Battle Report: SW+IK vs Squat Hearthguard (SM) 1500pts

My friend and I finally got a chance to play - first 7th ed battle of 2015 sadly. We had both been painting up units for the game: me with my Imperial Knight, and him with his awesome custom Squat Hearthguard (counts as space marine).

The actual game itself turned into a bit of a pantsing - it was my friend's first game using the SM codex and his army and we were both a bit rusty. So I won't go into an in depth battle report but will let the pics give an overview. Lists and stuff after the break!

The board:

The Space Wolf army:

Combined Arms Detachment
HQ: Bjorn w/Hellfrost Cannon
Elite: WGT x 5 (w SS+TH, SS, WC, and 2 power axe guys) w Drop Pod
Troops:
Grey Hunters x 6 w Rhino, Plasmagun, WGPL+melta bombs
Grey Hunters x 6 w Rhino, Plasmagun, WGPL+melta bombs
Grey Hunters x 6 w Rhino, Meltagun, WGPL+melta bombs
Fast Attack: TWC x 4 w SS+PW, SS, WC
Allied Detachment:
Imperial Knight Errant Accipiter Ferox
The Squat Hearthguard army:

Combined Arms Detachment
HQ: High King (Chapter Master) w power fist plus something that gives a 4++ save
Elite:
Troops:
Hearthguard (tac marines) x10 w Rhino, multi-melta, meltagun
Hearthguard (tac marines) x10 w Rhino, multi-melta, meltagun (combat squadded)
Scouts x 5 w Landspeeder Storm
Fast Attack: Storm Talon w assault cannons and sky hammer(?) missiles
Heavy Support
Devestator Centurions x3 w Grav Cannons, Grav Amp & omniscope
Thunderfire Cannon
Landraider Crusader w multi-melta
Sadly, this photo is the only time the storm talon actually was on the board, failing to enter from reserves until the dust had settled.

Mission & Deployment:
We decided to play maelstrom of war and rolled for Cleanse & Control and went with the Vanguard Strike board layout. Squats won the roll off and deployed first and chose the Wolves to move first.

Both armies deployed pretty aggressively, as far forward as possible.

Turn 1:
The wolves moved forward, the rhinos and TWC hugging cover. Accipiter Ferox sounded his war horn and strode around the corner to take aim at the landraider.

The WG Termies podded down right behind the landraider and a combat squad of hearthguard.

The squats surged forward, focusing on the Knight.

Shooting was sad for the Squats as I proceeded to make saves like a boss.

Turn 2:
A close quarters turn, with the thunderfire cannon destroyed, three hearthguard killed and the remaining two fell back. The Landraider was exploded by a scattered thermal cannon.

In the center however, the Knight whiffs his attack leaving the High King untouched who then smote the Knight yea verily in the groin with his power fist (3HP!)

With not much left on the board, the 10 dwarf unit of hearthguard move towards the TWC preferring to charge than be charged.

The Knight piles on the wounds to the High King which he Look Out Sirs at the cost of all three Centurions.

Turn 3
Some more hearthguard die to the TWC but remain in combat, while the wolf guard wipe out the 5 dwarf unit.

The Knight and the High King trade blows but neither can bring a final blow, although the squat roars his defiance as he literally goes toe to toe with Accipiter Ferox taking another HP off the Knight (you can see the green dice below is on 5).

We ended up not really bothering with the rest - we just kept rolling for the High King v Knight duel, which went through to the 4th turn at which point the Knights d-sword piled on the wounds and the High King's 4++ was not enough to save 10 wounds.

It was generally agreed High King was definitely an Honoured Ancestor at this point. He was awesome!

Lots learned from this game as it was basically a trial run for a brand new army, and neither of us had encountered grav weapons before this and assumed like melta weapons they had to be up close. I think the key issue was the Squats were a shooty list that were pushed right forward into an assaulty list which made for a bunch of turn 2 assaults. Post game we thought the centurions perhaps should have stayed back and focused on the WGT at the back. The storm talon failed to make 2 reserve rolls so never made it into the game. I also thing the squats need a hammer unit.

We were rusty as newbs so forgot night fighting, and the marines' FNP and IWND from the iron hands chapter tactics.

And with the new marine codex due in June, probably best to hold off dramatic changes for a few weeks.

We totally need to play more.