I recently had the great pleasure to play another game of Legions Imperialis; I’ve written about some previous games here. This time I brought what I expected to be a decidedly unbalanced and thoroughly uncompetitive, but hopefully fun and destructive, 2000pt list.
In essence, it is a Collegia Titanica army containing two titan formations, along with a formation of Legiones Astartes allies. The titans were composed of two smaller Warhounds and a single colossal Warmaster Heavy (to date the largest titan in the game). Their allies were a large Saturnine Assault Cadre, consisting of 12 stands of Saturnine Terminators across 4 detachments, led by a Saturnine Terminator HQ stand, and backed by two detachments of two Saturnine Dreadnoughts each. The Terminators are all able to Deep Strike. One of the Warhounds was set up for short-range anti-titan fighting, and the other mixed-purpose mid-range firepower. The Warmaster’s options included an Apocalypse Missile Launcher, Vulkan Mega-Bolter, and the anti-air Anvilus Defence Batteries, alongside its twin Suzerain Plasma Destructors, Revelator missile launcher, Ardus bolt cannon and Lascannon point defense weapons. The Terminators were all packing paired Disintegrator Cannons, and the Dreadnoughts all had Plasma Bombards and Disintegrator Cannons.
This list has a lot of weaknesses. It has a very low model count, and will struggle to hold objectives. Only five detachments comprising seven models even start the game on the table, with the thirteen Terminator models all teleporting in from turn two onwards. It has no air power to speak of, and the only anti-air weaponry is relatively short-range and mounted on the slow Warmaster. Everything except the Warhounds moves very slowly. All the Saturnine units have very short-ranged weapons. The Warhound weapons I have available are all somewhere between ‘highly specialised’ and ‘quite useless’. So, I knew the fight would be a challenge.
My opponent brought a more balanced list. I had insisted on keeping my list a secret, except acknowledging that he knew I planned to bring a deep-striking Saturnine Assault Cadre, and that I had strongly suggested he bring at least one titan. This was mostly because I knew my list would be trivially easy to build against, and thus wanted to retain a bit of mystery. I trusted my opponent not to min-max against me, but still!
On the day he fielded a Solar Auxilia army, featuring a Super-Heavy Company (two Stormhammers one of which was a Tank Commander, a Shadowsword, and a Stormsword), a Pioneer Company (4 squads of Veletarii, a Legate Commander, 4 Rapiers with Laser Destroyers, 8 Rapiers with Quad Launchers that I for some reason kept referring to as Thudd Guns, a Marauder Pathfinder, and 4 Basilisks), and a Sub-Cohort (two detachments of 4 Tercio squads, a Tactical Command, a detachment of 4 stands of Ogryn Charonites, 4 Leman Russ Vanquishers, 4 Aetheon Heavy Sentinels, and 2 Lightning Fighters). These were backed by a Reaver Titan with a Gatling Blaster, Chainfist and Apocalypse Launcher, and a formation of World Eaters: 4 squads of Assault Marines, a detachment of 4 squads of Tacticals in Termites, and a detachment of 4 squads of Tacticals in 3 Rhinos, accompanied by their HQ. Around 68 models/bases by my count, rather outnumbering my 20!
For our mission we drew Devastation, which involves trying to hold on to your home objectives, capturing and holding neutral objectives in the midfield, and destroying objectives in your opponent’s deployment area. The latter offers the most points in a single sum (no need to continue holding them once done), with holding on to your own deployment area objectives giving a steady amount of points whilst denying them to your foe. The neutral central objectives are comparatively low-value. For our secondary objectives, we both drew Vital Intel, which involved capturing Intel from the near the table centre and then carrying it to our board edge.
We set the table up in our usual way: somewhat evenly, aiming to have some central points of interest, and a scattering of terrain around the table for cover and to break sightlines. The fortified walls are purely decorative (we do plan to try a siege scenario – one day). The central building we decided was a sewage processing station, subsequently dubbed Sanitary Nexus 1600-Theta, with the intel we each intended to retrieve being vital logistical information on handling the effluent output of vast armies.
