After my post Monday afternoon where I showed off my attempt at a Spearhead list, Monday night I actually got to play the game - our club's first game of Spearhead.
We rolled for the deployment and got a standard Pitched Battle style setup where we had to stay in our own half and 18" away from one another (I can't remember the name!) and then the mission was to get as many scoring units into the enemy deployment zone.
To setup, we were allowed to place 1 Spearhead formation on the board, or 3 non-Spearhead units. So, us having 2 Superheavy units involved, wanted to place them on the table to take each other on. Everything else would come on in reserve.
I placed my Stompa down first, hiding behind the largest building I could in my deployment zone, and the Hellhammer wedged between terrain pieces for cover to the front. Each Super heavy took a penetrating hit before the game started as per their Spearhead rules - the Stompa was unable to move for the turn and the Hellhammer unable to shoot in the turn.
Turn 1 - Orks
First turn to the Orks, the Stompa was unable to move, so couldn't get out from behind cover to threaten the temporarily toothless Hellhammer. Fortunately for the Orks, I had taken 3 Trukk Boyz with Rokkit Launchas in a Mechanised Assault Spearhead which meant they could Outflank and show up from Turn 1. I rolled a 5 for my Outflank roll, meaning I could choose which edge they came on - this was to be the beginning of a few very lucky rolls here...
The 3 trukks all came on behind the Baneblade, looking for some very hopeful Rear Armour shots with their shoddy Ballistic Skill using Rokkit Launchas...
3 Ork Boyz with Rokkit Launchas shoot at the reat armour, 2 actually managing to hit the gigantic vehicle and 1 managing to make a Penetrating Hit.
Somehow (the Ork must have been covered head to toe in Blue Paint) I managed to roll a 6 on the first damage roll meaning Hellhammer loses a Structure point and Chain Reaction allows me to roll again.... Another 6 and a Chain reaction... And a 5. Meaning with 1 16pt Ork Boy managing to destroy a Hellhammer in the first turn, before it had a chance to do anything - Sorry Imperium, but that was an absolute fluke shot.
Needless to say, the Boy has now been promoted into the Tankbusta Corps with Honours! On the down side, 1 Trukk was Immobilised and the other 2 were Stunned.
Turn 1 - Imperium
Having had the Hellhammer destroyed, the Imperium attempted some swift justice, bringing on their own Mechanised Assault Spearhead, with the aim to get revenge on the Orks by taking down their Stompa. 2 Grey Hunter squads in Rhinos armed with Meltas drove onto the board from the side egde and crippled the Stompa with 2 Weapon destroyed results - 1 removing the Titan close combat weapon and the other removing it's primary Cannon.
Turn 2 - Orks
In this turn, Ork reserves started appearing from their board egde, with a Tankhunter Spearhead of Killa Kans and a Crusher Spearhead Battlewagon with Tankbustas and a Kustom forcefield Mek attempted rolled onto the board.
Both attempted to destroy the Rhinos and Grey Hunters, but managed to fail miserably. 5 S10 penetrating hits from the Deff Rolla managed nothing but Shaken, Stunned and the Storm Bolter destroyed. Seems like Ork luck has run out!
Turn 2 - Imperium
Reinforcements showed up in the form of Wolf Guard Terminators, drop podding close by the Tank Hunter Killa Kans and the Battlewagon. The Grey Hunters jumped out of their stunned and shaken Transports, one of them managing to bring down the Battlewagon in an explosion of Red Paint, flames and burning Tankbustas.
You'll have to now forgive the vagueness of some of the turn descriptions... I was trying to play this game, referee a War of the Ring Game and follow a World Cup game on my phone...
The Grey Hunters then moved into assault with the Tankbustas, killing several and another one being lost to No Retreat rules. The Mek and Tankbustas managing to thin out a Grey Hunter or two in return.
A spearhead Dreadnaught moved onto the board and made the nearby Ork Trukks his main priority, immobilising another one.
To top the start of the game off for the Imperium... deep striking Grey Knight terminators ended up very harshly deepstriking off the board and suffering a destroyed mishap result... Ouch... 800+ points destroyed via bad (or good for the orks) dice rolling without doing anything.
