40k Battle Report: Daemons vs Dark Angels

I always go into a friendly league game with the attitude of "Win of Lose, I'm going to have fun and make sure I learn something no matter what." Well, the amount of fail, and bad decision on my part last night were remarkable. So many bad choices. It seemed to be that almost as soon as the the deployment phase started, my brain just shut down. Maybe it's because there were 16 people there last night and I got distracted (as I tend to easily get distracted by moving/shiny things) or something else, I have no idea. So let's get too it.


Deployment: Hammer and Anvil

Game: Purge the Alien (kill points)



My List: 
Fateweaver: (Combustion, Prescience, Puppet Master, Enfeeble)
Great Unclean One - Greater Reward (3+) ML3 (Iron Arm, Life Leech, Smite)
Khorne Herald on a Juggernaut with Lesser Reward (Axe of Khorne)
10 Plaguebearers
10 Daemonettes
10 Pink Horrors (Flickering Fire)
16 Flesh Hounds
6 Flamers of Tzeentch
Red Daemon Prince - Tzeentch, Wings, Armor, Exalted Reward (Soul Eater),
ML3(Iron Arm, Warp Speed, Endurance)
Grey Daemon Prince - Tzeentch, Wings, Armor, Exalted Reward (Grimore)
ML3 (Iron Arm, Endurance, Bolt of Change)

His List: (From what I can remember)
Belial
Librarian
Comamnd Squad: Apoth and Salvo Banner in a Rhino
5 Deathwing Knights
5 Deathwing Terminators with an Assault Cannon
10 Man Tactical Squad with a Lascannon
10 Man Tactical Squad with a Plasma Cannon
5x Sniper Scouts
3 Bikers with Bolters
1 Typhoon Landspeeder
1 Devastator squad with 2 Flakk Missile launchers
1 Vindicator
1 Predator: Autocannon, with Lascannon sponsons
Aegis Defense Line with Quad Cannon

The similarity to his list and what I used to run is staggering. Its almost exactly the same list with a few minor differences. So far i feel pretty good about this as I am extremely familiar with his units. Albeit, I have not had a chance to play with their new codex yet. (this would prove to only complicate matters later)

I then start to look at the board, and almost cry. Roughly zero LoS blocking terrain on the entire board. Nothing in the middle but a small hill. This is going to be bad. He rolls to choose sides and wins, and picks the side with the most "Stuff in it." My side has 2 woods, and 1 small, roughly 6"x6" ruin. Thank god I at least have a ruin. He places his Defense line and elects to castle up in the back corner of the board.

I win the roll to deploy first, and things go badly from there. I think about it being a kill points game and decide to reserve my Great Unclean One, 10 Daemonettes, the 6 Flamers, and both Princes.

In his reserves he has Belial and the Deathknights, the 3 bikes and the Landspeeder

I place the horrors in the Ruin, and Fateweaver behind it. The hounds and the Herald are right in front of them behind the hill, and the other 10 Plagebearers are in the woods.

In retrospect, besides the placement of Fateweaver, this was all a bad idea. I had a fear of him out flanking the bikes and Deepstriking the knights into my backfield and just walking over my troops (It's what I probably would have done, but he didn't end up doing any of this, which is partially what completely threw me off.)

He places everything else he has in the back corner and castles up around the banner.

Hounds Scout move up by themselves. (This was a huge mistake. I got distracted, excited, over confident, whatever  you want to call it. I mean, I only lost a couple dogs due to an entire Tau army shooting at them last week, what's the worst that could happen?)

Daemons top of turn 1

Hounds Move up closer. Nothing else really to move.
I forget things don't come in on turn 1...what the hell is wrong with me.
I then realize that my Grimore isn't even on the table right now...this is going to be bad.
Warp Storm table roll: 12, and I get a free unit of 10. At this point I am still expecting him to outflank in the bikers, and drop in the Termies, so I elect to to take a unit of Plagebearers and they come in on the forest in the back left corner on my side. (Mistake #3)
This is where I basically start feeding him my units one at a time.

Dark Angels bottom of turn 1

His Prescience is successful on a tactical squad. He doesn't move much if anything, and then proceeds to unload everything he has into my hounds. Entire unit is lost completely. Including the Herald.
This is bad, its all bad.

Daemons top of turn 2

Great Unclean One comes in, scatters, and goes into ongoing reserves.
Daemonettes come in. Walk on the edge of the board (Still expecting his bikes... and termies)
Red Prince comes in and lands next to fateweaver behind the ruin.
Grey Prince does not come in.
Flamers come in, scatter within 1" of opponent...barely...roll a one on the mishap table, unit destroyed.
Figures.

