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Adepta Soriatus vs. White Scars (1500) in "Knights: How OP Are They?" (DONE!)

Started by BigToof, March 03, 2014, 12:09:53 AM

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How does my Knight Errant fare?

Like a Boss!... err... Titan! (Survives, kills more than it's points)
1 (10%)
Worth it's Salt! (Survives, but doesn't kill more than it's points)
1 (10%)
Could have been worse... (Dies, kills more than it's points)
5 (50%)
Disappointing! (Dies, fails to kill more than it's points)
3 (30%)

Total Members Voted: 10

BigToof

Adepta Soriatus vs. White Scars (1500) in "Knights: How OP Are They?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi All,
Yeah, it's going to be one of those games.
The new kid on the block, belle of the ball, the new black is the Imperial Knight.
Two setups, and everyone has an opinion about them.
I'm not impressed with the rules myself, but then again, these are super-heavies we're talking about.

So, I'm going to get in two games.  One playing with a Knight and the other playing versus a Knight.
If (barring any really horrible rolling), the side with the Knight wins handily, then we can say the Knight is hella OP.
Or you know, at least really dangerous.  Otherwise, well...  It's a really pretty model?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is Part One, in which I take up the new Knight and see what it can/can't do.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, who do I pick for my army?

I need something that people consider "weaksauce," as if I bring Tau, Eldar or heck, even CSM or Daemons and ransack my opponent, then it won't be obvious as to what the Knight does.

I considered Orks, IG and Sisters (mostly since I have no experience/am really bad at the other armes).  Orks are largely considered to be the weakest of all the codicies at the moment, but well...  I've been playing Orks a LONG time, and any wins on my part might be chalked up to experience.
IG is also pretty mediocre, but still a boogy-man for many people out there.
Now Sisters?  Lukewarm codex with models that nobody uses?  SOLD!

So, it's the return of the Order of the Holy Rose versus something pretty nasty.
My mates considered Screamerstar and Seer Council, but the big thing that's been popping up, turning heads and liquifying Riptides has been Gravgun-heavy White Scars.  I've also never played versus them, so it'll be a good test as I won't have a clear strategy to dealing with them and perhaps then we can see how the Knight fills the necessary holes that are going to be rampant in my deployment.  My opponent is a decent marine player, but he's never done 100% bikes before, but he's eager to take out my "soft list."

Now caveats:
1.  The following is based off the WD mini-dex description
2.  I'm assuming that the Knights can ally with Sisters.  (yes, I know it's a stretch, but Imperial is Imperial, right?)
3.  There are rumours of a full Knights-dex coming out in March, which may change things.
4.  Somehow the Knights are said NOT to be Lords of War, but still use escalation rules.  We are also playing them as scoring, but not contesting, based on the recent WD-related post regarding their use.
5.  We'll be using a Riptide model, as the reports are that the Knight is about Riptide to Wraithknight size, and Riptides are easier to come by.
6.  I'm an Ork player at heart, which means I HAVE to assault once per game, or it's lacking something and I play the girls as aggressive as I can.  So, yes this will not be a shooting gallery if I have anything to say about it!

I assume that if there is a full Dex that will clear things up, but relying on GW has never been a reliable thing...

So...  Adventuring hats on everyone!  Let's see how the Knight fares...

Oh, and there will be some fluff too :)

Best,
-BT

P.S.  If you would like to participate in BigToof points, the game is played as such:
Vote on my Poll above and make a reply saying what you voted and why.
If you are right, I'll add you to my signature, so that all may see your tactical acumen/best guessing!
And just FYI, I HAVE finished the first game, just recently, so that's done, no worries there. The second is still WIP...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------
The Lists
-----------------------

Sisters and a Knight (1500): 48 Infantry, 3 Vehicles, 1 Super-Heavy; 12 VPs
-Inquisitor Agatha Brimstone (Ordos Xenos w/Power Armor, Psyker1, FSword, RadG, PsychoG, LiberH, Skullsx2)
-Canoness Esmerelda w/Eviscerator, Rosarius, Mantle, Combi-Flamer
-Priest w/Power Mace, Litanies of Faith
-Battle Sistersx5, Flamer, Heavy Flamer in MM Immolater
-Battle Sistersx5, Flamer, Heavy Flamer in MM Immolater
-Battle Sistersx20, Flamer, Heavy Flamer
-Dominionsx5, Meltagunsx4, Vet Sister in MM Immolater
-Seraphimx10, Hand Flamersx2, Vet Sister Elizabeth
-Knight Errant

White Scars 1500: 27 Infantry, 2 Vehicles, 1 Artillery; 9-10 VPs
Khan w/Bike
Captain w/Bike, PFist, Artificer Armor, Eternal Shield
Bikesx9 w/Meltagunsx2, Multi-Melta Attack Bike
Bikesx5 w/Gravgunsx2, Sgt w/Combi-Grav
Bikesx5 w/Gravgunsx2, Sgt w/Combi-Grav
Scoutsx5
Stormraven
Stormraven
Thunderfire Cannon

