile, the second Purestrain brood ploughed into the Space Marines in the ruins, tearing them down with horrendous ease.
The Magus continued his assault on the mind of the Librarian with his PSYCHIC SCREAM.
MARINE TURN FOUR
The Squad in the second story ruins left their position and made a desperate rush to try and support their brothers, who were all locked in a desperate close combat struggle with the deadly aliens.
Furioso made an impressive sight as the Dreadnought ran and seized the objective.
The Genestealers continued to eviscerate the Marines in close combat, and Captain Tycho took two wounds as he fought for his life, and the squad with the plasma gun was wiped out.
GENESTEALER TURN FOUR
The Purestrains swarmed over the fallen marines to engage fresh opponents, as their father emerged from behind the Blood Angels to join the slaughter, falling only the tiniest of distances short of making it into the fight
Thanks to his digital lasers and some amazing "good fortune" (jammy luck) Brother Captain Tycho managed to see off one of the two Purestrains that he fought and drew the combat with the other.
END GAME.
VICTORY POINT SCORES:
GENESTEALER CULT- 9 VPS
BLOOD ANGELS- 14 VPS
Thanks only to the Dreadnought moving onto the objective in the fourth turn, I was able to claim the win.
It really didn't feel like a win though, as everything that wasn't a tank or Dreadnought was either dead, beaten to shit or rendered useless.
Archaeopteryx was extremely unlucky not to kill my Librarian, who he blitzed from the very first psychic phase until the last with that bloody PSYCHIC SCREAM.
I think I was extremely lucky to blow up the Leman Russ with that krak missile (which I usually have little success with) because had it survived it might have really tipped the sales in the Cult's favour and Furioso mightn't have been able to rush the objective.
I was also very silly to let the Purestrains get into hand to hand, but it made for one hell of a centrepiece battle.
It was a great deal of fun, and I've got to tip my hat to Archaeopteryx for being a sterling opponent and also lending me his Tech Priest mini when I forgot to bring my Techmarine.
It's certainly a pleasure to play against such a classic and beautifully painted army.
