Hold Please

Amidst the exciting new changes for 40k, I have decided to postpone my grand Genestealer Cult campaign so we can get familiar with the new rules and no doubt tweak our armies to fall in line with the new hotness. 

Depending on how sweeping the new rule changes turn out to be will determine how much it gets pushed back. Maybe 4th quarter or early next year. It will be fun, I do promise that.

The Cult Bides its Time

Soon the Stars (and Rules) Will Be Right!

Enter the Steel Host

Sanctus Reach, Mission 4. The Knights are overextended and cut off from Imperial lines. The Orks are closing in for the kill, can a spearhead of Guard Armor breakthrough and reinforce the Knights in time?

2500 points per side, the Imperials have ten models, the Orks just about 100. The Knights start on the far left side of the field and must get to the far right side and off the table. Half of the Orks start in the center, the other half will come on from the left side, so the Knights must boogie or get completely swamped. The Imperial Guard tanks all start in reserve and arrive on the right side.

Scoring is really straightforward, and all about the Knights. The Orks get D3 points for killing a Knight, and the Knights get D3 for getting off the table, plus the regular 1 point for killing the enemy warlord.

The Knights start by killing off a Deff Dread and put some damage on the Ork Battlewagon full of bad things, but cannot stop it. On the Ork turn, said Battlewagon pulls up close and unloads Grukk Face-rippa and his Mega-Nobz friends. They gleefully hack down a Knight, but the resulting explosion goes quite poorly for the lads. Grukk survives by using the big Mek as a shield, and seven out of eight Mega-Nobz are vaporized. A very costly win. Not that Grukk cares.

Turn two sees six of the Guard tanks arrive. The Mega-Dread, and a Deff Dread fall to battle and lascannon fire. The last Leman Russ to fire hits the Battlewagon in the rear and kills it with a single shot. Live by open top, die by open top.

Grukk responds by charging the Knight Errant with his one remaining minon. The Mega-Nob is splattered, but Grukk's stupid luck holds and he is unharmed by the huge chainsword. The Ork Warlord hits with all attacks and the Knight explodes under the onslaught. Grukk is wounded by the titanic blast. He was finally put down by the last Paladin on the following turn.

The rest of the Guard armor showed up and put a hurting on the Orks from across the table. More Orks arrived and managed a couple of points damage on the withdrawing Paladin, but it was too late to stop it exiting the field.

The Imperials fought very well, but that thrice damned Grukk put the game just out of reach for us. Orks 5, Imperials 4. Gah.

Tough situation for the Knights to start with, they needed just a bit more luck than they got. Good mission, I would like to give it another try.

Mr. Face-ripper will see you now.

Orks:3, Imperials:1

The Fall of House Kestren

Meanwhile, back on Sanctus Reach, Mission 3 is underway. The Knights reckless headlong charge into the invading Orks is at its end. The good news: the Knights have reached Grukk's grounded flagship. The bad news: The Knights are overextended and surrounded. And Grukk has a Stompa.

The mission starts with all the Imperial Forces on the table and the Orks "only" have a Stompa. Said Stompa did four hull points to the Knight Errant and turned two Chimeras into swiss cheese.

The Guard and Knights had some very fine shooting with most weapons hitting. Mrs. Blackheart's rum-fueled force field prevented most of the damage. So many hits so little damage! A very disappointing shooting phase led to the assault phase. The Knight Errant made a 10" assault into the Stompa and tore into it. Sadly the Stompa still had one HP left and dispatched the damaged Errant.

Even with a -1 to her reserve rolls the Orks arrived en masse and outflanked us. Once again we were too close to the table edges and paid dearly for the mistake.

I'm beginning to really hate Tankbustas

Big Hugga just wants to hug.

Needless to say it went horribly wrong. Deff Dreads everywhere, and those damn tankbustas well within charge range. The Orks shooting was predictable Orky, with no losses on the Imperials side. The Assault phase was also very Orky, with high losses for the the Knights and Guard.

Yep. Hate Them.

The Paladin was taken out in frenzy of tankbusta bombz, and I lost a Leman Russ to a very grabby Deff Dread. On my turn I was able to put down the Stompa,but was far too late to save this game for the Imperials. Turn 3 was the end for us. I was left with my HQ Vanquisher and a few Guardsmen on foot surrounded by Boyz. Final score Orks 11, Imperials 5.

I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure it's illegal.

Had we paid the slightest bit of attention to the possibility of being overwhelmed by jerks using outflank we would have put up a better fight. As it was the battle captured the feeling over being overextended and then cut off. A fun game, if a quick one.