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pre-Game Thoughts: By the Throne that's a scary list!  Enough bikers to choke a Squiggoth and I don't have nearly enough firepower to deal with them all.  Gravguns liquify Sisters all too easily and the meltaguns are going to destroy the Knight in a few volleys if I let them get a clean shot off.  That is, if the Stormravens haven't blown him to pieces on Turn 2.
So... tactics...
He outguns me, outmaneuvers me and is tougher by a good margin.  I barely have numbers on him, but that's going to change double-quick I get the feeling.  I'm going to be leaning heavily on the Knight, so I hope he can handle the load!
I've chosen the Knight Errant with his S9 melta large blast, as I had to cut the Exorcists and a unit of Dominions to fit him in...  He had better be worth it, or things are going to go downill quite quickly...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Setup: Hammer and Anvil
Mission: Big Guns Never Tire (3 objectives, HS scores)
Psyker: Agatha: Prescience
Warlord:
Canoness: All units within 12" use her Ld
Khan: Challenges give 1d3 more VPs

To Be Continued! (With Fluff)
BigToof Points:

Cammerz: 8
Waaaghpower: 1
The Man They Call Jayne: 3
Mabbz: 6
Archon Sharrek: 3

Mabbz

I think the Knight will die without making it's points back. It'll be close, but those grav and melta weapons shoul take it down, and I don't think it's killy enough to make the points back.

Thing is, I fully expect it to be either awesome or terrible. If I were allowed a second choice I'd say it'll survive and kill lots. A middle ground seems unlikely for a target that big. Still, first choice is an inglorious death.

Hmm... when it explodes, will models killed in the blast count towards the points?

BigToof

Quote from: Mabbz on March 03, 2014, 12:28:38 AM
I think the Knight will die without making it's points back. It'll be close, but those grav and melta weapons shoul take it down, and I don't think it's killy enough to make the points back.

Thing is, I fully expect it to be either awesome or terrible. If I were allowed a second choice I'd say it'll survive and kill lots. A middle ground seems unlikely for a target that big. Still, first choice is an inglorious death.

Hmm... when it explodes, will models killed in the blast count towards the points?

Thanks for the fast reply Mabbz!

Yes, the explosion DOES count towards it's points :)

If that sways your answer you can change it if you like.

Best,
-BT
BigToof Points:

Cammerz: 8
Waaaghpower: 1
The Man They Call Jayne: 3
Mabbz: 6
Archon Sharrek: 3

Waaaghpower

Your list isn't that good, Sisters or otherwise... You've got no AA and Seraphim are better in two squads. Was there a rule against Special characters? Because Uriah and Celestine are both absent... (Also... No Exorcists?)
I get the feeling you were trying to keep your list weak because you're bringing a Knight.
That being said, other than the Fliers and Chapter Master, Knights are good at killing everything in his list. His list is good at killing Knights. He who shoots first shall likely win.
Super Mario 3D World is The. Best. Thing.

BigToof

Quote from: Waaaghpower on March 03, 2014, 02:21:28 AM
Your list isn't that good, Sisters or otherwise... You've got no AA and Seraphim are better in two squads. Was there a rule against Special characters? Because Uriah and Celestine are both absent... (Also... No Exorcists?)
I get the feeling you were trying to keep your list weak because you're bringing a Knight.
That being said, other than the Fliers and Chapter Master, Knights are good at killing everything in his list. His list is good at killing Knights. He who shoots first shall likely win.

Actually, that's a good point.
My sisters have always suffered, and although some people swear by Uriah or Celestine, I just don't know if they'd really improve my list too much.
Losing the Exorcists was like being punched in the kidneys, but the Knight is almost 400 points...
From a 1500 list, that's a LOT to ask.  I had to really look at the Knight and think about what he can do, and I was hoping/praying that he would do decent anti-tank...
I have yet to see any really good Sisters anti-flyer though.
I've been thinking about IG allies, but even then I get one Vendetta that is really not enough vs. Tau, Eldar, Helldrakes, Stormravens or really anything else.
Have you found anything that works?
Right now, I'm just waiting out the Blitz so to speak, but I am very, very open to hear any comments/suggestions regarding my list :)

Best,
-BT

-----------------------------------------------

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, yes those are TL-Lascannon and TL-Multi-melta Stormravens.
I've rarely seen them run otherwise in my group, so I've almost stopped writing it down :)
BigToof Points:

Cammerz: 8
Waaaghpower: 1
The Man They Call Jayne: 3
Mabbz: 6
Archon Sharrek: 3

Waaaghpower

Really? I always see Multi-Melta/Assault Cannons instead... Huh. Weird.

Anyways, it's not that Celestine or Jacobus are so incredible, just that the alternative (Canonness or... Another Canonness) are so weak. For 100 points, you get all the benefits of a Priest, Counter-Attack, a better Invuln (If he's your Warlord) and a much better chance of Hymns and Faith working. Celestine is a bit more, but also great at shredding MEQs. She'll fail against TEQs, but anything with 3+ or worse dies easy. Also, she soaks up damage for your Seraphim like nobody's business and, on occassion, a Heavy Flamer woth Shred is fun.

My usual Jacobus tactic also functions as my AA: Attach Jacobus to a blob of Heavy Bolter Retributors with a Simalcrum Imperialis, behind an Aegis Line with a Quad-gun. You have to pray for 6s, but a bunch of rending Boltguns and Heavy Bolters (with 3 Acts of Faith to use) can be pretty devestating. Not great, but it's the best we've got.