My plan was to hold on to one home objective quite fiercely, and accept that I would lose the other. I felt I could rely on my Saturnine deep strike to secure one enemy home objective. I’d try to use a Warhound to capture intel, and I’d rely on firepower to reduce my opponent’s options and deny them objectives wherever possible. Realistically, I expected to lose on points, and was mainly hoping to have fun and kill a lot of the enemy!
My deployment reflected this preemptive surrendering of one home objective. My opponent deployed in a very Imperial Guard-like line across the battlefield edge, with his Termites and cargo, and aircraft, joining my Saturnine Assault Cadre in reserve.
As round one began, my opponent infiltrated his Veletarii into a building beside a neutral objective, and used forward deployment to advance his Laser Destroyer Rapiers and Sentinels (basically a free move). As round one proper began, my Warmaster began its slow movement toward the centre. My Warhounds advanced toward the Sanitary Nexus, remaining out of sight of the enemy super-heavies and titan. One detachment of Dreadnoughts marched toward the exposed home objective, making use of cover to hide from the enemy Reaver.
For my opponent’s part the World Eater rhinos accelerated onto Cathedral Plaza, perilously close to the Warmaster. Many detachments advanced or marched, making use of cover to block line of sight to the Warmaster. Multiple detachments took first fire orders, preparing to try and reduce the Warmaster’s void shields. The aircraft swung around to take shots at the Warhounds. The Marauder Pathfinder was a spotter plane – allowing detachments with indirect fire to shoot at targets they could not see, but without the usual penalty. That’s a great buff for his Sentinels, Basilisks and Thudd Guns – I mean, Quad Launchers – not to mention the Reaver’s Apocalypse launcher! Infantry and Rapiers garrisoned buildings where they could, securing vital cover.
As the opening salvoes of fire began, the Warmaster’s shields began to take hits from the Vanquishers, Stormblades and artillery fire, losing 7 of 12 shields. One of the Saturnine Dreadnoughts on my right flank took a wound, and the mid-range Warhound lost both its void shields and a wound to fire from the Thunderbolts.
The Warmaster’s response was brutal. It killed the Stormhammer Tank Commander and reduced the Stormsword to 1 wound with his Plasma Destructors, killed two Sentinels with its Revelator missiles, picked off 2 squads of garrisoned Tercio with its Mega-Bolter, and destroyed 2 Rhinos with its Anvilus batteries – with 3 squads of World Eater tacticals failing to disembark. A Warhound also managed to pick off a stand of Ogryn.
The Sentinels, having taken heavy casualties, lost a morale check and fled, but later rallied; the World Eaters, made of sterner stuff, held fast. For my part, potential disaster beckoned: the Warmaster and Warhound failed to reignite a single void shield between them. I failed nine 4+ dice rolls. Insert something about the mocking laughter of thirsting gods here…
In round two my Saturnine assault cadre made its entrance. The HQ detachment dropped in right beside my opponent’s home objective on his right flank, right in front of the Vanquisher detachment. The remaining three detachments teleported in on in a line stretching across my opponent’s battlefront. The Warmaster continued its advance and the Warhounds repositioned, with the mid-range titan moving to help deny the enemy their intel objective and finish off the super-heavies, and the close-range titan facing off against the Reaver. The dreadnoughts on my right flank moved to secure my other home objective.
My opponent’s own deep strike units appeared behind my lines, the Termites burrowing out of the earth not far from my other dreadnought detachment, with the disembarking tactical marines garrisoning a nearby building. The surviving super-heavies advanced, hoping to batter the Warmaster with their heavy firepower. On my opponent’s left flank, the assault marines, Ogryns, Reaver and Sentinels advanced, with the aircraft backing them. The surviving rhino disembarked the surviving World Eaters into a nearby building before accelerating behind my lines on its own.