Smash the 'umnies!

Orks:2, Imperials:1

Knights Strike Back

Sanctus Reach mission 2, the Knights headlong charge into the Ork hordes. I am usually loath to use stand-ins for a real game, this time I had no choice. The Imperial side wanted just Knights, to properly represent the "historical" setup. That is five Knight for a 2K game, I only own three. So we used a Tau Riptide and a Eldar Wraithknight at the start of the game and subbed them out for proper Knight models as we took losses.

The Imperial forces must exit the board and half the Orks start in reserve. Sounds like a cakewalk for the Knights. It's not. All Ork reserves have Outflank and the Knights are going the long way down the table. Mrs. Blackheart started all her Dreads and Kans on the field. As awesome as Knights are, they can be overwhelmed. We lost a Knight for three dreads and two Kans.

Then a mob of Tankbustaz arrived right behind the Knight Errant on our left flank. It only took a single point of damage from 15 rokkits, but only killed off three orks in hand to hand. 

The remaining dozen orks with tankbusta bombz did the trick. Of course only two tankbusta boyz survived the resulting explosion.

More ladz arrived but were mown down before they could do enough damage. The three remaining Knights survived, (one had only a single hull point left) and squeaked out a victory, 5-4.

A good, close game. I am having a lot of fun with the Knights, they are powerful, but far from invincible, and look great on the table. Well worth the work I out into them.

Two weeks until the next battle report. In the meantime I will review Mars Attacks and Star Wars: Imperial Assault next week.

For the Emperor!

Orks:1, Imperials:1

Sanctus Reach, Mission 1

And we are (finally) underway! The two supplement books that make up the Sanctus Reach Campaign tell a good story of an Ork invasion of a Imperial Knight World. The missions are varied and a have good flow to them, each one a highlight of the "historical" war.

Mission 1 is The Red Waaagh! Descends. The Orks making planetfall against Imperial defenders using the revised Planetstrike rules. I took two platoons of Guardsmen with heavy weapon sections in support to start in the fortifications. A pair of Leman Russ tanks and three Sentinels were my reserve force. Matt, the Knight commander had a Paladin and a Errant, also starting in reserve to avoid the first turn bombardment.    

Mrs. Blackheart started the Firestorm bombardment and did a lot of damage to the defenders, notably most of my anti-aircraft assets and heavy weapon squads. Then the ladz came from the sky, and using the Heavy Duty Drop Stratagem, two Deff Dreds and a unit of three Killa Kanz came with them.

She chose suicidally dangerous drop sites. To our dismay, they paid off and Facerippa with his meganobz, plus a unit of Boyz landed inside the walls of the firebase.

I took my lumps, and waited for the reinforcements to arrive. Sadly they came piecemeal and died the same way. Mrs. Blackheart was able to mass her forces and with a well timed Waaagh, spelled doom for the Knights and any hope for the defenders.

The Orks paid a very heavy price but in the end the Imperials ran out of troops first and the Firebase fell to the invading horde.

The battle did not go our way at all, but it was a tense, fast moving affair. It always seems to come down to reserve rolls. If the Knights had shown up together we would have had a real chance to hold onto the base and win. Maybe.

The Enemy is Upon us!

Orks:1 Imperials:0

Battle Five

The final round of the Non-Powered Armor League saw the Ork Hordes take on the Tyranid Swarm and The Dark Eldar attack the Tau. The mission was Annihilate. And that is what all four armies did.

Hive Fleet Tiamat once again came on like a living tide, forcing Warlord Grimjaw to dig deep and use every bit of cunnin' at his disposal. Resisting the strong urge to just charge forward and meet the mass of 'gaunts head on, the assault units of the boyz hung back and let the the large amount of firepower reduce the swarm a bit.

Hard for even the Orks to miss.

A series of hand to hand to claw combats covered the entire field in no time. The fights were short, sharp and decisive. A very close game that could have easily gone the the Tyranid's way if not for a cold roll here and a slightly different decision there. The Ork shooting was above par for the most of the battle, and played a key role in their victory. The Zoanthropes under-performed badly, and the Tyrgon showed up far too late to make a difference.  

Late to the party, but still lethal.

And on the other table The Dark Eldar got to go first and swept across the field and into the awaiting Tau.

A truly epic slug fest erupted that lasted seven turns. When the dust had finally settled, the Dark Eldar pulled out a Major Victory. 

Overall, the League went very well. Many hard fought battles and a few absolute slaughters. Next time, we should have some work-up battles before the League kicks off. 