Canonness's, meanwhile, are just... Flat. Fragile, low damage output, and they don't buff other squads much at all. She's practically just a model tax, since she won't be doing much all game. You're better off spending a handful more points, so that you at least get something semi-useful.
Super Mario 3D World is The. Best. Thing.

CoffeeGrunt

I have to be honest, Grav Gun Scars are probably the worst thing to take against a Knight, as their weapons only Glance on 6s, which doesn't mean much after the 4++. Immobilisation is ignored by Super Heavies.

Plus its Battle Cannon leaves them on a flimsy 4+ Jink, and in CQC it can tear them apart with ease.
The only constant in the universe is change; the Wise adapt.

Cammerz

Let's see whether I can secure my lead in the BT Points competition, personally I can see your opponent focusing on the Knight almost to the exclusion of everything else, therefore the Knight will almost certainly die however with that nice blast weapon I can see a lot of bikers being liquified before that happens so I reckon it'll make its points back before biting the dust.

Looking forward to seeing the fluff you come up with.

KCKitsune

Actually I would focus on everything BUT the Knight.  Sure it's got two heavy stubbas and a super multi-melta, but it's only got one shot with that.  If you focus on the sisters then you'll wipe them out FAST. 

Get rid of the sisters and then gang tackle the knight. 
From the Makers of Lemon Flavored Kitten souls, comes the newest in Taste Sensations... Mutant Evil Sauce(tm)*!

Mutant Evil Sauce is Good(tm) on EVERYTHING


* == Evil Snacks Inc is not responsible for any uncontrolled outbreaks of flesh eating zombies

BigToof

Quote from: Waaaghpower on March 03, 2014, 07:25:59 AM
Really? I always see Multi-Melta/Assault Cannons instead... Huh. Weird.

Anyways, it's not that Celestine or Jacobus are so incredible, just that the alternative (Canonness or... Another Canonness) are so weak. For 100 points, you get all the benefits of a Priest, Counter-Attack, a better Invuln (If he's your Warlord) and a much better chance of Hymns and Faith working. Celestine is a bit more, but also great at shredding MEQs. She'll fail against TEQs, but anything with 3+ or worse dies easy. Also, she soaks up damage for your Seraphim like nobody's business and, on occassion, a Heavy Flamer woth Shred is fun.

My usual Jacobus tactic also functions as my AA: Attach Jacobus to a blob of Heavy Bolter Retributors with a Simalcrum Imperialis, behind an Aegis Line with a Quad-gun. You have to pray for 6s, but a bunch of rending Boltguns and Heavy Bolters (with 3 Acts of Faith to use) can be pretty devestating. Not great, but it's the best we've got.

Canonness's, meanwhile, are just... Flat. Fragile, low damage output, and they don't buff other squads much at all. She's practically just a model tax, since she won't be doing much all game. You're better off spending a handful more points, so that you at least get something semi-useful.

Interesting idea about Uriah. I'll have to try him one of these days, but I have some issues on Retributors as you can't really protect them that well from a lot of fairly dangerous stuff and their number is so small...
i.e. they have Devestator syndrome.
I like the Canonness just for her assault deterence, but I would like it if she could do a bit more.
Now that I have the Inquisitor, maybe I'll try out the Saint, as the Seraphim could use a bit of a boost.
Oh, and yes...  Separating the Seraphim into two units would have been better or maybe reinvesting into using a second Dominator squad.
Let me know how you think of the battle, as I don't have a lot of Soriatus experience, so any help would be nice!

Quote from: CoffeeGrunt on March 03, 2014, 10:00:07 AM
I have to be honest, Grav Gun Scars are probably the worst thing to take against a Knight, as their weapons only Glance on 6s, which doesn't mean much after the 4++. Immobilisation is ignored by Super Heavies.

Plus its Battle Cannon leaves them on a flimsy 4+ Jink, and in CQC it can tear them apart with ease.

Thanks for the reply!
Agreed that Gravguns aren't best versus the knight, but they did scare me vs the girls as it'll just melt them the second they walk out of cover...
Any predictions on the game, btw?

Quote from: Cammerz on March 03, 2014, 04:10:53 PM
Let's see whether I can secure my lead in the BT Points competition, personally I can see your opponent focusing on the Knight almost to the exclusion of everything else, therefore the Knight will almost certainly die however with that nice blast weapon I can see a lot of bikers being liquified before that happens so I reckon it'll make its points back before biting the dust.

Looking forward to seeing the fluff you come up with.

Hi Cammerz!
Your prediction has been entered!
As for the fluff, I'm still working on it, trying to find a hook for the knight that isn't too redundant :)
It'll be up soon, don't worry.

Quote from: KCKitsune on March 03, 2014, 04:34:28 PM
Actually I would focus on everything BUT the Knight.  Sure it's got two heavy stubbas and a super multi-melta, but it's only got one shot with that.  If you focus on the sisters then you'll wipe them out FAST. 

Get rid of the sisters and then gang tackle the knight. 

Thanks for the reply!
Actually, the knight has only one stubber..
But, besides that, that's a good idea, as the Knight is just one model, but he's hella scary if you're not ready for him (and who is now?) as he represents a big wild card that...
You know, I won't spoil it :)


Oh, and here's a picture (sans evaluation) of my deployment.  This is pre-scout moves, but hopefully it'll spark some discussion!



