40k vs 30k Battle Report: Khorne vs Adeptus Mechanicus
Hi everyone it’s your friendly Black Blow Fly swinging through your neighborhood again to share a special holiday mega battle report…
The fell forces of Khorne are called upon to settle an ancient grudge for the Warmaster. Note this was a large game (5000 points) so a few models were not completely painted. If that bothers you maybe this isn’t for you.
I got to play in a mega battle with my Khorne army versus Adeptus Mechanicus from the Horus Heresy by Forgeworld. It was a big game (5000 points) so I was able to test most of my units except for the new Kytan daemon engine. Here’s my army list which is a double CAD – Khorne Daemonkin and Black Legion…
+++ Khorne (4824) +++
++ Chaos Space Marines: Black Legion (2013) (Combined Arms Detachment) (3089) ++
+ HQ (425) +
Abaddon the Despoiler (265)
Kharn the Betrayer (160)
Warlord Trait – Hatred Incarnate:
The Warlord and his unit have Hatred (everything).
+ Elites (860) +
Chaos Contemptor Dreadnought (375)
• Carapace Mounted Havoc Launcher
• Dedication of Khorne
• Extra Armour
• Heavy Conversion Beamer
• Searchlights
• Smoke Launchers
Lucius Pattern Dreadnaught Drop Pod (100)
Chaos Terminators (485p)
Mark of Tzeentch – Veterans of the Long War
Terminator – Combi-Bolter – Power Fist
Terminator – Combi-Bolter – Power Fist
Terminator – Combi-Bolter – Power Fist
Terminator – Combi-Bolter – Chain Fist
Terminator – Combi-Bolter – Lightning Claw
Terminator – Combi-Melta – Power Axe
Terminator – Combi-Melta – Power Axe
Terminator – Combi-Melta – Power Axe
Terminator – Heavy Flamer – Power Axe
Terminator Champion – Lightning Claw – Powerfist
+ Troops (534) +
Chosen (279)
6x Chosen (108pts)
Icon of Wrath – Mark of Khorne – Veterans of the Long War
Plasma Pistol – Meltagun – 2x Power Axe
Chosen Champion – Gift of mutation – Lightning Claw – Power Fist – Melta Bombs
Khorne Berzerkers (255)
Icon of Wrath – Veterans of the Long War
7x Khorne Berzerker – 2x Plasma Pistol
Berzerker Champion – Gift of Mutation – Lightning Claw – Power Fist – Melta Bombs
+ Heavy Support (820) +
Chaos Spartan Assault Tank (320)
Armoured Ceramite – Dirge Caster – Dozer Blades – Extra Armor – Frag Assualt Launchers – Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter – Two Sponson-mounted Quad Lascannons
Chaos Land Raider (250)
Dirge Caster – Dozer Blade – Extra Armour – 2x Sponson mounted Twin-linked Lascannons – Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter
Chaos Land Raider (250)
Dirge Caster – Dozer Blade – Extra Armour – 2x Sponson mounted Twin-linked Lascannons – Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter
+ Lord of War (450) +
Chaos Typhon (450)
Armoured Ceramite – Dreadhammer Siege Cannon – Lascannon Sponson
Legacy – +1 Invulnerable Save for Khornate units with 6″ (40)
Rules:
Crushing Weight
Dreadhammer Range
++ Codex: Khorne Daemonkin (Combined Arms Detachment) (1735) ++
+ HQ (315) +
Chaos Lord (205)
Collar of Khorne – Goredrinker – Juggernaut of Khorne – Lightning Claw – Sigil of Corruption
Herald (110)
Hellblade – Juggernaut of Khorne – Lesser Locus of Abjuration Hellblade
+ Elites (200) +
Bloodcrushers (200) – Banner of Blood
4x Bloodcrushers – 4x Hellblade
+ Troops (200) +
Bloodletters (100) – Banner of Blood
8x Bloodletters – 8x Hellblade
Bloodletters (100) – Banner of Blood
8x Bloodletters – 8x Hellblade
+ Fast Attack (320) +
Flesh Hounds (320)
20x Flesh Hounds – 20x Collar of Khorne
+ Lords of War (700) +
Greater Brass Scorpion of Khorne (700)
2x Hellmaw Cannon – Scorpion Cannon – Soulburner Cannon
Rules:
Daemon
Doomsday Reactor
Frenzied Charge
It Will Not Die
Multi-legged Terror
Runes of the Blood God
Profiles:
Greater Brass Scorpion of Khorne
WS:3|BS:3|S:10|Front:14|Side:13|Rear:10|I:3|A:6|HP:9|Type:Super-Heavy Walker|
Hellmaw Cannon: Range:Template|Strength:6|AP:3|Type:Assault 1|
Scorpion Cannon: Range:36″|Strength:6|AP:3|Type:Heavy 10|
Soulburner Cannon: Range:24″|Strength:10|AP:2|Type:Primary Weapon 1, Large Blast, Ignores Cover
My army was deployed as follows:
Kharn and the Chosen are mounted in one of the Chaos land raiders. The Berzerkers are mounted in the other Chaos land raider while Abbadon and his Tzneetch terminator retinue are mounted in the Chaos Spartan. The Chaos Contemptor is mounted in the Lucius pattern dreadnaught drop pod. The Chaos Lord and Herald join the Flesh Hounds. Bloodletters and Bloodcrushers will deep strike from reserve.
