Batrep, cheesy zombie chaos vs cheesy GK.

This chaos army is really really good and I wanted to try it out against my GK tournament army so I called a friend over, gave him a run down and upped the points to 1850 plus altered my own GK army slightly (I´m planning to ditch some dreads for a stormraven to handle the increasing amount of chaos bale flamers being used as dreads just dont cut it against AV12 fliers).

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/498869.page


So the chaos army ended up looking something like this (memory):
Abbaddon (warlord - crusader)
Typhus

33 zombies
33 zombies
16 zombies
10 zombies
10 zombies

5 Nurgle spawn
3 Normal spawn

3 nurgle oblits (veterans of the long war)
3 nurgle oblits (votlw)

Helldrake with bale flamer




GK:
Librarian:
titan, warp rift, summoning, sanctuary, shrouding

Xenon Inquisitor
Plasma siphon

10 strike knights
2 psycannons, psybolt ammo

10 strike knights
2 psycannons, psybolt ammo

10 paladins
banner - apotechary
4 MC psycannons
2 swords
2 halbeards
1 warding stave
4 hammers

Storm raven
TL las cannon
TL multimelta



Mission was the one with a mysterious objective in each deployment zone.
Deployment was short table edge vs short table edge.


I played chaos

My friend played my GK army.


I (chaos) won first table edge choice.
GK won turn choice and elected to go first.


One obj in the middle of the GK dep zone in 5+ area terrain.
One obj in a ruin at the far edge of chaos dep zone.




Deployment:
GK deployed the dread in a ruin together with a combat squadded strike unit, one in and one behind the ruin.
Everything about 40´away from the best chaos deployment ruin terrain pieces that he suspected I would put my oblits in.
The dread was at 36 range though.

The second strike squad was also combat squadded, one half with the swrods in teh stormraven and one half with both psycannons behind the area terrain with the objective.
GK objective was reroll missed 1:s.

Paladins line up almost at my board edge behind teh same terrain piece the dread and both combat squads sit in. Well outside any plasma cannon range.
They are here to be summoned later on.

Libby and inq are in the storm raven together with a combat squadded strike squad (no psycannons).





Chaos answers by deploying both oblit squads in each ruin terrain piece with good los.
10 zombies in the objective ruin (obj was halved charge distance).
5 nurgle spawn nearby the objective for additional protection.

All other zombies lined up at my deployment edge so that they could reach the GK deployment and objective as fast as possible.
Both Abbaddon and typhus joins each 33 sized zombie unit.
3 spawn join the horde.

Typhus rolls for psychic powers and rolls enfeeblement (awesome power) and the 12´ranged big poisoned AP2 pie power.




Chaos rolls for seize first turn and succeeds with a nice roll of "6".
Night fight is in effect.


Chaos first turn. Oblits fire lascannons on the dread but the dread makes all its 2+ cover save rolls.
All zombies move 6 forwards, 3-unit of spawn move with the zombies.


GK first turn:
Dread kills one of the 3 nurgle spawn.





Chaos turn 2. Helldrake arrives and moves 36 towards my combat squadded strikers next to the dread.
Zombies shuffle forward with the spawn and both HQs.

Oblits shoot plasma cannons on the dread an get a stunned.


GK turn 2:
Stormraven arrives and zooms 36 towards the helldrake (within 12 of it)
Dread rolls fortitude and unstunns itself.

Storm raven fire both las and MM on the helldrake scoring a glancing and a pen, helldrake fails both inv saves and gets 2 HP taken of as well as a weapon destroyed.
Dread shoots at the helldrake and takes of the last HP. First blood to GK.





Chaos turn 3:
Oblits shoot lascannons at the stormraven and score one penetrating, libby shrouds but the shot goes through anyway. Weapon destroyed with the lascannon gone.
Zombies, HQs and spwn move towards the GK line.
Typhus casts enfeeblement but the GK deny it on a 5+.

GK turn 3:
Stormraven moves so it stands right between both oblit squads close to each one. Shoots at and fails to do anything against the oblits.
Strikers and dread shoots and kills lots of zombies.