Best,
-BT
BigToof Points:

Cammerz: 8
Waaaghpower: 1
The Man They Call Jayne: 3
Mabbz: 6
Archon Sharrek: 3

BigToof

Hi All,
Apologies for the rush job!
I will be fixing it later with pictures and proof-reading, but I wanted to put something in, as it's been more than a week!
Hope you all like what's here, and let me know how you think things will end up :)

Best,
-BT

EDIT: MODIFIED NOW THAT THE REP IS DONE!

-----------------------------------------
Chapter Two: A Knight to Remember
-----------------------------------------

Cannoness Esmerelda of the Order of the Holy Rose shushed the crowd of Soriatus surrounding the Inquisitor's tent.  She was sure that the almost-squealing mob of power armor-clad girls was about as opposite as stealthy as you could get, but there had to be some semblance of decorum.  It wasn't as if it was that big of a deal.

"Esme, how are you not getting excited?"

Esmerelda sighed and looked back to see her second-in-command, the much taller and exuberant Seraphim Elizabeth.  Apparently not even the higher-ups were free from this sort of nonsense.  Elizabeth swayed back and forth over-dramatically, sighing dreamily while looking at the sky with her bionic eye.  Esme rolled her eyes at the idea of a veteran of the Massacre of New Sanctuary acting like a love-stuck neophyte.  But, it was sort of understandable.  Sir Lorras of House Terryn was the first Imperial Knight pilot they had ever seen.  Esmerelda glanced up at the enormous vaguely humanoid walker that towered over the camp.  It was an aquamarine blue with numerous banners and laurels, speaking of great victories from time long ago.  Even without all that finery, the fact that it had a gun and chainsword the size of a small building would be awe-inspiring.  Tactically, it was an fascinating piece of machinery that offered up great potential for destruction.

But, that wasn't what was the draw for the other Sisters.  It was the fault of that damn bard, Esme admonished herself.  Against her better instincts, she had let the Sisters listen to some of the folk music that was prevalent in the area.  She had it screened for hints of heresy, but it had come up clean. Esme had glanced at some of the lyrics and found them fairly insipid and juvenile, but let it go, as the Sisters needed some distraction after being cooped up for so long.  But, how could she have guessed that they would actually run into one of the Knights in the songs?  She had to admit that Lorras was handsome in a sort of non-masculine way, very different from the likes of Comissar O'Keefe or the Space Marines that she was used to dealing with.  His appearance was more confusing than anything else.  At least for her.  The other girls, however, were almost literally gushing over him, and the Inquisitor had confined him to her tent for the good of everyone.

Which brought up another important point.  Why was he here?  She didn't even have a chance to talk to him before the Inquisitor spirited him away.  A Knight of some renown wouldn't just pop up out of nowhere without a good reason.  Something was going on, and Esmerelda had a feeling it wasn't good.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thank you for coming, Sir Lorras."

The young Knight nodded to Inquisitor Agatha Brimstone, both of them seated in the spartan interior of Inquisitor's tent.  Agatha had taken time to bring out a conservative high-necked gold and red dressed, simple, but elegant in a fashion that she kew would be familiar to him.  She had even had her raven-black hair styled like the ladies of Terryn, in a gesture that would hopefully make the young man feel at ease.

Lorras was obviously anything but.  He was tall, blonde-haired and had a natural poise that was typical of the well-bred and well-trained of the nobles of Terryn.  Agatha had a chance to visit Terryn when she was younger, and was a bit surprised that it was rather boring considering it was harboring a veritable armada of enormous walkers.  The society was still very primitively feudal, and from what her sources had told her, hadn't changed very much in centuries.  "Stability" was the foremost concern of the leaders, and in that, they had succeeded.  Of course, that meant that it was about as interesting as listening to two acolytes discuss the importance of proper permit filing.

She wondered if Lorras was considered attractive on his world, as he seemed almost unusally discomforted by the Soriatus.  Agatha guessed that he was, at most, twenty years of age, and young men usually had only one thing floating their subconscious.  But, Lorras did not.  Perhaps there was more depth to him than she had thought.

"It is a... pleasure to meet the Inquisition," spoke the young man, carefully pronouncing each word.  Agatha nodded slightly in approval, and noticed that Lorras relaxed.  Apparently, the Inquisition had a formidable reputation, even on a faraway world such as Terryn.  There was also a forced lilt to his words, and Agatha could almost hear the hours of practice that must have gone into eliminating any traces of a regional dialect.  Still, something was bothering him, and Agatha had decided against using her abilities to probe his mind.  Not only would the Knight potentially realize what was going on, it might sour the relationship she had with the Soriatus.  But, in time, whatever he was hiding would soon come to light...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Master Jubal Khan studied the target for his newest hunt.  The House Terryn was an honourable ally of the White Scars.  Whatever this young Knight had done to warrant a hunt of this magnitude must be grave indeed.  But, there was a new wrinkle:  An Inquisitor and Sisters of Battle.  Not the most dangerous of threats, but potentially troublesome.  Waiting for the sun to start to rise, he motioned to his fellow Marines behind him.  He would give them a swift death, that much they deserved.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be continued!
BigToof Points:

Cammerz: 8
Waaaghpower: 1
The Man They Call Jayne: 3
Mabbz: 6
Archon Sharrek: 3

Walrus Man

I am thoroughly enjoying your report and accompanying fluff so far, but I'm not confident that the knight will be successful. Something of that size will draw a lot of attention (and already seems to have done so). I don't reckon he's resilient enough.
Steampunk Imperial Guard project log.

