Putting Lessons To Work

 Back in June I was dealt a paintful lesson in Adeptus Titanicus, so now I have returned to the scene of the crime to see if I have retained those lessons. 

Our army lists were very similar to last time with the same 1750 pts, but I had reconfigured my titans and was looking for a better result.

The board with the legions deployed. My primary was holding three objectives and secondary of engage and destroy, while the Gryphonicus were going for quandrants and some secondary I was not paying attention to.

One lesson I learned was to use my own Titan Hunter Infantry.

Amarok the warlord using borrowed Vulcan Megabolter Array.

Preparing to fight.

Nian with long ranged weapons deloyed in the eastern corner to cover half the battefield.

Raum with chainfist is trying to use buildings to close the distance on the western flank.

Warlord and Reaver with vortex missile stake claim to the main avenue on the West. 

The vortex missile would obliterate one of my warhounds.

In the east the warhounds advance with Knights in reserve.

Stalker Overlords advance behind the building to claim one of the objectives while my warlord takes aim at the closest warhound and it explodes under the fierce barrage.

The Gryphonicus warlord plans revenge.

The sheer combined firepower blasts through Amarok's shields and into its body, breaking it as it falls. That's... not good.

Feeling pretty good, eh?

Surprise close combat reaver! Warp Displacement brings Raum to the fore and in charge range!

Raum's charge nearly breaks the reaver titan but it stands and begins to back up. Raum then opens fire with its weapons and manages to get the killing blow. 

The warlord opens fire on Raum but the shields protect it.

A surviving Serperos guards another objective as it watches the vortex blast ravage the third.

In the Centre, the other two Serperos attack the Knights and their lascutters bring one down.

Gryphonicus warlord and warhound desperately try to bring down Raum but it miraculously survives.

Nian and the other Gryphonicus reaver ignore each other to send shots across the board.

Raum manages to stumble charge into the warlord and the chainfist rips through the warlord's damage leg and its stumbles and falls! Finally the long range fire of the reaver brings the badly damage Raum down.

As the fifth turn ends the Legio Fulmineus scores 15 pts, the suviving Gryphonicus score 20pts. 

Great game!

The Painful Lessons

 At the beginning of June I had my first plain jane real game of Adeptus Titanicus, each side with 1750 pts and normal match play. 

It was a game of painful lessons.

My list was an Legio Fureans Axiom Maniple with Warlord, two Reavers, and Two Warhounds supported by two Serperos stalkers.

My opponent was Desc440 playing with a Legion Gryphonicus Dominus Maniple with Warlord, two Reavers, and two Warlords and a band of three Questoris knights.

We had corner deployments, my main mission to retrieve an object and hold it or get it off the board (near the bottom of the screen) while Desc had a hidden objective to get off my board edge.

Titan Hunter Infantry are the most anoying.

On the right flank the Gryphonicus warhounds were making a break for the edge with the knights in tow for absorbing hits.

While on the left Reaver Nian ran up to secure the objective and try to carry it to safety.

In the centre, Reaver Raum and Warlord Amarok tried to distract and destroy the enemy.

Nian took a vortex missile to the legs and was nearly destroyed. 

Then the vortex continued to stay on the titan and nearly ripped off her head!

At the beginning of turn 2 the Titan Hunter Infantry tried to finish her off.

The Gryphonicus titans advance into the Fulmineus line.

On the right flank the Warhounds and Knights continue to advance.

I wanted to get Nian out of the line of fire in my back area but when she tried to move the machine spirit awakened! Being Fureans I choose to be Impetuous but rolled a 1"! 

Nian is cursed.

On the right flank my warhounds and stalkers tried to slow the warhounds but the Knights continued to run cover for the larger titans. The warhound carrying the objective is able to make it off the table before the knights are brought down.

In the centre the titans exchanged fire!

The combined damage from the Vortex blast, Titan Hunters, and fire from the Gryphonicus titans finally brought Nian low.

As Raum and the enemy titan exchanged body smashes, Amarok opened fire and damaged the melta cannon. Hope rises in my chest!

With the objective now safely off the board, the Gryphonicus warhound and remaining knight turn to fight!

Leaving one warhound behind, the other warhound and stalkers turn to aid the fight in the centre.

Raum got knocked back, and overheated his own plasma reactor kills the titan who falls back and knocks into the warlord. Hope dies.

The last knight finally dies to the warhound and now we have a duel.

In the centre the other warhound and Serperos stalkers try to take advantage of the weakened shields but would fail to make much headway, and the stalkers are eliminated by the mighty volcano cannon.

Not pictured: The Warlord Amarom getting absolutely blasted by the Gryphonicus Warlord and Reaver and getting both plasma annilihators blown off. At this point, with little hope of salvaging my pride, I conceeded.

I learned a lot of lessons through the pain. First and foremost, the weapons on the titans are not optimal, with a mix of short and long range on Nian and not enough shield stripping dice on Amarok. Also, I misplayed my strategems failing to get a lot of value from them (including forgetting one entirely after activating it). Finally, I should have sent more to secure my objective and not let one bad day for Nian doom my chances of accomplishing it at all. 

Back to the drawing board.