He fires the quad cannon at the Red Prince and cause 1 wound.
At this point, Anything I move forward it going to get shredded, so I elect to play some strategy and see if I could get him to come to me instead.

I forget the warp storm table.

Dark Angels bottom of turn 2

Yea that Idea didn't work.
His Bikers and Belial's squad make the reserve roll. His bikers come in on his table edge behind everything, and his Belial squad Deep Strikes in right in front of his line.

He moves a little bit, takes a few long range shot, nothing really happens, and he now knows that he can just sit back being up 2-0 already and have the game in hand.

Daemons top of turn 3

I have to make something happen at this point. Go big or go home. I need kill points.
Hopefully it's not too little to late. I need to tie up some of his units in close combat and get some kills.
Great Unclean one comes in, and manages to deep strike right behind all of his armor. He starts to freak out a little bit, which gives me some much needed confidence.

Grey Prince come in and swoops up the right hand side of the board into some woods.
Red Princes powers are successful and he swoops over to join the Grey prince in the woods.
Fateweaver swoops up to the middle of the field to take some shots.
Daemonettes move up the board (although it is too late now...)
No Point in moving the Plagebearers.

The Great Unclean One manages to cause a glancing hit against the rear armor of the vindicator with a Smite attack. Red Prince tries to hit it again with the Bolt of Change but the Str roll fails.
Grimore on the Red prince is successful. Fateweaver cast another bolt of change which also fails...oh sure NOW I'm rolling 5's and 6's...

Again...I forget the warp storm table.

Dark Angels Bottom of turn 3

Land Speeder comes in on his table edge.
Termies move a little bit towards the Great Unclean One.
He starts shooting at my princes and manages to knock them both of the of the sky and kill the Grey one.

Some how his Terminators make an assault move of 9" and get into CC with the Great Unclean One.
Little give and take here, Unclean One take no wounds and manages to kill 1 terminator.

Daemons top of turn 4

Red Princes Powers are successful.
Great Unclean One's Iron Arm is successful, and he adds +2.
Fatewaver swoops over to the spot in front of the predator
Red Prince swoops forward off the board, vector striking the vindicator and causing it to lose another hull point.

Fateweaver casts enfeeble on the terminator squad, and then puppet master on the predator, shooting the Autocannon and the Lascannon Sponson into the side of the vindicator, killing it. Woo-Hoo! Victory Point!

Warp Storm Table is rolled, and I get a 9.
Everything is good except for one of his tactical squads. He rolls the scatter, and it lands directly over his Salvo Banner. Instant death. Small Victories.

"Better late than never."

Great Unclean one takes a wound because of horrible rolling, and manages to kill another Terminator.

Dark Angels bottom of turn 4

He moves his terminators a little bit, but nothing much.
Manages to knock Fateweaver out of the sky, but cant do anything else with shooting to him
...then he assaults him with a 10 man tactical squad...and makes the charge, essentially tying him up.
Sad times.

No wounds are assigned on either side.
Terminators cause another wound, and Great Unclean One kills another terminator.

Daemons top of turn 5

um...Daemonettes move...thats about it.

I roll a 6 on Warp Storm Table, but he doens't roll any 6's.

Fatewaver combat is a draw again.
Great Unlcean one Combat is also a draw.

Dark Angels bottom of turn 5

2nd Squad of terminators move around close to Fateweaver.
Nothing else moves.
No shots.
Great Unclean One takes another wound, and the terminators make their saves.


We roll to see if it is going to continue and it does, but my opponent offers to call it if i want too.
I agree, as once his terminators assault in on Fateweaver, he is going to die fairly quickly, then he can just mass assault the Great Unclean One.

Final score is a loss for the Daemons, 6-2.

Lessons Learned: 
Far too many to list. Most of them were seriously dumb, amateur mistakes, but everyone has a bad game.
I forgot so many things last night, that I deserved to lose.

1. Never send up a unit of dogs alone on turn 1 without the grimore on the table, and it being successful.
It's just doggie suicide. And never, ever, under any circumstances move them directly at a vindicator...so dumb.
2. 2 shooting attacks on the Great Unclean one is a bad idea, even if you already have Iron Arm.
3. Pay attention to the game, and at least read a little before the game.
4. Don't make snap decisions.
5. Don't forget your towel.

Daemons 1-1.
2 more weeks to go in this league.