I would like to thank my fellow Warlords for a fun time. Matt and Jeff get a special thanks for being brave and taking armies they were not familiar with at all. It was great to see Pete finally bring his Tyranids onto the field after such a long time. How long? That is a tale for another day.

The final scores:

Orks:19
Tyranids:10
Eldar:8
Dark Eldar:8
Tau:7

Now it is time to prepare for the Warlords annual Memorial Day Apocalypse battle & BBQ, Carnage-Asada!

Round Four Bloodbaths

On her last battle of this league, Gillian restructured her list and sacked the under-performing Farseer and his Warlock buddies. The very angry Avatar was tapped to lead the Craftworld in a battle against their dark kin.

The Round four mission was Seize Ground, with five objectives. Mrs. Blackheart's Eldar got the initiative and never let it go. The Avatar and the pair of Wraithlords cut a bloody swath through the Dark Eldar ending with a Major Victory for the Craftworld.

Then came the Orks versus Tau. The Orks cunnin' tactic of a headlong charge into the center of the enemy worked surprisingly well due to the fact the Tau gunners could not hit the broadside of a Battlewagon with a whole squad of Broadsides. Matt's dice displayed their complete hatred for him and the game went south for the Tau very swiftly. Gork (or possibly Mork) is still favoring my army. Ork Massacre. 

And at the end of Four:

Orks: 15

Tyranids:9

Eldar: 8

Tau: 6

Dark Eldar: 4

Round Five is the last battle and it will see Tau versus Dark Eldar and The Tyranid slug it out with the Orks.

Battle Three Fight!

Tuska deals with a pesky Wave Serpent

Battle Three of the Non-Human league turned into to two very lopsided games. Mrs. Blackheart's Farseer continued to see the wrong path to victory. The Ork's warlord kept up the hot dice and headlong smashing attacks. The battle's highlite was the clash of the Wraithlords with the Ork Deff Dread, Big Hugga, and the Warboss.

Big Hugga did not stand a chance as the Wraithsword split it in two. Mork (or possibly Gork) was looking out for Killjaw Grimjack this day as he felled a Wraithlord in hand to hand.

Time to get out and  charge!

The game ended in a brisk five turns with a Ork massacre. On the other table, Hive Fleet Tiamat kept up it's momentum and crashed against the Tau's gunline.

Battlesuits. Crunchy AND chewy!

The Tau's massed fire tore huge gaps in the oncoming swarms, but it was not enough. Far too many of the tide of 'gaunts closed in.

Then the Tyranid reserves arrived. Caught between a Trygon and a swarm of Genestealers led by a broodlord, the Tau sell their lives dearly, but are overcome.

The Hive Mind achieve a Major Victory against the Greater (and very tasty) Good.

The Standings after Three:

Orks: 10

Tyranids: 9

Tau: 6

Dark Eldar: 3

Eldar: 3

Next time, Orks slug it out against the Tau and the Eldar fight their Dark cousins.

League: Battle Two

My lads get stuck in!

After a first round bye I was eager to see what my newly painted Orks could do. My army is a classic hammer&anvil force. Bikers, turkk boys, and the Warboss and nineteen of his closest friends in a Battlewagon provide the hammer, while lootas, a pair of Deff Dreds, and a 30 strong mob of shoota boys push the line forward. Sounds great in theory. Jeff's totally mobile Dark Eldar had a different opinion.

Like most battle plans it turned in to a big hand to hand mess in the center of the table. The Dark Eldar must have spent too much time at the party pits the night before because their dice rolling was terrible. The new paint job on the Lootas somehow drastically improved their aim. Raiders, Reavers, and a entire squad of warriors fell to the deffguns. In the end it was a massacre in favor of the Orks. 

And on the other table:

The Hive mind slammed into the Eldar lines like a living tidal wave. The scenario worked against Mrs. Blackheart, as a fair portion of her army showed up late to the party. Pete's army lost a bit of focus and failed to finish off the beleaguered Eldar.

Pete achieved a minor victory due the game coming to a halt on turn five, had it run more turn there may have not been any of the Craftworld's forces left on the table.

After two games:

Matt: 5 

Marcus: 5

Pete: 5

Jeff: 3

Gillian:2

Next battles will see the rampaging Orks versus the Eldar, and Tau firepower against the Tyranid horde. 

Battle One

 Our League launch day went well, only Battle One was played, but it was fun. Unfortunately I had "new camera" problems and only came up with one usable shot. I have since figured out what I did wrong.

