Relic has done a fantastic job of keeping to the spirit of the Warhammer 40k tabletop game; from the units, to the upgrades available to units, to the benefits of cover, Dawn of War II keeps as many of the elements of the tabletop game intact without destroying a competent RTS.  A reference to a DS rhythm game from a couple years ago may not bring to mind the most epic of space battles, but we just couldn’t help ourselves. In my defense, my marines had frag grenades and it’s the natural order of things to throw one dead smack into the midst of a group of Orks, Eldars, or filthy, cheating Petes… err, Tyranids.  Mike holds that that same “natural order” guides his use of the Assault Marines’ “jump” ability so, sure enough, Mike’s marines land in the middle of a group of enemies just in time to get blown up by me grenade.  We both got the satisfaction of blowing a group of people apart, at least, but it was clear that the natural order needed some refinement.  Eventually, we worked out a system where Mike claimed the first wave of enemies, and I would move up to hit the second wave with a grenade, provided they weren’t too close to Mike’s squads.

Mike’s and my previous experiences with the tabletop game and knowledge of the different races’ strengths and weaknesses, however, did little to prepare us for an Eldar Fire Prism tank and some artillery platforms.  We knew that they packed a bit more firepower than the other enemy units we had taken down, but we were blown back (literally) by the damage they caused. Three units came close to wiping us out.  Fortunately, there was a reinforcement point nearby so we were able to bid a hasty retreat and shore up our units before attempting to tackle the Eldars’ “big guns” again.  Oddly, the same failed strategy of the both of us jumping/grenading an enemy that caused us trouble earlier was the exact strategy that lead to our victory.  We were able employ an effective one-two punch with Mike jumping in, knocking the tank and platforms around some, and then running out right before my grenade landed and finished them off.