Walrus Man, Walrus Man, does what ever a walrus can!
[
url=http://secondsphere.org/index.php/topic,129134.0.html]Are you an Aussie and interested in going to an Official 2S Meet up? Then check out

KCKitsune

Quote from: Walrus Man on March 14, 2014, 04:24:54 AMI am thoroughly enjoying your report and accompanying fluff so far, but I'm not confident that the knight will be successful. Something of that size will draw a lot of attention (and already seems to have done so). I don't reckon he's resilient enough.
I like said before if I were the White Scar player I would IGNORE the Knight.  Sure it's big and bad, but it only has one heavy Stubba and the Melta cannon.  If you keep your bikes spread out he'll get one or two, but not much more.  On the other hand you'll squash the Sisters flatter than a bug hitting a windshield at 80 MPH (129 KPH for our European friends).  With the sisters gone, you can then focus on the knight and blow it to Hades in no time flat.
From the Makers of Lemon Flavored Kitten souls, comes the newest in Taste Sensations... Mutant Evil Sauce(tm)*!

Mutant Evil Sauce is Good(tm) on EVERYTHING


* == Evil Snacks Inc is not responsible for any uncontrolled outbreaks of flesh eating zombies

BigToof

Quote from: Walrus Man on March 14, 2014, 04:24:54 AM
I am thoroughly enjoying your report and accompanying fluff so far, but I'm not confident that the knight will be successful. Something of that size will draw a lot of attention (and already seems to have done so). I don't reckon he's resilient enough.

Thanks for the reply Walrus Man!
I was aching for days as to how to approach the fluff as the Knight is still new and thus not much history as to how to write them.  Hope I did them decent enough!  As for how the Knight does... umm...  Let me know if it was overall "successful enough" in your book.

Quote from: KCKitsune on March 14, 2014, 02:05:09 PM
Quote from: Walrus Man on March 14, 2014, 04:24:54 AMI am thoroughly enjoying your report and accompanying fluff so far, but I'm not confident that the knight will be successful. Something of that size will draw a lot of attention (and already seems to have done so). I don't reckon he's resilient enough.
I like said before if I were the White Scar player I would IGNORE the Knight.  Sure it's big and bad, but it only has one heavy Stubba and the Melta cannon.  If you keep your bikes spread out he'll get one or two, but not much more.  On the other hand you'll squash the Sisters flatter than a bug hitting a windshield at 80 MPH (129 KPH for our European friends).  With the sisters gone, you can then focus on the knight and blow it to Hades in no time flat.

Hi KCKitsune,
Agreed on the Knight gathering so much attention.  But, it's kind of hard not to, given his size and potential destruction.
And well... I played like I had an army of little girls and kept them as FAR away as possible.  Plus, he did bring a lot of big guns for big targets and I don't have Exorcists or anything really otherwise worth blowing up...
Which is not to defend that bad plays are bad plays, but let me know what you think of how things ended up.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And now to the finale!

I've edited the first two turns for fluff and piccies, so they're here now.

As for BT points, let me know if you were one of the lucky (-ish) voters and I will add you to my sig!

Best,
-BT
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Setup: Right, so the terrain fairy is fairly giving in this match, and after some consideration and lots of pre-measuring, we end up with two hills, one on each opposite far side, with ruins and small bits of terrain fairly well covering the sides of the board, leaving the central area open as an alley of death.  The objectives went down with one next to each hill and one in the center. 

The White Scars win the roll to deploy first, and take it, putting the cannon the hill, and spreading out all the bikes in a wide line.  Khan and the Captain go in the big Melta-Bike squad and smaller Grav-bike squads go to the flanks.  Stormraven and Scouts are in reserve.

I deploy with the Dominions hiding behind a ruin on the right, the blob with Agatha, Esme and the Priest in it well-dispersed in cover, and the Knight on my hill. The two Rhinos and Seraphim are in reserve.  I also infiltrate in my Servo-skulls, keeping them as close to the Bikes as possible.  The bikes then scout out to my right and the game is on!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


--------------------
Turn 1: White Scars
--------------------

Well, at least they're not hovering over the tent anymore, thought Cannoness Esmerelda, as she watched the enormous Knight tread forwards onto the small hill.  Sir Lorras had decided to flee to the safety of the inside of his walker, under the pretense of doing maintenance checks.  Esmerelda could understand, given the near clothes-tearing frenzy the younger Sisters were brewing.  She was wondering when all of this malarky would die down, when her comm-bead barked sharply into her ear.

"Cannoness!"

That was the voice of the forward scouts.  Esmerelda looked up and gasped at the horde of white-armored Space Marines that seemed to appear from nowhere.  They were moving like lightning on their bikes and it would be only moments before they were upon them.  Desperate measures were needed.  She only hoped that she would have time...

--------------------------------------------------

The Bikes boost out to my right, removing the servoskulls as they go, as the Thundercannon starts dropping templates on my blob.  I lose a few girls, but not enough to cause a morale test.




Picture Caption: Oh man... here they come...


-----------------------
Turn 1: Soriatus
-----------------------

As the horde of White Scars barreled towards the encampment, the majority of the Sisters were still struggling to come to bear.  That is, of course, except one squad.