My Warhound struck the Reaver with its Shock Lance, reducing its movement and restricting it to a single weapon next time it fired. In response it lost its void shields and a wound. The Warmaster lost its remaining void shields and a wound under a withering Basilisk bombardment, and the Auxilia Tercio and Tactical Command somehow destroyed two stands of Saturnine Terminators!
Bloodied but unrepentant, the Warmaster annihilated the Shadowsword before it was able to fire, and finished off the wounded Stormsword, reducing my opponent to a single super-heavy. It killed two Quad-launchers with its long-ranged weapons, and annihilated the Tercio and Tac Command which had the temerity to threaten my Saturnine Commander. The second Warhound picked off another Quad Launcher and ‘quaked’ the rest with its Shudder Missiles. It also picked off most of the surviving World Eater infantry around the cathedral. Its fellow titan facing the Reaver was then reduced to wreckage in the face of savage heretic firepower, and one of the dreadnoughts on my left flank was also destroyed by aircraft fire.
Happily, my Warmaster succeeded in reigniting 7 void shields, although my surviving Warhound failed to reignite any.
In round three, play was becoming brisker as more models had been removed from the table! The Termites and Rhino charged my remaining left-flank dreadnought. The surviving Warhound drew back to assist in protecting that same objective, and was charged by the World Eater tactical marines. On the right flank, my Dreadnoughts were charged by the Assault Marines, with the Ogryns also closing in. My Warmaster continued its advance, and the Saturnine Terminators had already taken cover in preparation for mopping up the remaining enemy armour on my left flank. The Sentinels swung behind the Sanitary Nexus, hoping to secure the intel, and the Reaver advanced, continuing to remain out of sight of the Warmaster, as it had the entire game.
A detachment of Saturnine Terminators annihilated the Vanquisher squadron in a stunning barrage; the previous turn, the combined fire of three detachments had only removed one tank. But the main event this round was the battle’s first melee combats. The Saturnine dreadnought destroyed a Termite, drew with a second, and took a wound from the Rhino, resulting in a tie overall, and thus continued to protect the objective. Across the battlefield the assault marines destroyed one dreadnought and wounded another, winning the combat, but due to the way combats are paired off one dreadnought survived, similarly protecting the objective. I would score from neither, but my opponent could not yet destroy them either. Closer to the centre, the last Warhound stomped two tactical marines squads to death, and remained standing.
The Warmaster opened up with another volley. This time it attempted to destroy the building garrisoned by the Laser Destroyer Rapiers and a Lasrifle Tercio, hoping to destroy it and open up that enemy home objective. The building was badly damaged, but remained standing. Elsewhere its missiles took out three more Quad Launchers and two Basilisks, and the Thunderbolt Fighters – which had swung around behind it – were both taken out by a combination of Lascannon and Anvilus fire.
Another detachment of Saturnine Terminators destroyed the surviving Stormhammer, and across the turn the Warmaster’s void shields were again all stripped away, though the enemy failed to wound it further.
At the close of turn three, the scoring was as close as it had been all game, with 28 points to the loyalists – thanks to destroying the objective exposed by the collapse of the Auxilia armour – to 29 for the Heretics. In previous rounds the scores had been 13 to 5, then 21 to 15, in the favour of the Heretics. The Warmaster also ignited a stunning 9 of its 12 void shields, effectively removing all hopes of its destruction, given the substantial reduction in available heretic firepower.
Still, as round 4 got underway things looked bleak for the loyalists. The World Eaters on the left flank all charged the surviving Dreadnought; on the right flank, its comrade was mobbed by Assault Marines and Ogryns. The enemy artillery in their backline withdrew toward their surviving home objective, and the Reaver advanced to bring the Warhound into sight. The Warmaster pivoted, shifting its attention toward the vulnerable home objectives, whilst also keeping the enemy home objective in view. The Saturnine terminators, denied of nearby opponents, marched and advanced across the field.
