Kill Team Game 6: Space Wolves vs Orks

Turns out I am still learning…

Set Up, Domination. So I got my wish and rolled a different scenario this time. Also this would be my opponent’s first game of Kill Team so I thought I would take it easy on them.  We rolled domination which has the players deploying from the short edges.  This seemed a bit cramped and I think would favor an elite kill team since there is less frontage to cover.  We were both quite deliberate in the setup of the scenery making sure that both deployment zones had vantage points. The set up developed into three distinct and parallel lanes through the battle field. The lane between Obj 2 and 1 was a narrow single file approach. The lane with Obj 3 was the center of the board, and quite wide, with lots of light cover and vantage points, essentially turning it into a sucker’s graveyard. The last lane was between Obj 4 and 5 it was primarily through the factory and had lots of heavy cover and overhead concealment.  Orks won the roll and elected to attack, the Wolves then deployed between Obj 5 and 1. My deployment was an even spread between Obj 4 and 2 with my heavy weapons in the middle.  The plan was to cover Obj 3 with the big guns while I flanked the wolves on both sides, conquering the board by turning point 3 (just like last time J).

Turning Point 1 (1-1, ). What a disaster, and I blame this on my laziness.  In a rush to get the game going I elected to place all the ladz, except my first activation, with engage orders.  In my mind the orks and wolves would meet gloriously at Obj 3 and duke it out in a good old fashion punch up. Instead the wolves used their three APL to play peek-a-boo and I was forced to slow the advance and make use of as much heavy cover as I could.

Turning Point 2 (3 – 2, for Wolves). For the Orks Turning Point 2 was what Turning Point 1 should have been since I was now able to give some of the more fighty ladz the conceal order and fro them make their way up board, still advancing on three axis. The wolves were not perturbed and conducted their pop attacks from the boiler in the center of the board and casualties for the orks began to mount. There was a fight for Obj 3 that killed the Wolf Sgt at the cost of many Ork lives and leaving the objectives in the paws of the wolf.

Turning Point 3 (4 – 4). With incapacitated Ork operatives littering the battlefield the ladz pulled together for a concerted push onto Obj 3 as well as a sneaky flank from a lone Burna Boy who moved to attack the wolves behind the boiler from a window near Obj 5.  The Burna boy did some damage and created enough of a distraction for the orks to hold Obj 3 until the end of the Turning Point but at what a cost.  The Wolves emboldened by their successful pop up attacks pushed more operatives onto vantage points and continued to rack up more yellow toothed war trophies.

Turning Point 4. (7-4, for Wolves). As the dust settles only a lone Gretchin and injured Ork Boy remained in the debris around near Obj 2.  Triumphantly the Wolves advanced and by the end of the Turning Point controlled almost all of the battlefield uncontested. 

Conclusion. 

Terrain, what can I say.  Terrain is way more important in Kill team then in 40k.  That boiler became a perfect battle position for the Wolf support weapons.  It was the combination of a 3” platform and the 3 APL of the Marine Operatives that meant the orks had nowhere to hide and the marines would always end their turn completely concealed. 

The plan, at least it briefed well.  I can imagine the PowerPoint that the boyz would have put together, the graphic of the double envelopment would look like the Ork Clan’s bull horn insignia and the Boss Nob would have approved it without a second thought.  In reality the double envelopment spread out the boyz to thin and when the inevitable casualties came they quickly lost the sufficient combat power to claim any objectives.  A plan to defend Obj 4 and 2 and go hard into Obj 5 under the cover of the factory roof would likely have proven harder for the wolves to stop, especially since the boyz are stompier up close. Maybe next time.

Deployment. Next time I won’t be lazy and I think the general rule is that operatives with a limited range (6” or less) always begin with conceal. The exception is if you expect to need to counter charge the other kill team, which is unlikely against all but the fastest opponents. Ah the lessons….