Purge the Unclean...and Unpainted - Batrep Daemon Hunters vs. Scythiak Usurpation

Normally I don't like fielding unpainted units, much less armies, but when JVB wanted to run his recently-recovered Grey Knights, it was hard to resist the temptation to put the traitors on the table.  And since when is Chaos about resisting temptation? Besides, this will be a chance to see the recruits so far in action.

We set out for 2000pts, which is the size I was building the Scythiak Usurpation towards, but since I haven't built the vehicles yet I made a few substitutions and proxies.  Instead of a Hydra I used the Heavy Bolter squad, a second-hand Chimera served as one of the Chimeras, and some tanks looted from the Merkans provided others - a Hellhound as stand-in for another Chimera, and a Russ as the Eradicator.

JVB just got the DH back from someone who was going to paint them but never did, so there's a lot of Bare Metal Knights and Black Knights mixed in with the Grey ones.  His guardsmen that he's using for Stormtroopers need repairs, and we subbed in some borrowed dreads and a rhino to fill his list out.  Neither side is going to look top-notch here, so if  you want a pretty report, move on.  If you're just looking for a bit of a lark, read on!

We rolled up a standard mission, Annihilation/Pitched Battle.  GK won the roll, picked a side and setup.  

My list was:

Scythiak Usurpation (Codex: IG)

Company Command Squad
"Astrakenor", Word Bearers Prophet - Counts-as Iron Hand Straken.
Regimental Standard (+LP/CCW)
2xFlamer
LP/CCW
Chimera - Multi-laser, HF 220pts

Elites
Sorceror Coven - 9xPsykers + Overseer
Chimera - Multilaser, HF 165pts

Elites
Chaos Ogrynx10 410pts

Elites
"Khonan" - counts-as Marbo 65pts

Troops
Infantry Platoon
Platoon command - PF/laspistol 2xflamers 55pts
Inf squad - PW, grenade launcher 65pts
Inf squad - PW, grenade launcher 65pts
Mortar squad 60pts
Lascannon squad 105pts
Heavy Bolter squad 75pts

Troops
Infantry Platoon
Platoon command – PW/laspistol, 2xflamers 50pts
Inf squad - PW, meltagun 70pts
Inf squad - PW, meltagun 70pts

Fast Attack
10xRough Riders (1) sgt has meltabombs 110pts

Fast Attack
10xRough Riders (2) sgt has meltabombs 110pts

Fast Attack
3xSpawn Riders (Scout Sentinels) w/Missile Launchers 135pts

Heavy Support
Leman Russ Eradicator, HF hull, Dozer Blade 170pts

2000pts (with the exception of the "real" list having a Hydra instead of the HB squad, this is the list I've been building towards)

JVB took:

Grey Knights (Codex: DH)
GK Termie Captain
GK Termie squad, two psycannons
GK squad, incinerators
GK teleport squad, incinerators
GK heavy squad, 4xpsycannons
2xStormtrooper squads, PF and two plasmaguns
Stormtrooper squad, PF and two flamers, Rhino
2xGK dreadnought, TL lascannons, missile launchers

2000pts

He set up spread out fairly evenly.  One ST squad and a dread on my left moving through a large ruin.  Captain, psycannon GKs and another ST squad middle-left.  Middle right had termies and flamer STs with second dread in back, right had incerator GKs with the Rhino as moving cover.  Teleport squad in reserve.

I set up HBs and Eradicator on my left. Mid-left came both Chimeras and their occupants, followed by the Ogryn, a RR squad and the techno-barbarian platoon.  Mid-right came the cultist platoon, another RR squad, and the lascannons/mortars.  Since we were doing KP, I went ahead and combined the two infantry squads in each platoon.  No commissars or anything to make them real solid tarpits, but mainly I just wanted them to run interference to allow the Ogryn and RRs to close.  My right was pretty open with no good fire lanes, so I just left it empty of troops and tried to concentrate more towards the middle.  Spawntinels would Outflank, and Khonan/Marbo was of course in Reserve.

The washed, but unpainted masses.

Turn one the DH moved up, and the forces of Chaos sluggishly advanced, repositioning some forces on the left more towards the middle.  One GK dread blew off the Eradicator's main gun, starting the trend for what would be a very poor day for the tank.  The Captain's psychic hood shut down the psyker battle squad, and that and some poor (but not deadly) psychic tests would keep the PBS from managing to do anything all game.

Turn two the STs on my left shot and ran off the heavy bolter squad.  Dread fire wrecked Astrakenor's Chimera, so he joined the wave of folks heading towards the center.  The teleport squad arrived, and landed next to the Captain via homer.

Sorry for the poor pics throughout - still trying to figure out my wife's new camera and how to bypass settings...

  In the Chaos turn the Spawntinels and Khonan both arrived, and one demo charge later the recently-teleported GKs were slain, but the Captain made his invulnerable save.  Shortly thereafter, Khonan gets gunned down by a ST's plasmagun.

More light in the game room would probably help too, and I'm sure the black board isn't doing me any favors...

Rough Riders get shot up, prep for assault.

STs flamer cultists, while Terminators and Ogryn position for the true battle...

Stormtroopers climb over rubble to assault the stricken Eradicator, eventually managing to kill it.

Cultists move aside to allow Ogryn to assault STs and Rhino.  My plan was to try to only hit the STs with a few guys, prolonging the combat and blocking the Termies from shooting/charging the Ogryn.  In the end my good to hit rolls and JVB's poor armor saves doomed the STs but left the Ogryn open.

RRs attack GKs, kill a few but are dispatched.

Rhino tank shocks through Chaos lines, pushing them aside but failing to make anyone break.  Termies and GKs assault Ogryn as Gyro leads RRs to better positions.

Lucky SOB who for a time was the sole survivor of his ST squad, making many saves against attempts to kill him and collect that KP.  He eventually succumbed to repeated mortar fire.

Tramplemaster Gyro flanks the GK Terminators and attacks from behind as they're occupied with Ogryn.  With a Furious Charge boost from Astrakenor it makes it even easier, and the hunting lances finish off the Terminators.

Meanwhile Astrakenor, Von Drakin and their retinues try in vain to destroy the Rhino.  It makes Astrakenor so angry that his backpack falls off.

The GK captain moved up and attacked the RRs.  With hunting lances expended, he's a much harder nut to crack!  He cuts down two riders, and then...

Bzow!  Apocalypse, you heretic scum!  Seven more RRs go down, and Gyro hoofs it away to fight another day.

The captain's glory is fleeting, as soon Killgore!, Kantor Fett and others beat him down. 

Not pictured, but other achievements on the left, with the techno-barbarian platoon, Papa JJ helped direct a good bit of FRFSRF lasgun death into various ST and GK squads, with Khorne Dog helped the platoon make its Ld rolls to accept the orders, and Notbrent's aim was true.

End result, Chaos victory.

The army still feels woefully light on anti-tank.  Maybe having the Hydra instead of the HBs would help there, but probably not enough.  Maybe some more games on somewhat less cluttered tables will show it to be sufficient, maybe not.

The Straken/Ogryn/RR combo worked like I thought it would.  Ogryn to suck a charge, with Counter Attack to help them out a bit, and standard for rerolls on their Stubborn 7.  Then RRs, if necessary with help from a Move Move Move order to make the Fleet roll high move around to countercharge whoever the Ogryn have in hand, aided by Straken's Furious Charge to make them I6/S6.  Granted, it's a horribly expensive combo, but fun to pull off vs. fancy elite units.