Daemons vs Empire

Hi all, Wil here again with another battle report for my daemons. This time I took on Adam and his Empire in a 2.4k game.

Here's the lists (as best as I can recall)

Whisperflense's Daemonic Coven

KoS - Keeper of Secrets: Lvl 4, Greater (no armour save sword), Lesser (multi wounds 2), Lesser (breath weapon), SLAANESH
Lash, Slicing Shards, Phantasmagoria, Cacophonic Choir

HoT - Herald of Tzeentch: Lvl 2, METAL
Searing Doom, Blades

HoN - Herald of Nurgle: BSB, Great Locus of Fecundity, Lesser (ASF)

P - 29 Plaguebearers: Standard, Musician, Banner of Discipline
D - 18 Daemonettes: FC, Lichebone Pennant
H - 10 Horrors: Standard
Blue Fire

BoN - Beast of Nurgle
BoN - Beast of Nurgle
BoN - Beast of Nurgle
SC - Seeker Chariot
S1 - 3 Screamers

S2 - Soulgrinder: Mark of Nurgle, Phlegm Bombardment


Empire

A - Archlector: War Altar, Grt Wpn, Charmed Shield, Talisman of Endurance

WL - Wizard Lord: Lvl 4, Talisman of Preservation, Sceptre of Stability, Van Horstman’s Speculum, DEATH
Soulblight, Caress, Purple Sun, Spirit Leech

BW1 - Battle Wizard: Lvl 1, LIGHT
Banishment

BW2 - Battle Wizard: Lvl 1, Dispel Scroll, LIGHT
Shem’s Burning Gaze

C - Captain: BSB, Pegasus, Potion of Foolhardiness, ?

H - 38 Halberdiers: FC
AC1 - 9 Archer Detachment
AC2 - 9 Archer Detachment
K1 - 5 Knights: Musician
K2 - 5 Knights: Musician
DK - 5 Demigryph Knights: Musician
GC - Great Cannon

CH - Celestial Hurricanum
ST - Steam Tank


Deployment

My initial thoughts were “uh oh” to be honest.

Lots of 1+ armour, an altar, hurricanum and light council with banishment. I felt it was going to be a tough game indeed.

After my first game I decided to put the nurgle block and soulgrinder as one, and the daemonettes and chariot as another ‘front’ to work together. Seemed to work ok as it turned out.

This time with 2 cannons and banishment I couldn’t afford to sit back, so resolved to pile straight in. Liberating!

Opponent had the +1 and won the roll off.


Empire Turn 1

The steam tank easily generates three steam points and trundles forwards.

The rest of the Empire battle line doesn’t move much. On my right, a unit of knights joins the steam tank on a hill. The other knights and demigryphs saunter forwards.

On my left, the archer detachment with light wizard without banishment moves into a building.

Magic: Ouch. Adam throws six dice at a boosted banishment at the Keeper, and gets irresistible. Whisperflense is killed.

The miscast kills 3 archers, who pass panic, and wounds the wizard.

Shooting: The Great Cannon blows up – hurray! The steam tank lines up a shot at the chariot, but the cannonball squishes into the turf.

Combat: None

Daemon Turn 1

The daemon line piles forwards. On my left a beast gribbles around a wood to threaten the unit in the building.

The plaguebearers and soulgrinder move forwards, flanked by the daemonettes and seeker chariot.

Another beast of Nurgle zooms forwards towards the knights. The other moves around a wood on my right. The horrors move up behind said wood. The screamers zip up the right flank to threaten the Empire lines.

Magic: Slaanesh shows up, a couple of sixes are rolled including the archlector, but he rolls a 5 on 3D6. A six dice searing doom on the steam tank is dispelled with the help of the Sceptre of Stability.

I cast blue fire, but it does no wounds to the knights.

Shooting: The soulgrinder scatters wide.

Combat: None


Empire Turn 2

 The right-hand unit of knights charges through the woods into the horrors. The steam tank generates another three steam points.

The other knight unit charges my central beast of nurgle.