Chaos turn 4:
Oblits shoot asscans at the stormraven but fail to do anything.
Zombies and HQs move forward, spawn charge the dread (one wound goes through from overwatch)

GK turn 4:
Libby casts summon on the paladins and puts them right next to one of the oblit ruins, scatter moves them a little of so that the second oblit squad has los to a few of them.
Stormraven (opted to hoover) shoots at and does nothing against the oblits.
Strikers shoot a lot of zombies, dread wounds the spawn.

Paladins shoot and kill of all 3 oblits in the nearby terrain piece.





Chaos turn 5:
Zombies move forward, the less depleted ones with abbaddon and his few zombies move towards GK objective (and 8 psycannon shots) while typhis moves towards the ruin with the dread and strike combat squads. Typhus casts that 12 inch range super pie but fails due to the dreads aegis (he will fail all his Ld rolls for the rest of the game due to this).
Oblits have LOS to the paladins and shoot plasma cannons on them. Due to the stormraven next to the oblits and the plasma siphon inside the oblit BS is reduced to 1 though.
Typhus fails a charge into diff terrain and looses the remaining zombies due to overwatch.

Despite this the oblits manage to hit extremely well causing 12 wounds on the pallies.
5++ saves save 4 and FnP from the apot save an additional 4 downing 2 pallies in the end.



GK turn 5:
Libby summons the paladins and casts them towards the chaos objective. The paladins are about 10´away frm the obj and within charge distance from both the remaining 3 oblits and the 4 nurgle spawn.
Storm raven flies towards the chaos objective (hoover) and out go both strike squad half and the libby.
Strike squads at the back shoot dead a lot of abbaddons zombies and also wound Typhus twice.
Dread kills the last spawn.

Libby and strike squad half shoot warp rift at and assault the 3 oblits in order to tie them up so the pallies survive better. 1 oblit remains but the last oblit kills the libby in melee.
Slay the warlord point to chaos.



Roll for turn 6.

Chaos turn 6:
Last zombies reach GK objective (close to the by now depleted gk squad).
Typhus assaults and wipes one strike combat squad.
Nurgle spawn and some of the last zombies at the back assault the pallies and are wiped out.
Oblit is locked with 2 strike knights near the chaos objective.


GK turn 6:
Typhus is shot dead by a psycannon from one of the remaining combat squads.
The dread, stormraven and the last 2 psycannon combat squad shoot abbaddon to death (love psycannons and S5 stormbolters). (Abbaddon had previously lost 1W due to massed stormbolter fire).
Slay the warlord point to GK.
Strike squad also contests GK objective along with a handful of zombies.


Roll for turn 7.


Chaos turn 7:
Zombies at GK objectie assault the depleted GK squad contesting it but are killed to a man (zombie) leaving 2 strike knights in control of the GK objective.


GK turn 7:
Pallies multi assault the last oblit and the zombies holding the chaos objective.
Oblit and all zombies are wiped out and the last 2 strike knights consolidate towards and hold the chaos objective.





Game ends with all my (chaos) models tabled.
Chaos 1 point
GK 10 points.

Chaos has slay the warlord.
GK have slay the warlord, first blood, 2X linebreaker and both objectives.







Summary:
That went well, my friend beat the crap out of me using my own GK tournament army while I was left tabled scratching me head.
Granted, I told my friend exactly how to play the GK army, to leave the pallies on the table and summon them next to the stormraven and to try and nullify the oblits firepower after the summoning by using the plasma siphon (10 measly points well spent).
Warp rift only killed 1 oblit and a spawn that happened to be behind the template but summoning was the main star in this game, first letting him move all 10 paladins all across the board and wipe of one oblit unit and then to move them some more and "throw" them towards the chaos objective (range to pallies + length of stormraven + 6) so that the tied strikers could be freed to move towards a cleansed chaos objective.

Zombies are scare but what is scary is seeing the massed hordes on the table thinking they are to many to overcome, once shooting starts they fall like flies.

Funny that both chaos super HQs fell to massed stormbolter and psycannon fire (ok ok, a stormraven too).