Tercio ripple fire from the damaged building picked off a squad of Saturnine Terminators, and in melee, both Saturnine Dreadnoughts were destroyed, taking out a Rhino and a stand of Ogryn before they fell. The Reaver blew the last Warhound into pieces, with its explosion killing a squad of World Eater infantry. The Warmaster, attempting to deny the foe, utterly annihilated the Assault Marines and Ogryn, but otherwise only succeeded in picking off one more Quad Launcher.
With that, the game was as good as done. My opponent and I mapped out the next round in conversation, and I conceded after concluding that the victory point gap could only widen. My opponent took the win with 47 victory points to 31 at the close of round 4. It had been a pyrrhic victory, with over two thirds of his army defeated.
Most of my Saturnine infantry remained standing, and the Warmaster was barely scratched, but were in no position to capture intel or secure additional objectives. One of my home objectives was safe, but the one I had set out to protect was gone. It had been a tremendously entertaining game, and I had thoroughly enjoyed how close-fought it turned out to be.
In hindsight I should have deployed a dreadnought detachment onto the exposed home objective to earn an easy 5 VP in round 1; I was unduly concerned about them being taken out before they could seek what little cover was available. I could also have dropped my Saturnine Terminators in to threaten the other enemy home objective, and attempted to use a Warhound to take out the other. That would have been a long shot, but my only real chance at victory. I should also have charged the World Eaters with the last Warhound in turns three and four, which could have been more effective than attempting to shoot and perhaps – a narrow chance, but perhaps – saved one more home objective, narrowing the VP gap.
I continue to be disappointed by the Warhound weapons provided in the Legions starter box. Across the game both Warhounds did scarcely any damage to anything – I believe the two of them killed one Quad Launcher, one Ogryn stand, two Tactical Marines stands, and lightly dented a Reaver – and certainly were not worth 600 points in those terms. They did soak up a decent amount of enemy firepower, despite mostly failing to reignite their shields, and that was their one saving grace. I could have made better use of their mobility, but given their vulnerability and low threat, I saw felt opportunities to do so. Regardless, for the same points or less, I could take a Warbringer or Warlord titan with vastly superior firepower and more void shields!
The Saturnine assault cadre was fun but also limited. The en masse deep strike is fantastic, and the staying power of both infantry and dreadnoughts with their multiple wounds and invulnerable save is substantial. They are, however, cripplingly slow, and their weapon range is miserable. Coupled with very few attack dice, their damage output was mostly unimpressive. The exception is when you can get them into range of the enemy and put them on First Fire orders. At that point, with the Paired Disintegrators, you get double the attack dice and can reroll misses thanks to Accurate. With only an 8″ range this only happened twice across three rounds for four detachments.
If I were to reimagine this list, without considering the models I actually have available, I would either take a Warlord in place of the Warhounds, or equip the Warhounds with frankly better weapons: Vulkan Mega-Bolters, Plasma Blastguns, and Turbo-Laser Destructors. Maybe the Conversion Beam Dissoluter if I wanted to try and destroy buildings, although since buildings roll their armour save on two dice and have multiple wounds, you really need a lot of attack dice to take them out – so most likely cheaper detachments with Demolisher are the way to go there.
I would also invest fewer points into the Saturnine Cadre, losing one or two detachments of terminators and one of dreadnoughts. In their place I’d take a bunch of cheaper infantry. Auxilia to hold objectives in garrisons would have made some difference, I feel. A fighter aircraft, too, if I could squeeze that in.
Still, the list I played was a lot of fun, and very silly, and these two facts are quite interlinked.
Many thanks to my opponent for a wonderful game! He is also writing a battle report, and when that is up at Freodom I’ll add a link. The battle from his perspective may feel rather different – he described the Warmaster’s steady progress as “frankly terrifying” and the Saturnine deep strike as a major concern, given it could show up anywhere.
You may have also noticed from my photos that the Warmaster isn’t quite painted yet. I’ve been working hard on it for ages, but still have a bunch of work to do. I will get there, and will share some glamour shots in future, as I am very happy with how it is looking already.
Finally, here’s a video I shot, taking in the entire battlefield at the close of the game.
