40k Year of War Campaign: Game 1

Prelude: 

A little diplomacy could have gone a long way. The two lines of battle, one blue-grey and one black squaring off against one another across the dusty xenos installation could have been natural allies under other circumstances. To the eyes of the Space Wolves, the brothers of the Deathwatch must've seemed like ebon-clad scavengers looking to pick at the scraps of their recent victories. The secret nature of the Deathwatch's mission and the brazen 'I's' that proclaimed their close ties with the Inquisition meant that a pair of terse transmissions resulted nothing in scoffs and bolter fire. To think, bloodshed over half a dozen faint Xenos energy readings...
The Game:

The first of my 'Year of War' games in the local ladder campaign. My Deathwatch army (Strikeforce Obsidian) against Tactical Advantage owner Chris Ormando (who always has tables open for anyone who wants to come in a shoot space lasers).

Strikeforce Obsidian [75p]:
Watchmaster Pyrannius : Warlord, Bane of Monstrosities
Captain Raoul Giant-killer:  Jump pack, Storm Shield, Thunder Hammer, Beacon of Angelis
Brother Balthasar: Venerable Dreadnought w/ Twin Lascannon/CC + Heavy Flamer
Kill Team Gascoigne: Sarge w/ powersword + combi-plasma, combi-plasma, combi-melta, x5 stormshields w/ bolters, vanguard with twin lightning claws
Kill Team Baptiste : x2 Frag Cannons, Sarge w/ power maul + bolter,  x2 powerswords + x2 bolters
Kill Team Aegos: x3 Frag Cannons, Sarge with combi-melta/power axe, combi-melta, Vanguard vet w/ handflamer + chainsword.
Oathmark: Razorback w/ twin lascannons, stormbolter, and hunter killer
The Furtive Benediction: Corvus Blackstar w/ Assault Cannons, Stormstrike missiles, hurricane bolter

The Ashen Stalkers [75p]:
The Jarl: Captain w/ Gravis Armor and relic sword
Techmarine
Rhino
Stormwolf
Wulfen: Hammers and Shields! x5
Bloodclaws: Powerfist x6
Intercessors: x5
Hellblasters: Plasma Incinerators x5
Venerable Dreadnought: Hammer and Shield

The Benediction with two squads fly up the field, with Pyrannius babysitting
Balthasar and the Oathmark on the right flank with Kill-Team Gascoigne defending
objective three on the left. Captain Raoul bides his time until the second turn. 

Some aeriel dogfighting, with minimal damage on both sides.

Brother Balthasar weathers a storm of infiltrating hellblaster plasma
fire. Moments later the hellblaster's are dead, and my Watchmaster
is down after a botched duel with the Space Wolf Jarl.

The Stormwolf goes down, but the Wulfen are unharmed. The Captain and Intercessors
are gunned down, while most of the Deathwatch Kill Team's are butchered or shot apart.
Apparently they forgot to charge their stormshields. 

Even as the Wulfen and Techmarine are finished off by the Oathmark
and Balthsar, the Benediction manages to secure the center
objective on the last turn of the Deathwatch game!

Only to be smashed into pieces by the Space Wolf Dreadnought in
an act of vengeance! Still, it isn't quite enough...

Deathwatch Victory!

It was touch and go there at the end of the game, but even though I tried to lose myself the game with a few stupid moves I ended up pulling it out in the end. I was very lucky on my tactical objective draws, and what objectives weren't in my control were normally attainable through manuevering of my Blackstar.

Still, the game really game down to one charge and Brother Balthasar up in his tower managed to hold. I should note that the Space Wolf Jarl was pretty crazy in his role of a character killer. I'll have to prioritize him for the lascannon's next we meet!

Watchmaster Pyrannius- scarred but alive!

Conclusion:
" Finally, Watch Master Pyrannius pulled himself up off of the dusty ground. The fighting was for the most part over, and already he could see his pale armored opponents disappear into the sandstorm building all around them. A pain in his side caused the warrior to grimace as the memory of the gravis-clad swordsman's prowess in their brief duel bubbled to the fore of his mind. Despite his size, the Space Wolf had been lightning quick- apparently only the appearence of Kill-Team Gascoigne and the pinpoint fire from the Ancient Balthasar managed to drive him off before he could deliver the finishing blow. He hoped that he'd never had to cross blades with that champion again.

A call drew his attention back into the present as the hatch of the Razorback thunked into the ground behind him. Turning, the Son of Dorn greeted Brother Demetrios with a curt nod before indicating to the stack of reinforced canisters filling the troop compartment.

"Are these the source of the power spike in the area?"

Demetrios nodded before leaning over and popping open the lid on the nearest container, revealing the dimly glowing capsule within. Before their very eyes strange alien runes drifted along its crystalline surface. Those were not Tau sigils.

"Excellent. Make room for the critically injured and head to the Rendezvous site. We'll make repairs on the Blackstar and join you back on the ship. At least this skirmish wasn't completely senseless. " he took a deep breath "May the Emperor guide your path."