League Battles: Round One Sharks vs. Marines and Orks

 

 First of all, a couple of shots of completed Space Sharks!  Two tac squads and a Rhino above, all done, based and sealed.  One bite taken out of the project.

Back in some of the Rogue Trader era artwork, marines were shown with charming phrases like "Kil" on their armor, either as a means of intimidating the enemy or perhaps as a reminder to their fellows, who knows?  I wanted to include that on these guys, so along with some kill markings and such they all have various words or phrases.  Here's the sergeants, one with "Smile" on his power fist and the other with "Up Yers" on his boot.

And a selection of the rank and file.

So, got in two league games Sunday at Gaming Underground.  First was against Landon's Hammers of Ornus Space Marines, the second against Leonard's Orks.  After arriving and talking to people it was discovered that my brain had failed me again regarding the league rules, as the Drop Pod was over the 34 total armor restriction for the 500pt round.  Pfft.  I had a couple offers to borrow a Rhino to make up for it, and eventually took them up on it.  For the games I played, I'm glad that I did and will probably keep it in the list and paint a second Rhino up soon to make it official.

First mission primary objective was "Obliteration", getting ALL of the enemy's units under half.  Not happening unless we just ran at each other into one big melee.  Secondary was objectives, three of which were placed on the table. 

One squad deploys in cover overlooking one objective while their empty rhino lurks nearby.

Across the way, the enemy lurks.  He had two tac squads mostly bare though one had a missile launcher and meltagun, plain rhino, librarian, and two heavy bolter attack bikes.

Rhino dance - Librarian and squad move towards the Sharks, while a recently captured Shark-crewed rhino squad moves to meet them.

Hammers of Ornus attack bikes zip along the edge to harry the Space Sharks.

Space Sharks move to the right, trying to deal with the attack bikes before turning to the infantry.

The enemy moves back to cover one objective (under Rhino).

Building squad makes its way down and starts moving towards one objective while rhino-borne squad moves back to cover another, while enemy attack bikes reposition.

Close up of Space Sharks marines on objective, taking partial cover behind a Rhino.

On the other objective, the other rhino is destroyed, and the surviving attack bike moves in to assault to try to pull the squad off of the objective.

The squad power fist sees off the bike, and they manage to consolidate back into range to cover the objective.

In the end, neither one of us got close to the primary goal ( I only killed the attack bikes, he only killed one rhino plus a few marines), and I won the secondary (objectives) and got a minor victory.

For the second game I faced Leonard's Orks.  He had a 30-strong slugga boy mob with three big shootas and a PK nob, PK warboss and three rokkit koptas.  Primary goal was kill points, secondary was again three objectives.  We ended up on the same table as before, with minor terrain modification.

Setup.  I split the flamer/ML squad up into combat squads.  ML in their old perch, flamer half in the rhino.  Other squad stayed together, in the captured rhino.

Koptas move in on the flank.

Sharks pile out and gun down a kopta, forcing the others to flee!

On the other side, the mob comes inexorably forward, throwing big shoota shots at the marines.  The marines prove themselves to be sharpshooters, getting a wound on the warboss.

Koptas rally and kill a marine with rokkit fire.  Marines retaliate, killing another kopta, forcing the survivor to flee again, who later fails to rally and falls back off the table.

Orks keep on coming.

And coming.  Rhinos move to reposition and cover objectives, conceding the one the mob is on.  The missile launcher squad breaks under fire, rallies behind the building and is ordered to keep moving back away from the Orks.

End game.  I won the primary (Kill Points) 1-0 due to the koptas, as well as the secondary, getting two objectives to one.  Major victory to the Space Sharks!

I also got into a 2v2 non-league game, with my Sharks and Jim's DE vs. Leonard's Orks and Justin's CSM.  We just went KP, and wound up with a tie.

I hope to be able to make it out next week!