City Showdown - Raven Guard vs. Imperial Fist

Warhammer 40,000 – I really love the look of fighting in a city. Having to get down and check line of site, navigating around cramped quarters, makes for a more interesting game than shooting each other from the edges of the table. Having played Open War last week we opted to play Maelstrom of War this week. My opponent ran close to the same list as he did last week swapping out a Librarian for a Lieutenant to benefit from the re-roll auras. 

My list was a pretty basic Battalion with a Spearhead Detachment. Rocking 9CP I figure I could do some fun stuff:

Ravenguard Battalion - 5CP
HQ - Captain w/ Powerfist and Combi-Plasma
HQ - Lieutenant w/ Powerfist and Combi-Melta
TROOP - Sniper Scouts with Missile Launcher
TROOP - Sniper Scouts with Heavy Bolter
TROOP - Tactical Squad with Heavy Bolter
ELITE - Aggressors with Flamestorm Gauntlets
ELITE - Reviever with Grav Chutes, Grappling Guns and Bolt Carbines
ELITE - Veterans 2x Combi-Plasma
HEAVY - Hellblasters w/ Plasma Incinerators

Ravenguard Spearhead - 1CP
HQ - Techmarine on Bike w/ Conversion Beamer, Combi-Plasma and Powerfist
HEAVY - Predator with Lascannon Turret and Lascannon Sponsons
HEAVY - Predator with Lascannon Turret and Lascannon Sponsons
HEAVY - Predator with Lascannon Turret and Lascannon Sponsons

We had table quarter deployment with the Maelstrom Gambit Mission. Which meant bid on how many you can do and flip 4 cards. If you don't achieve yours than your opponent scores what you bid. (PROTIP: unless you know what your objectives are never bid more than one) I lost the roll to go first and failed to seize. 

First Turn I lose my Veterans to some random bolter fire and he reduces one of my predators to the second tier. I move up to get better position and focus fire on a unit of marines. Having dedicated way to many resources to taking out a single squad I get an ominous feeling as to how this game is going to go. Score RG1 - IF2

Turn Two we close the gap and my cool -1 to hit doesn't help me. The Aggressors "From the Shadows" Deployment made them a sacrificial lamb as the landraider unloaded terminators in front of them and proceeded to fire everything. I lost half the unit to that salvo and the remainder to the ensuing charge. Score RG3 - IF8

For the third turn down on points I get greedy and bid 4. The resulting card flip forces me to chose between holding three objectives and leaving my deployment zone, and one of the cards is a Defend Objective which means I can't score 4 period. Pushing hard I scored two of the objectives and with score the third next turn. Score RG7 - IF13

Turn four would be our last turn due to the time so it was looking pretty grim for me. My opponent wisely bids one and flips 3 cards he's already controlling. Not good for me. On my turn I need to score ten points to tie. I bid 4 and flip 4 new objectives. Not a single one can I accomplish this turn two of them are Defend Objective X, the others were Slay the Warlord and Domination. With a deep sigh I extended my hand to concede.

The game was really fun and it felt like I was winning even though the score said otherwise. I think given more time it's likely one of us would have tabled the other. Which turns out would be the only way I could win once he got so far ahead in VP.