Turn 3 - Orks
In turn 3, all my remaining reserves showed up - 2 Units of 3 Killa Kans with Big Shootas, a Seek and Destroy spearhead consisting of 2 Killa Kans and a Deff Dred and a walking Big Mek with Forcefield to safeguard all of the above.
The combined firepower from all the Kans near the Wolf Guard terminators managed to thin them down to 2 terminators. The Stompa unleashed a hail of fire on the Grey Hunters and then proceeded to literally Stomp them in close combat until they ran away.
The Tankbustas and Grey Hunters continued their fued in the middle, neither running away and slowly whittling one another down.
Turn 3 - Imperium
Lots of Dreadnaughts showed up this turn and decided to take offence to my Trukks being in their half of the Board so managed to blow up 2 of them and assault the Boyz inside.
Combined with this, the Wolf Lord himself showed up and jumped into combat with the Boyz but had a pitiful round, killing nothing, despite his supposedly superior combat prowess.
Turn 4 - Orks
The Orks started to head up the board, the Killa Kans and Deff Dred focusing on killing off the Drop Pod and remaining Terminators, dispatching them without too much trouble.
The Ork Trukk Boyz moved to combat the newly arrived Dreadnaughts but the rocket launchers bouncing off their armour. 1 Dreadnaught becomes immobilised and loses an arm.
The Stompa finished off the fleeing Grey Hunters it crushed most of in the last turn, and the Tankbusters and Grey Hunters remain locked to the death.
Turn 4 - Imperium
With all it's force now committed or destroyed the Imperium had it's last throw of the dice in terms of attack, throwing all the Drednaughts and the Wolf Guard battle leader into combat with the Ork Boyz and trukks around their deployment area - hoping to drive off the scoring units.
The Orks however did become depleted, but managed to hold firm, destroying a Dreadnaught and causing the Wolf Lord to lose a wound.
The Tankbusters finally were destroyed, but the Grey Hunters were now left 2 models strong... the Melta and the Rending Wulfen Marked leader in the hopes they can remain alive, they moved away to the corner of the board, attempting to blow something up with the Melta along the way and having no luck.
Turn 5 - Orks
The Egg and Spoon race now began! With the turns running out, all the Killa Kans, Deff Dred and the Stompa then began to turn and run towards the finishing line of the enemy deployment zone.
The Boyz and Double Dreadnaught combat continued with 1 squad of Boyz being forced to flee.
Turn 5 - Imperium
The only thing remaining were the last Grey Hunter squad with Melta, who attempted to rear armour the Stompa and had no luck, along with the 2 Dreds in the Imperial Deployment Zone.
Another Ork Boyz squad began to flee from combat, but a Drednaught was destroyed in the process.
Turn 6 - Orks
The Ork Kan wall continued to race, but were having no luck, with run moves rolling low... They weren't going to make it.
More Boyz died in the Drednaught combat, but they held firm and managed to damage the Drednaught, knocking off his Dreadnaught close combat weapon.
Turn 6 - Imperium
This turn, I think the Dreadnaught finally got popped leaving the win open for the Orks.
We then rolled for a turn 7 and it ended there... Some extremely lucky dice rolling!
Conclusion
Some things we thought after the game (aside from the Hellhammer destruction and GK Terminators flying off the board) was that the Long table deployment, combined with Outflankers and Deepstrikers meant that the vast majority of the table didn't get used.
Had it been a game involving Eldar, Valkyries or Tau, then I'm sure it would have, but in re-acting to Outflanking or Deepstriking threats meant committing forces in our own deployment zones, meaning restricted movement.
Overall though, I enjoyed Spearhead. It somewhat combines the scale and Chaos of an Apocalypse game with the speed of a normal game of 40k. We managed to get a 2,500pt game played in the space of a normal 1,500 - 2000pt 40k game, along with refeering and watching a bit of War of the Ring too.
Looking forward to the next game, where I may leave the Stompa at home and bring an extra Battlewagon, Warbuggies and Looted Wagons for even more chaos!
SB
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