A Warhammer 40,000 3rd Edition battle report. Published November 2003.
This was a 1000 point battle, fought out between my Imperial Dragons Space Marines, commanded by Andarus, and Captain Bob with his Cadians. Standard rules, no TAR or TVR. Andarus hadn’t played in a while, so this was just another standard ‘kill each other’ type game.
Battle Lists as follows:
Imperial Dragons
Standard Space Marine list.
- Commander Kennedus in Terminator armour, with Storm Bolter & Power Axe
- Command Squad: 6 Marines with CCW & Bolt Pistol, Vet Sgt with Power Weapon
- Tactical Squad 1: including Plasma Gun & Vet Sgt with Power Fist
- Tactical Squad 2: including Flamer & Vet Sgt.
- Scout Squad 1: 5 Scouts with CCW & Bolt Pistol
- Scout Squad 2: 5 Scouts with CCW & Bolt Pistol
- Dreadnought Ragnarok: Assault Cannon & Power Fist with Storm Bolter
- Dreadnought Shadowbane: Twin Lascannon & Power Fist with Storm Bolter
Cadians
Standard Guard List
Command Platoon
- Command Squad: Senior Officer with Shotgun & Carapace Armour, Standard Bearer, Commlink
- Commissar: Laspistol, Power Weapon, Bionics, & Refractor Field
- Fire Support Squad: 2 Heavy Bolters, Autocannon
1st Platoon
- Command Squad: Lt with Bolt Pistol & Sword, Plasma Gun, Meltagun, Commlink
- 1st Squad: including Meltagun & Commlink
- 2nd Squad: including Flamer & Commlink
- Armoured Fist Squad: including Flamer & Commlink, Chimera with Smoke Launchers
- Sentinel 1: Multilaser
- Sentinel 2: Lascannon
- Basilisk
- Leman Russ with Smoke Launchers.
Setup
On a fairly open table, both sides took a fairly spread out line across the board. The Cadian Basilisk and Leman Russ, supporting the Command platoon and an Infantry squad, rumbled onto the left flank, facing off against a lone Tactical Squad and Dreadnought.
The Guards Fire Support squad took up position on top of a prominent grassy knoll in the centre of the line, where the relatively open terrain gave them a fairly broad view of the entire board, including the Space Marine Command Squad directly opposite them.
The remainder of the Guard force covered the right flank. Peering through the screening treeline were the second Tactical Squad, two squads of Scouts and the Dreadnought Shadowbane.
As the Commanders were getting their comm frequencies sorted out, the Sentinels took advantage of the quiet to lunge forward down the laneway between rocky outcrops.
The Marines took the initiative, with all units plunging forward bellowing the Dragon’s battlecry “Gloria Draconis!”
With their forces on the move, shooting from the Marines was minimal, with a Las-shot from Shadowbane pinging off the Leman Russ’ armour, and a burst of fire from Commander Kennedus’ Storm Bolter flying wide of the Fire Support squad on the grassy knoll.
Finally untangling their comm-cords, the Guard set off to meet the approaching power-armoured threat, with the Armoured Fist squad racing ahead of the main force. As the Chimera reached an open area in the center of the board, it slewed around in a half-circle, Guardsmen roaring as they ducked out the rear hatch with lasrifles ready.
The Basilisk, holding steady on the far left flank, opened the Guard shooting with an earth-shattering Kaboom, dropping a round squarly onto the Dreadnought Shadowbane at the other end of the board. The resulting explosion blasted through the nearby Scout Squad, but the novices emerged unscathed.
Meanwhile, a devastating hail of fire from the Russ, Multilaser Sentinel and the Fire Support squad saw Commander Kennedus’ entire retinue torn apart. Kennedus himself, standing firm amidst the ruins of his command, had time to hurl a curse at the upstart Guardsmen before a Lascannon blast from the second sentinel, off to one side of the grassy knoll, ripped straight through his ancient Terminator Armour.
A mighty roar went up from the Dragon’s line at the fall of their Commander, and the Marines surged forward once again.
The first Tactical squad, charging through sporadic fire from the Armoured Fist squad, closed in on the hapless Guardsmen, bolters coughing in response.