Here is my opponent’s army list:
Mechanicum Taghmata Omnissiah – Age of Darkness (4999)
HQ (1230)
Magos Reductor Calleb Decima (510) – Warlord
Magos Prime (350)
Abeyant – Archmagos Prime – Augury Scanner – Cortex Controller – Cortica Primus – Cyber-Familiar – Djinn-Skein – Machinator Array – Malagra – Melta Bombs – Phased Plasma-Fusil – Photon Gauntlet – Power Fist – Rad Grenades
Magos Dominus (155)
Abeyant – Augury Scanner – Cortex Controller – Cyber-Familiar – Refractor Field – Machinator Array – Photon Gauntlet – Melta Bombs
Magos Dominus (135)
Abeyant – Conversion Beamer – Cortex Controller – Cyber-Familiar – Refractor Field – Melta Bombs
Navigator (80)
Cyber Familiar – Digital Lasers – Nuncio Vox – Refractor Field – Aetherlabe Staff – Archeotech Pistol
Mechanicum Land Raider (320)
Armored Ceramite – Auxiliary Drive – Dozer Blade – Extra Armor – Flare Shield – Frag Assault Launchers – Hunter Killer Missile – 2x Plasma Cannon – Volkite Culverin
Troops (1098)
Castellax Class Battle Automata Maniple (252)
Castellax (105) – 2x Flamer – Multi-Melta – Power Blades
Castellax (105) – 2x Flamer – Multi-Melta – Power Blades
Enhanced Targeting Arrays – Frag Grenades – Searchlights
Castellax Class Battle Automata Maniple (126)
Castellax (105) Seige Wrecker
Enhanced Targeting Array – Frag Grenades – Searchlight
Thallax Cohort (190)
3x Thallax – Destructor – Multi-Melta- Melta Bombs
Thallax Cohort (190)
3x Thallax – Destructor – Multi-Melta- Melta Bombs
Thallax Cohort (340)
6x Thallax – Empyrite – Heavy Chain Blades – Melta Bombs
Elites (351)
Domitar Class Battle Automata Maniple (186)
Flakk Missiles – Frag Grenades – Graviton Hammers – Searchlight
Tech Priest Auxilia (155)
4x Adept – Servo Arms – Servo Automata
Magos Auxilia – Augury Scanner – Cortex Controller – Cyber-Familiar – Enginseer – Melta Bombs – Nuncio Vox – Volkite Charger
Fast Attack (933)
Primaris Lightning Strike Fighter (285)
Battle Servitor Control – Ground Tracking Auguries – Phosphex Bomb Cluster – Ramjet Diffraction Grid – 2x Twin Linked Missile Launcher (Rad Missiles)
Tarantula Sentry Gun Battery (105!
Ursarax Cohort (245)
5x Urasarax
Vorax Class Battle Automata Maniple (298)
3x Vorax – Enhanced Targeting Array – Frag Grenades – Irad Cleanser – Searchlight
Heavy Support (637)
Thanatar Calix Class Siege Automata (346)
Enhanced Targeting Array – Paragon of Metal – Searchlight
Thanatar Cynis Class Siege Automata Maniple (291)
Enhanced Targeting Array – Searchlight
Lords of War (750)
War Machine Detachment – 2x Mechanicum Questoris Knight Errant
Mission – Purge the Alien
Deployment – Hammer and Anvil
My opponent won the roll to deploy first and chose to do so. He pretty much spread out all his forces right up at the front of his deployment zone with the Thanatars to his right, the Knights in the middle and the land raider to his left with the HQ embarked. He kept some of his Thallax in reserve along with his flyer. The sentry guns were in the middle in front of a ruin in cover.
I counter deployed with my Flesh Hounds on my left all the way up to the front of my deployment zone and strung them out so several models were within 6″ of the Typhon. The Typhon and Greater Brass Scorpion were deployed in the middle with The Spartan and two land raiders to my left behind line of sight blocking terrain – note these three tanks could see over to my opponent’s left hand side of his deployment zone.