I will change the GK army a little though by adding a mystic, crusader and 2 death cult assassins to the inq in the stormraven so that summoning and deepstrike wont have to scatter and so that the Inq can do something offensive other then babysitting the magic teleport taxi.

Interesting use of the SR - or rather 'magic teleport taxi'!

Like

Good batrep The only thing I saw was that you mentioned a combat squadded Strike squad was in the SR, held in reserve, while the other half was on the table? I don't think you can do this unless they changed the combat squad rules in 6th ed or the FAQ?

I always played that you could combat squad a tactical before the game and in deployment choose to start with only one half on the table and the other in a pod or so.
Must both halves come in or can only one half come in?

The way I understood it (and the way it was explained to me) is that you choose to combat squad your unit when they are deployed. Key word is deployed. When you you keep a unit in reserve, they are not yet deployed. That is why when you place a unit in reserve, you can hold off on deciding whether they will combat squad or not until they actually come in from reserve and deployed on the table.

When you deploy a unit at the start of the game, you can combat squad them but you won't be able to keep the other half in reserve anymore because you have already deployed them.

Well, anyway goes for me. The next version of the army will already see the stormraven filled with something.

Yea, unless it has changed it should work as Rivan stated.

I'm also a bit dubious about using summoning inside the SR. With the changes to psychic powers and psychic powers only being able to effect the psyker, his unit or the vehicle they are in, I don't see you being able to use the power without disembarking. I may be overthinking things though.

Also that chaos list isn't exactly that daunting, almost no mobility only one Helldrake and not bubble wrapping the Oblits...

Unfortunately, I have to agree with Brother Zealadin: p67 of the BRB states that

If the psychic power requries a target, you must nominate it at this point. Unless otherwise stated, the Psyker must have line of sight to his target. This means that a Psyker embarked on a Transport can only target himself, his vehicle, or another unit embarked on the same vehicle as the Psyker.

Also, I read both this battle Report and the one you posted between your Chaos and the BA player. I was pretty impressed how well the GKs did against that many bodies

The battle reports were clean and well-written as well. Kudos!

If the psychic power requries a target, you must nominate it at this point. Unless otherwise stated, the Psyker must have line of sight to his target. This means that a Psyker embarked on a Transport can only target himself, his vehicle, or another unit embarked on the same vehicle as the Psyker.

I dont believe that.
Summoning does not target, you simply choose a friendly unit anywhere on the table (not locked in melee) and this unit is immediately removed and enters as per deepstrike.

If GW had wanted this power to follow LOS rules they would have mentioned that instead of just saying you can pick a friendly unit from anywhere on the table (as the table is by default covered in terrain etc).

further on I cant find any info on summoning as in what it counts as (witch fire, malediction, nova etc) and as such I assume it is a special codex thing where codex trumps rulebook.
I also assume this power works much as the ork kustom force field or various SM buff powers where if cast from inside a vehicle they are ranged as a bubble using the vehicles hull as measuring points.

I can see the argument either for either interpretation, but feel that this is one of those rulings where you will always have to ensure that your opponent and/or TO agree with your interpretation beforehand, because it is just that: an interpretation.

It depends on how you interpret "choosing a unit" and "picking a target", since there is nothing in the BRB which fully describes targeting outside of shooting, and how you interpret the paragraph for Powers Without a Type, because, despite that it states that a power without a type will always be clearly expressed in its entry, I think that The Summoning is rather vague in this regard.

edit: Also, your argument sounds strikingly similar to a MtG ruling, which is extremely explicit in that game, but less so in 40k.

a power without a type will always be clearly expressed in its entry

And entry trumps rulebook. In the entry is no mention of "targeting" or line of sight but on the contrary, insinuated that those are not required what so ever.

Yes, but the Psyker page doesn't require LoS either, but simply states that you can't target an outside unit with a power from inside a transport.

There is no distinction between "choosing a unit" and "picking a target"in the rulebook that I can find, so, to me, it insinuates that they are one in the same.

Plus, the entry for The Summoning doesn't explicitly disregard LoS entirely, which contradicts the line in the rulebook which states that typeless Codex powers will be stated clearly.