Hive Fleet Tiamat squared off against the fell forces of the Dark Eldar. Pete's Tyranid swam is a classic throwback to the days the 'nids would just overwhelm their hapless foe. A game that went the distance, Jeff pulled out a minor victory for the Dark Eldar.

Matt's Tau took it to the Eldar. Gillian's Eldar could not slow down the Hammerheads or Broadside teams and her force was shot up before it could close. Massacre for Matt.

So at the end of One:

Matt     5
Jeff      3
Pete     2
Gillian 0
Marcus -

Mrs. Blackheart's Eldar are down but not out of this yet! Stay tuned as next time my Orks take the field vs. the very mobile Dark Eldar, and the Tyranids assault the Eldar.

League Players & Missions

The sides have been chosen, scenarios picked, now it is time to turn it up and see who is going down.

We will have a League Day, High noon January 15th, 2012  to start the mayhem.

The Commanders:
Farseer Gillian-      Eldar
Harbinger Jeff-       Dark Eldar
Tyrant Pete-            Tyranids
Shas’o Matt-           Tau
Warlord Marcus-    Orks

The League Battle Scenarios page has been updated to list all of the Missions in detail.

Battle One
Mission: Cleanse
Deployment: Spearhead

Jeff vs.Pete
Gillian vs.Matt
Marcus Mission skip

Battle Two
Mission: Recon
Deployment: Spearhead

Jeff vs. Marcus
Gillian vs.Pete
Matt Mission skip

Battle Three
Mission: Take and Hold
Deployment: Dawn of War

Gillian vs. Marcus
Matt vs.Pete
Jeff Mission skip

Battle Four
Mission: Seize Ground
Deployment: Pitched Battle

Matt vs. Marcus
Gillian vs. Jeff
Pete Mission skip

Battle Five
Mission: Seek & Destroy
Deployment: Pitched Battle

Pete vs. Marcus
Matt vs. Jeff
Gillian Mission skip

Due to all of our scheduling crazyness the battles do not have to be played in order. For example if Pete showed up and Matt and I were available, Pete could play his Battle Five and then Battle Three.

When all the battles have been played we will move on to Round Two, and everyone will be allowed to change their list up.

Just over two weeks to go, now it is time for some work-up games!
Should we post our army lists? I enjoy seeing other players ideas and lists, so I think so. Let's hear your thoughts on this and we will decide by the kickoff date.

The Non-Powered Armor League is Go!

Actual forces may vary.

An idea long time in the making is finally here. A 40K League without Space Marines.
Why? Hmm, good question. There was a very good reason many years ago, but for now it is why not.

Here are the rules:
Standard force organization chart, 1750points. Your army may not have any troop choices that have a 3+(or better) save. So no Space Marines of any ilk, Sisters of Battle, or Necrons. And also you cannot take Mega-nobs, Wraithguard, et al as troops due to special rules.

Each player will play each other once in round one. So in a six person League everybody will play five games. After Round one is complete all players will be free to change their army list but not their race.

Points will be awarded to winner/defeated by the level of victory and loss for the game:
Massacre: 5/0 VP
Major Victory: 4/1 VP
Minor Victory: 3/2 VP

If the mission objective result is a tie, then we will go to Kill Points for the tie breaker, if still tied then each side will get 2 points.
The Kill Points:
HQ 3
Elite 2
Heavy 2
Fast 2
Troop 1
Dedicated transport vehicles 1
Plus bonus Kill Points per some missions.
 
Up next, the Missions, the Players, and the Schedule.

Halloween Finale

After a string of victories the Armageddon 23rd pushed towards the last remaining hive node and spawning pits on Zircon III. Heavy units of the 1st company "The Emperor's Reapers" engaged the remaining monstrous swarm backed up by a Heirodule.

The 1st company sustained heavy losses but the combined firepower of a Shadowsword and Baneblade broke the back of the Tyranids. The hated Heirodule took three turns to put down, but down it went in a hellish glare of superheavy weaponry. The Imperial forces have claimed victory in this campaign after 15 hard fought battles (including two Apocalypse) the final tally is Imperial 8, Tyranids 7.

There were a few battle reports I didn't have the time to write up and my camera is on the way out, and the cheap back-up tends to produce nice looking shots on the LCD screen only to find they are blurry when I download them. So here are a few of the pics from the battles along the way.


Trygons are very handy in the anti-aircraft role.



Artillery safe in the corner behind cover? Not really.



Sly "I got This" Marbo's last moment.



Never deep strike in front of a Shadowsword.

 Thanks to all the Warlords for a fun campaign!
Next up we will start the long fabled No Power Armor League.