Pre Game Analysis
The Admech army is primarly built for close combat and I’ve seen what it can do. Most of its heavy hitters are slow though except for the two Knights and HQ embarked in the land raider. I planned to use the Flesh Hounds aggressively with the Chaos Lord and Herald attached. I’ll need to hit some of the more squishy enemy units first to super charge the Chaos Lord’s relic weapon (Gore Drinker)… Once he has inflicted seven or more unsaved wounds he is S10 and has instant death attacks – the Gorelord will be my primary heavy hitter versus all those monstrous creatures and even the Knights if push comes to shove. The Chaos Contemptor will serve as a distraction and hopefully drop some wounds on a Thanatar in close combat. Kharn is also very good at taking care of Knights and will be used as a second wave. Abbadon and his terminators will sit back in the Spartan plinking away with the quad lascannons and act as the knock out punch if needed. The Bloodletters are simply there to score line breaker if possible. The Bloodcrushers are there to hopefully tie up some of the enemy heavy hitters for a turn or two.
There is no night fight and I fail to sieze. The Flesh Hounds then scout up hugging cover and the game begins.
I know some people like a bit of historical background for battle reports so here is mine…
“Abbadon holds a grudge against the Adeptus Mechanicus dating all the way back to the heresy due to what he considered betrayal when a certain Admech battle group deserted a team of Sons of Horus he was leading towards the end of the heresy. Several millennium later Abbadon is finally able to exact his revenge after having discovered a means to travel all the way back in time to that point. He convinces Kharn to join him and bring along a Khornate war party to settle the dark grudge. Kharn in turn calls upon a mighty fallen champion of Khorne, Kharandus the Skull Splitter. An ancient evil Contemptor dreadnaught, Blood Red, is also re-awakened to serve as well.
The battle takes place on a terraformed moon of Mars named after a son of Ares, an ancient God of War – Deimos. A secret forge is located on the satellite which Abbadon wants to destroy after absconding the dark technology kept there. Just prior to their arrival the Adeptus Mechanicus detects a warp anomaly and quickly muster an ample army so as not to be caught off guard.
The forces of Chaos arrive via the warp several kilometers from the forge and immediately begin the march to war…”
1st Turn – Admech
This turns out to be a rather quick turn. Due to my deployment most of my armored units are out of range. The majority of the Admech force move and then run (if possible) to close the distance. Most of their shooting is focused on my Flesh Hounds they have line of sight to this turn. Most of the hounds are tucked out of sight and with the 4++ invulnerable save due to their proximity with the Chaos Typhon I only lose two to three. Note the Urasarax moved to within charge range of the Flesh Hounds but I won’t be able to assault them this turn due to their scout move. The Typhon also loses a hull point to shooting as well. Both Thanatars get good rolls for their run move and are close as well.
1st Turn – Khorne
The Chaos Contemptor arrives via drop pod and I place him close to one of the Thanatars to my left between two ruins with minimal scatter. I know there is the risk I’ll give up First Blood but I felt I needed an expendable heavy hitter to hold off the gigantic construct in order to keep it from being able to assault my Flesh Hounds next turn.
The Flesh Hounds move up and further to my left now almost completely hidden from the Admech guns.
Shooting is focused on the Urasarax – mainly from the Greater Brass Scorpion and Typhon which gets a large scatter for its blast. The Contemptor also hits them with its plasma blaster as well. I’m able to whittle them down to just three and one of the remaining Urasarax only has a single wound left.
Thus ends the first turn with neither side scoring First Blood.
So the first turn is over which was mostly a movement based turn for both sides. Admech has pushed forward with its walkers being primarily a melee army. My Khorne army is actually more shooty overall with the Typhon, Greater Brass Scorpion and the Land Raiders. I have been careful to screen the Spartan and two Chaos Land Raiders so they don’t get stuck in the backfield and have to foot slog into combat. My forward most unit is the Chaos Lord and Herald attached to the Flesh Hounds supported by the Chaos Contemptor.
I’ve seen the Admech army grind up Angron with a full retinue of Red Butchers, Samus the Daemon Prince and multiple other hard melee units all during the course of one game… It’s absolutely vicious ! I didn’t cover this in the pre game analysis but I intend to attack the Admech in waves and try to keep them spread apart so their units can’t support each other.
I chose to flank up on my left side which has a lot of line of sight blocking terrain while the Admech army is still spread across their deployment zone. This is significant since I have more units on line ready to engage now.
Turn 2 – Admech
None of their reserves arrive this turn which is fine by me. The remains of the Urasarax move into position to shoot and assault my Flesh Hounds supported by two squads of Thallax. Both Thanatars stumble forward as well in support and will be in position to assault the next turn.
Combined shooting sees my drop pod exploded for First Blood and the Chaos Contemptor loses two of its three hull points as well.