Veteran Sister Kyra nodded to her driver.  The Immolater crashed through the wall of the rubble they were hiding behind and nearly on top of the squad of bikers that swerved every which way to get away from the trundling tank.
Kyra half wondered if reinforcements were coming, but she shrugged off the thought.  They were Dominions.  First to the fight, the first to perish.  Or rather, the hair that breaks the back of the enemy.  Either way, it was a good way to go.

Kyra half-considered giving a speech about the might of the Order, or the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few, but with a glance around the tank, she realized that it was unneeded.  Sacrifice was already part of the life of the Soriatus.  It was just finding the right time and place for it.

------------------------------------------------
I push the Dominions through the wall and nearly on top of the Bikers.  The girls get out and ready to zap the Bikers.  The Blob shuffles around and I move the Knight to try and plug the gap, but he's a bit far away still...

Shooting goes off and I use the blob to peel away at a few bikers, but it's not to worry as the Dominions get their act of faith off, and all of the Bikers go up in a boiling pile of melta-induced wreckage.  My opponent is a bit aghast at this (he thought he still got cover saves), and as per usual, vows vengeance against the Dominions.  Oh, and the Knight fires his cannon, and downs one biker from the far grav-biker squad.




Picture Caption: First blood to the Soriatus!


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Turn 2: White Scars
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Jubal Khan nodded with approval as the Bikers behind him jinked away, avoiding the enormous blast shot out by the Knight.  The enormous machine was cumbersome, and although fearsome looking, it was not an immediate threat.  Still, it was a factor that could not be ignored.  He tapped his comm-bead, and saw with satisfaction two Lascannon blasts streak from the sky and slice into the armored hull of the Knight.  It staggered, plumes of smoke and flame erupting from within.
Perhaps this day would go faster than he had hoped.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Both Stormravens come in and of course, target the Knight.  Khan and his squad get closer to the Dominions and I get ready to pull them off the table.  The Thunderfire Cannon fires again, taking off it's usual tax of girls from the blob.  The Ravens fire, and even at fairly long distance, they get a pen through the shields and I lose 4 HP!  I'm a bit down-heartened at this, but I don't have to wait long for more damage, as Khan and his men double assault the Dominions and their Immolater, easily destroying both.  They then consolidate, and he measures to make sure they are in cover and more than 18" from the Knight.  I ask him why he's doing that as the Knight as a 24" potential charge range, but he tells me that the Knight moves like Infantry in cover...  I check it and yes, there's no stipulation otherwise...  Man, I guess the Knight has delicate feet or something...



Picture Caption: Well... uh... Maybe the Knight will kill more than one model?


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Turn 2: Sisters
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Esmerelda swore as the Knight staggered back, threatening to fall on top of the closely-packed Soriatus wedged between the rocky outcroppings.  Luckily, it seemed to right itself and staggered forward, sending out another hissing bolt of energy from it's weapon.  The Astartes were certainly bringing most of their forces to bear against it, but she knew that it was but a moment's respite.

"Order of the Holy Rose!  The Enemy will be upon us.  They think that they are superior.  That we are naught but weak, mewing children to be coddled and brushed aside as they come for their prize.  Let us show them our might.  Ave Emperator!"

The resulting cry from her forces shook the ground underneath her, and Inquisitor Agatha Brimstone nodded with a small smirk.  It was a nice distraction so the Sisters around her wouldn't notice the subtle psychic enhancements or the priming of her grenades.  Either the Cannoness was giving her the benefit of the doubt, or the situation was becoming rather dire.  In either case, extreme measures needed to be taken...

---------------------------------------------

Agatha uses the Librum for Counter-Attack, and pops Prescience on the blob.
I get the Rhinos, but sadly no Seraphim.
I move Rhinos on the left to move up the field and potentially threaten objectives late game.
The Knight moves towards the right, trying to do something...
The blob shuffles back a bit to make assaulting harder.

I fire the blob into the Bike-Star, but with the Captain sporting his 2+ in front, they only take a few wounds.
The Knight can't see the blob hardly at all, so I fire it into the  Bikes in the back, not doing too much...



Picture Caption: Knight... I'm not too impressed.


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Turn 3: White Scars
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Jubal Khan nodded to Captain Telmun, who stoically raised his shield in front of him.  The shield was a relic of battles long ago fought, and was far beyond a normal storm shield.  It could turn the might of a Vindicator's cannon, and Khan felt a slight pang of guilt in charging into the Soriatus.  The girls were but pawns in whatever scheme the Knights and Inquisitors were playing, and although blinded by their devotion, they were loyal servants of the Emperor.  But, in the end they were willing martyrs, holdovers from a loophole unnecessarily exploited.  Khan peered over the vast assembly and doubted if any of them were even in their fourth decade of life.  Their miniaturized power armor only exacerbated the appearance that they were children playing with their parent's clothes.  He vowed to make their deaths quick. 

Then, there was a roar of bolter fire, and Khan looked up to see Telmun shake as a veritable storm of bolts raced over his body and bike.  The champion of countless battles stood strong against the assault, but soon quavered and fell to the wayside, skidding off to the side away from his fellows.  Khan shook his head at the display.  Such accuracy was unheard of!  It was almost as if...  He scanned the crowd of Power Armor and spotted a raven-haired woman wearing the insignia of the Inquisition.