Magic: This is where we discover Adam rolled four dice for the hits for his first banishment.  dry.gif

He rerolls the first one, which this time leaves Whisperflense still on the board with 2 wounds. But he irresistibles the spell again, and gets 15 hits this time, so he dies again.

This time the miscast kills the light wizard, wounds the lvl 4 and the other light wizard without banishment, but the archlector passes his ward. 6 dice drained from the pool so no other magic.

Shooting: The steam tank fires at the Soulgrinder, and causes 4 wounds. sad.gif

Combat: Adam’s right-hand knights kill a single horror, and I manage to drag one of them down. I win by one and the knights break, but flee clear and pop through the demigryphs who pass panic.

In the centre, the knights are unable to hurt my beast, who kills 1 of the horsemen. Adam wins by the musician, but I pass the break test.


Daemon Turn 2

The left-hand beast declares a charge at Adam’s halberdiers, but falls short.

My daemonettes charge into the knights, making it in.

The plaguebearers and soulgrinder advance. The horrors move into the woods and the beast joins them. The seeker chariot advances towards the centre and the screamers fly near the demigryphs.

Magic: Slaanesh shows up again, this time killing 3 archers who pass panic. The demigryphs also roll a 6, but an 8 on 3D6  unsure.gif

I throw another 6 dice at Searing Doom on the Steam Tank and get an irresistible. But I only cause 3 wounds.

The miscast sees me lose a level and the spell. I attempt to Blades the beast of nurgle, but it is dispelled.

Shooting: The soulgrinder misses again

Combat: No wounds are caused in the daemonette/beast vs knight combat, but the knights lose by 4 and break, fleeing clear of my beast. The daemonettes reform to face the demigryph knights.


Empire Turn 3

 

 The demigryph knights charge the daemonettes, although my opponent forgot initially.

The steam tank makes 2 steam points no problems. The level 4 and non banishment wizard ditch the halberdiers and join the archer detachment lurking behind the building.

The BSB flies over to the left flank, eyeing up the soulgrinder.

Both knight units rally.

Magic: Adam attempts to spirit leech my nurgle herald, but I’m having none of it. He then gets off soulblights the plaguebearers which I can’t dispel.

Shooting: No target for the steam tank, but the engineer misses with his pistol shots.

Combat: I lose 7 daemonettes, but am steadfast and pass leadership without causing a wound.


Daemon Turn 3

Mega charge time! The soulgrinder goes into the front of the demigryphs, beast into their flank and Seeker Chariot into the other (passing difficult terrain).

The screamers charge the flank of the now 2-strong detachment, who flee through the hurricanum, panicking it off the board as the BSB has moved out of range! They redirect into the flank of the knights.

The red beast charges the rear of the steam tank.

On my left, the beast charges the archlector and the plaguebearers pile into the halberdiers.

The horrors advance to threaten the unengaged knights.

Magic: Tzeentch shows up this time, but does no damage.

My attempt to Blades the soulgrinder fails, but a blue fire kills a knight and earns me a new horror!

Shooting: None

Combat: I cause just 2 wounds on the demigryphs, who deal a bunch back to the daemonettes but only 1 to the soulgrinder. He holds.

I chip a wound off the steam tank!

On the left, I challenge with the herald of nurgle and gut the champion. I lose 2, but batter the halberdiers. They are steadfast though and hold.

The beast challenges the archlector, and I lose a wound but the combat is a draw due to me charging.

The screamers kill a knight, but they hold.


Empire Turn 4

The archer detachment with wizards in moves around.

The BSB charges the flank of the soulgrinder and makes it in.

The knights on the right move up towards the horrors.

Magic: Lowish roll I think. I dispel soulblight on the plaguebearers and my opponent fails to cast something else.

Shooting: None

Combat: Adam smashes up the daemonettes some more, but can’t kill the soulgrinder. I kill a demigryph, but have lost the combat by three. The soulgrinder and daemonettes disappear back into the warp, but the seeker chariot has 2 wounds left as does the beast, pinning the demigryphs.

The BSB reforms towards the middle.

The central knights fail to cause any damage, as do I and they pass their break test and reform test to face me.