The Urasarax then charge the Flesh Hounds. The Chaos Lord consolidates into the melee inflicting three unsaved wounds then the Herald and Flesh Hounds finish them off. The Flesh Hounds consolidate forward around 5″.
2nd Turn – Khorne
Kharandus’ kill counter is up to three kills doubling his strength to 10. Four more kills and the fallen champion will inflect instant death with every attack !
Both squads of Bloodletters arrive from reserve dropping into the back of the enemy deployment zone – their goals are to survive and score line breaker plus serve as a distraction. The Bloodcrushers also arrive dropping behind a ruin over on my left side.
The Flesh Hounds lead by the Skull Splitter move into position to support the Chaos Contemptor while the Spartan and land raiders flank over a bit deeper to the left targeting the closest Thanatar. The Typhon and Greater Brass Scorpion both hold their ground.
Shooting from the Tyhpon deletes a full squad of Thallax. The Greater Brass Scorpion joins the fight with the other tanks stripping a couple wounds from one of the Thanatars.
The Chaos Contemptor fires its inbuilt plasma blaster dropping a couple wounds on a Thallax as well.
The forces of Khorne then muster a charge. First the Contemptor finishes off one squad of Thallax then Kharandus finishes off the other squad scoring enough wounds so that he will be able to inflict instant death next turn.
The Chaos Contemptor consolidates with his back to a wall while the Flesh Hounds scoot back over to my left so as not to be in position to receive an enemy charge.
Admech – First Blood; 1 KP
Khorne – 4 KP
Turn 3 – Admech
The strike fighter along with one squad of Thallax come in from reserve deep striking into the heart of the battle. The flyer drops a bomb cluster on the Flesh Hounds and kills a couple… Still lots of Flesh Hounds left though !
The Thanatars lurch forward, one in range to tackle the Chaos Contemptor. Both Imperial Knights now move forward as well but will be out of range to charge this turn. The Admech land raider carrying the death posse rambles forward as well along with the other maniples. My opponent knows he needs to engage now – everything is rambling forward.
Shooting is focused mainly on the Flesh Hounds but due to good cover and awesome invulnerable saves I only lose a few. The wounded Thanatar closest to the Chaos Contemptor unloads its payload but either fails to inflict any damage so the walker manages to survive on its last hull point… Thank you Blood God. Admech units in the backfield focus on the Bloodletters thinning their numbers but fail to eliminate either squad.
The Thanator then charges in… The Contemptor strikes first bringing the monstrosity down to its final wound. The Thanatar strikes back inflicting two penetrating hits but I pass both invulnerable saves with a pair of box cars… Wow !
3rd Turn – Khorne
The Domitar with Graviton Hammers has managed to close the gap with my Typhon so it needs to dealt with quickly. The Flesh Hounds lead by the Skull Splitter crash out from the ruins surrounding the unwounded Thanatar. The Bloodletters move to hide benind line of sight blocking terrain. I use my Blood Tithe points for Feel No Pain this turn.
All shooting is focused on the lone Domitar which is eradicated.
The Skull Splitter and his hounds then charge the Thanatar and bring it down. The Chaos Contemtptor then just manages to finish off the other one and consolidates back into cover.
Admech – First Blood; 1 KP
Khorne: 7 KP
This has quickly escalated into a blood bath !
I’m going to condense the last two turns into a final synopsis – the game went five turns and took about 7 hours to play with a 45 minute lunch break.
Both Thanatars were down for the count by the end of the third turn but there was still the two Imperial Knights, the Admech deathstar lead by Caleb Decima riding in their land raider and some Castellax roaming around the battlefield. Kharn and his champion took down one of the Knights and the Skull Splitter took down the other. The Admech deathstar took down the Greater Brass Scorpion and the ensuing explosion took them out as well… Well played Chaos ! Abbadon and his terminators never got to see the light of day just chilling in their Spartan waiting to provide backup in case the Admech deathstar had survived the apocalyptic explosion from the GBS. The Bloodcrushers failed to inflict any meaningful damage but were great for tying up the Knights for a turn or two so I could engage them with my heavy hitters.
So it ended with a big win for the forces of Khorne.
The Skull Splitter was my MVP taking down a Thanatar and Imperial Knight. The Chaos Contemptor which was eventually destroyed gets honorable mention holding off the close by Admech units so that Skull Splitter could quickly boost his kill count with Gore Drinker… I think this relic is the best one in the codex ! Kharn helped to take out a Knight which is worth mention. Finally the Greater Brass Scorpion worked well as a ranged weapon platform but to be honest isn’t all that great in melee since its WS3 and I3…. The amount of fire power the GBS can lay down is really good though and compliments the army well. I think next time I’ll run the Kytan daemon engine instead which is a bit cheaper points wise and has better stats for melee.
Thanks for reading everybody and happy gaming!