Sorcery. 

Doubling his efforts, he gestured to his brethren, who now had naught but bloody-handed vengeance in mind.

--------------------------------

Realizing that this is last turn before the Knight hits, the Bike-star moves up and gets ready to assault the blob!
The Stormravens come closer and one is now very much in melta-range of the Knight.
The Scouts also arrive from reserve and move behind the Rhinos...

The Thunderfire opens the shooting phase with another thunderous number of hits, but the blob keeps going with not too many casualties.
Then, the Stormravens open up and between my really good Ion Shield rolls and his ice-cold Multi-melta rolling, they only manage to do one HP worth of damage to the Knight.
My opponent then takes a few moments to think about whether or not to assault the Knight, but decides against it, as it's on a single HP and can easily be dealt with next turn (or at least, that's what he told me post-battle...).

He then measures out and finds that he's in long-ish charge range of the blob, and decides to forgo shooting as to not keep him entirely out of range.
The bikes then assault in and there's a tremendous amount of firepower that goes his way (Prescience rocks!).  After all is said and done, the Captain falls as do a few bikes!

Then, the trap is sprung!

Counter-Attack on the blob goes off fine, I use Litanies for the re-rolls to save, and then I have him roll for the Psychotrope grenades (I find it's better this way, so that your opponent can't gripe AS much when the results pop up).
He rolls a 2, and I wince when I show him the result: All of the bikes only get ONE attack, and he is auto-hit by all of mine!
He challenges with Khan, I accept with the Cannoness, which doesn't result in much as we both make our necessary invulnerable checks.
The girls and Agatha, however, do more than expected (mostly due to Rad Grenades dropping the bikers to T4) and slice down all except a few of the bikes!  (Cries of shenanigans may or may not have been raised at this point :) )
The Marines fall back and the girls fail to catch them.  They roll decently and land... right in front of the Knight.



Picture Caption: OMG!  The Knight may actually do something!


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Turn 3: Sisters
-------------------

Sir Lorras wiped the debris off of his viewscreen.  The Knight had served him well over the years, but even the antiquated machine seemed to know that this was it's last battle.  Lorras considered his options, of which there were few.  He could try to escape, but there was no doubt that these assassins were sent by his own House, and he could not hope to outrun the bikes.  He could attempt to surrender, but it was obvious that the bikers were not capable of mercy.  No, he thought, as he spied their leader racing towards him, there was only one option.  Gathering what was left of his honour, Sir Lorras of Terryn made his last glorious charge.

----------------------------------------------

I pop Prescience on the Knight.  He'll probably need it.
The Seraphim come on, and I deep strike them near the Bikes hiding behind the hill, but they land instead next to the TFC.
The Sisters in the Rhinos pop out to say "hi" to the scouts with their flamers.
The Blob shuffles around a bit.
And the Knight finally moves up to try an assault!

Shooting has the Sisters erase the Scouts using their Heavy flamers, flamers and bolters.
After some consideration, I decide to use the Seraphim on the TFC, as the Bikers are just too far out of range.  The Seraphim use their act of faith and shoot at the TFC.  I am told that it's T7, but I still get a decent number of wounds, and (somewhat luckily) manage to snipe out the Techmarine.

The Knight assaults in and (thanks mostly to rerolls) takes apart the last of the Bike-Star!



Picture Caption: The Knight finally did... you know... something good!


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Turn 4: White Scars
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Jubal Khan did his best to roll to the side as the enormous chainsword came down  on him.  The last of his bodyguard threw himself at the sword in an attempt to slow the gargantuan weapon, but only succeeded in splattering the area with his innards.  Still, it was a moment's reprieve that let Khan survive the assault as the strike launched him and Moondrakken into the air and smash against a chunk of rubble with a sickening crunch.  As his vision faded into a healing coma, Khan swore that he would not let this traitorous dog go unpunished...

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Realizing that things are really bad (I'm up 3 VPs to 0 and he has only one troop left), my opponent decides to still go for the tie!
He puts both of the Stormravens in Hover and moves them pretty close to the Knight to keep it from getting out and scoring the center objective.  And you know, be totally in melta-range.
The bikes move out and get ready to put a beating on the Seraphim.

And then, in the most memorable part of the battle, the closest Stormraven opens up, but nothing gets through the Ion Shield!
I'm almost in jubilation... when the second one hits with everything and it's not in my shield arc.  Oh.  Badness.
The resultant explosion hits the closest Stormraven with a D hit, who is then taken off the board as the Knight finally earns back it's points!  (barely!)

The Bikes assault and suddenly, the Seraphim just can't catch a break, and are beaten down pretty badly, only managing to survive thanks to their hit and run.




Picture Caption: That was totally not my fault.


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Turn 4: Sisters
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A great cry of alarm went out amongst the Soriatus as the Stormravens fired nearly point-blank into the Knight.  The melta-weapons slowed in the Ion Field just enough to make them more horrific looking, and then sank into and then punched through the enormous walker.  The Knight lurched about, as if knowing it was mortally stricken.  Agatha Brimstone looked at the Soriatus around her.  Many had dropped to their knees in prayer, while many simply stood stricken with shock.  And then, as if some great force answered their hopes, the Knight teetered forward and directly into one of the Stormravens, which was torn from the sky like a child's toy.  The Knight hit the ground with a seismic explosion, and then erupted into uncountable pieces mere moments later as it's reactor ignited itself. 