The halberdiers are smashed up again and break clear. I let them run, and reform to face his BSB.

The steam tank vs beast is a draw.

The arch lector causes a wound, but I sneak one through his armour and ward. Another draw.


Daemon Turn 4

 The herald of Tzeentch charges solo out of the horrors into the flank of the demigryphs for that extra plus one.

I charge the BSB with the plaguebearers, who wisely flees over the demigryph combat.

Magic: Slaanesh shows up again, clearly annoyed at the loss of the Keeper, but no one is affected.

Shooting: None

Combat: Adam directs attacks at the herald of Tzeentch, but can’t kill him. I sneak a wound through somewhere, but he is steadfast and passes.

The beast vs steam tank is another stalemate.

The screamers kill another knight, they break and I catch them as they run.

My beast in a challenge with the archlector loses 2 wounds, but passes with the BSB nearby.


Empire Turn 5

The knights charge the horrors in the woods, passing their difficult terrain test.

The BSB rallies. Nothing else moves.

Magic: Spirit leech targets my BSB, and goes off irresistibly sucking the wizard down a hole. Then I roll a 6 smile.gif

Shooting: None

Combat: The knights kill a horror, but I win with a rank and banner and the knights flee clear as I pursue.

The steam tank does 2 wounds to the beast, and I can’t hurt it. I don’t care. (rear charge)

Finally I win the combat against the demigryphs but with the BSB nearby they are not going anywhere. My seeker chariot is passing a lot of ward saves at this point.

The challenge is another draw between the archlector and the beast.


Daemon Turn 5

The screamers charge the flank of the arch lector, hoping for some lamprey’s bite fun.

The horrors charge the knights again, who flee off the board.

Magic: I roll a 3, with the random displeasure targeting my Tzeentch herald. Fortunately I pass the leadership test. No magic gets through.

Shooting: None

Combat: Nothing doing in the steam tank vs beast combat.

In the centre, I finally break the demigryphs and send my seeker chariot to run them down. The beast reforms to face the steam tank and BSB.

On the left, the screamers cause 3 wounds to the war altar, but the beast can’t get any more and loses his third wound in the challenge. The archlector is stubborn and holds.


Empire Turn 6

The archer detachment moves back into the building with the wizards. Nothing else happens.

Magic: I dispel Shem’s.

Shooting: None

Combat: Again no wounds in the steam tank vs beast combat.

The screamers can’t hurt the war altar and neither can the beast. Fortunately, the archlector misses!


Daemon Turn 6

If we can get that archlector we might be able to bag a win here I think!

Plaguebearers charge the BSB, who flees clear. Beast charges front of steam tank.

Seeker chariot charges flank of war altar.

Magic: I roll a 4 = -1 ward save for my daemons! I don’t have any targets for magic.

Shooting: None

Combat: Neither beast can damage the steam tank.

The war altar is destroyed, and I get another wound through on the arch lector, he kills my beast, but he rolls a 3 for his break test and holds!


Game over!


VPs
Daemons: 1243
Empire: 1438


Really fun game, despite the early loss of the Keeper of Secrets. To be honest, he would have had 2 banishments and 2 cannons at him so would have been lucky to survive.

I just could not get through the 1+ armour. Daemonettes failed to cause a single wound, and my opponent was passing armour saves whether they were 2+, 3+ or 4+ with those pesky demigryphs.

If I could have got them a phase or two earlier, I think I could have got a small win out of a list that is pretty difficult for daemons to beat.

Man of the match for me were the screamers, although the beasts were superb again. Screamers caused hurricanum to flee the board, killed a unit of knights and smashed the war altar to pieces. Skills.

Beasts held up archlector for 4 turns, leaving him on a wound, held up the steam tank for ever and helped kill the demigryphs (eventually).

Loss of the keeper was hard though, just one of his spells would have been handy to help me pick fights. I needed to keep the demigryphs away for just one more turn, but didn’t have the bodies to be able to do so.

Still, fun game which was pretty close despite the bad matchup for daemons. That banishment is a bit tasty against my poor daemons... thanks for reading.