The Soriatus let out a great cheer, surprising Agatha, who had expected sobs and gasps of alarm.  It took her a moment to realize what they had been thinking.  They weren't hoping for Sir Lorras to somehow survive against the odds, but instead that his death would be worthy of the Emperor.  She shook her head.  Sometimes the Xenos seemed to make more sense...

--------------------------------------------

Prescience goes on the blob.
I measure out from the blob and realize that the still living Stormraven is actually in potential assault range...
I move everyone up and the Seraphim hop back a bit, trying to stay out of trouble.
The Sisters get back in their Rhinos and move forwards.
I get my assault with the blob and declare SMASH with the Priest, who, with the Cannoness' Eviscerator, makes short work of the Stormraven.



Picture Caption: Yeah, this is mostly wrap-up

Turn 5: White Scars
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The Bikes go for their objective.




Turn 5: Sisters
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The Rhino Sisters get close enough to cause trouble on turn 6 if needs be.
The Seraphim jump back over and harass the bikes some more.
And the blob runs back to take the Sisters' back objective.





We roll for turn 6, which pops up, but my opponent decides to call it quits as he can't hold both objectives and I have plenty of troops still leftover.

--------------------------------------------
Result: Soriatus (and Knight...) Victory!
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Post-Game Thoughts: Well, alright... the Knight isn't that great.  He's got some things going for him.  He's actually a decent walker as he's really hard to hurt and his hits eliminate anything that he touches.  He just doesn't have that much in the way of attacks...
His gun is pretty weaksauce as it doesn't do much to cover saves.  Still, the Knight is actually a decent assault deterrent, as if you do smash him to pieces, he explodes and does a LOT of damage.  In fact, my Knight did more damage in his death throes than he did all game.
The Sisters actually do need some kind of interceptor-type unit with some tie-up/assault capability, so the Knight isn't a horrible choice.
I just wish he wasn't costing a land raider and-a-half in terms of points...  Also, he seems very vulnerable to anti-tank weapons and a few shots will easily tear him apart if they penetrate.  Six HPs sound like a lot, but really, that's just two good melta shots away from a mega-crater.  That said, he attracted more than his fair share of shots, and probably let me survive simply by forcing so much attention away from the girls.
The Knight was pretty enjoyable, and I'd recommend it to anyone who has the interest in the fluff, but has it made me and my group into Escalation/Super-Heavy lovers?
Not at all.  The Knight actually highlights some of the problems with the rules, and how it's still too much of a slippery slope.  At least for right now.

As for the Sisters, I think my opponent now has more appreciation of the blob and it's shenanigans.  Also, the Dominions did well in doing what they usually do: Secure First Blood then die horribly.  As for the Seraphim, they had no really good targets, as an army that has pretty much all T5 models makes S3 templates pretty weaksauce.  Still, they did get lucky, but I can't count on that each game.  Maybe I should cut them back next game?  In any case, the girls did the work this game, that much is obvious.  But, does the Knight highlight that perhaps having some kind of heavy-assault element could help them?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!
------------------------------------

Agatha Brimstone walked amongst the still burning rubble of the Knight, watching the Sisters around him dutifully excavate and arrange any holy banners or scraps of the once-mighty machine.  She was still surprised to see not a single tear shed for Sir Lorras.  Instead, songs were being made of his heroism and his last stand.  Agatha took a moment to take into account what the Knight had actually done during the battle, and well... it wasn't much. 

In fact, Sir Lorras was the reason the entire battle had probably occurred, although she had no proof one way or the other.  The Soriatus were already discussing when they would deliver the relics to Terryn, which gave Agatha pause.  As the Astartes had spirited away their injured during the aftermath of the battle, she had no idea who would have arranged for them to attack the Sisters and the Knight.  Some kind of powerful force was afoot, and she had precious little information to make any conclusion.  Perhaps then, a trip to Terryn was indeed in order.  Although, she had to admit that the answers therein would probably not be in any way comforting.
BigToof Points:

Cammerz: 8
Waaaghpower: 1
The Man They Call Jayne: 3
Mabbz: 6
Archon Sharrek: 3

Cammerz

Nice bonus fluff added to the first part, and I enjoyed the rest of it as well. Stories with Inquisitors always need a bit of intrigue and this has got it.

A shame that the Knight didn't do too much (maybe a Paladin would have had more fun?) but it's probably for the best, we don't want every game to devolve into low-points Apocalypse. I am looking forward to seeing what happens with this plot-arc and why the White Scars were after Sir Loras of House Tyrell (Oh wait no, not quite, but that does sort of explain why he didn't care for the Sororitas).

So five of us voted correctly in the end, it died but made its points back. BT points for everyone!

Well done with the blob shenanigans though, I should have expected something like that given the number of your battle reports that I've read over the years, really the first thing your opponents should do in a battle is to take out your psykers, the number of times they've won it for you is astonishing. I forsee an increase in GW's sales of Vindicare Assassins in your area.

So you have a nice plot hook that makes me want to read more, once you've thought of suitable plot I'd like to see another Sororitas battle report (or potentially something in the fluff section if you don't get the right sort of battle).

Job's a good un!