1750 Vostroyan AM Vs AdMech: Kill ConfirmedThough there was a lot of atmospheric disturbance from the storm, the voice over the vox could not have been clearer: "Attention all units! Attention all units! Renegade Knight-class Titan active in zone! Repeat! Renegade Knight-class Titan active in...shhhhhshshchhh hshsssshhhh."
Lieutenant Colonel Handol tapped the channel switch on the vox, trying to clear the interference. The rain soaked through his great coat and made his ushanka hat weigh five kilos. "Dammit!" he cursed at the vox operator. "See if you can't get them back on the line. Get them to give me a khekking location!"
The man nodded and hunkered down behind a melted steel pillar, doing his best to keep the baroque comm pack dry in the driving rain. Damned rain was going to kill them more than the cyborgs would. Everywhere Handol looked, he saw troops and vehicles in disarray. Air support would be limited, too. And now a Knight?
What in His Holy Name was a Knight doing here, anyway? These techpriests were supposed to be some kind of splinter sect--that was what the Regimental Standard was printing anyway, and none of his orders contradicted it. For a Knightly House to ally with them...something truly insane had to be going on. Heresy of the highest order. It made his moustache twitch just to think of it. "I miss the old days," he thought. "When all we had to do was kill orks."
"Sir!" a spotter for a lascannon team waved him over, popping his head over the side of a crater like a gopher. "I've found the knight, sir!"
"Kodlinsky, you haven't got a vox!" Handol said.
"Not on the vox, sir!" Kodlinsky held up his field glasses.
The brigade suddenly grew very quiet. Handol, his legs wooden, reached out and took the field glasses. As he did, he felt it:
*THUD*
Right there, through the soles of his feet.
*THUD*
Hands shaking, he put the glasses to his eyes and looked down-range from his brigade's position.
*THUD*
At first he though it was a cloud bank--a dark wall of fog. But then the clouds parted around it, and there could be no doubt. A Knight Paladin, closing on their position. No more than a kilometer, maybe a kilometer and a half away. Despite the rain, Handol's mouth was dry. "Throne..."
"Sir?" Kodlinsky took back his field glasses. "What do we do?"
*THUD*
Handol didn't respond. He ran back to the vox-man, grabbed him by the collar, and hissed in his ear. "Transmit Emergency Code Alpha-Alpha-Delta-Whisky with my transmit sign-off."
The vox man went pale. "But sir...that's...that will call..."
*THUD*
Handol pushed him. "Just do it! I'll answer for it later, but if you want to live, *make that khekking call!*"This battle represents the rogue AdMech's last ditch attempt to prevent being blasted out of the war zone they are here to investigate--the third battle in a 3-mission arc in our ongoing narrative campaign. You can read about it
here.
I'd given Uncle Tungsten (my opponent) a pair of losses so far. He has one last chance. Here's the list he brought:
The Armored Spear of the TechpriestsMartian BattalionHQCawl
Techpriest Enginseer
Elites5 Sicarian Infiltrators w/Stub carbines, taser goads
Troops5 Rangers w/2 Arc Rifles
5 Rangers w/2 Arc Rifles
10 Vanguard
Heavy SupportOnager Dunecrawler w/Neutron Laser
Onager Dunecrawler w/Icarus Array
House Tyrannus LanceKnight Paladin w/Rapid Fire Battlecannon, Gatling Cannon, Icarus Autocannons (Warlord Trait Strategem: +1 Ion Shield Save)
Armiger Warglaive
Armiger Warglaive
AuxiliaryCallidus Assassin
To face these armored monstrosities, I brought these:
Handol's Brigade w/Deathwatch AuxiliaryVostroyan BrigadeHQCompany Commander w/Bolt Pistol (Kurov's Aquila, Warlord: Grand Strategist)
Company Commander w/Bolt Pistol
Company Commander w/Power Fist
TroopsInfantry Squad w/Grenade Launcher
Infantry Squad w/Grenade Launcher
Infantry Squad w/Grenade Launcher
Infantry Squad w/Grenade Launcher
Infantry Squad w/Grenade Launcher
Scions w/2x Plasma, Plasma Pistol, Power Sword
ElitesSpecial Weapons Squad w/ 3x Flamers
Special Weapons Squad w/ 3x Flamers
Command Squad w/ 4x Plasma Gun
Command Squad w/ 4x Plasma Gun
Fast AttackScout Sentinel w/Autocannon
Scout Sentinel w/Autocannon
Scout Sentinel w/Autocannon
Heavy SupportLeman Russ Punisher w/HBolter Sponsons
Leman Russ Executioner w/Plasma Cannon Sponsons
Lascannon Squad
Mortar Squad
TransportChimera w/Multilaser, HBolter
FlyerValkyrie w/Rocket Pods, Door HBolters, Multilaser
Deathwatch PatrolHQWatch Captain w/Combiplasma, Xenophase Blade
Troops6-man Kill Team Veteran Squad w/2x Thunder Hammer/Stormshield, 3x Storm Bolter/Chainsword, 1x Deathwatch Shotgun/Chainsword
Mission Terrain and DeploymentWe were playing the Kill Confirmed Mission (so, Tactical Objectives + Kill Points) in a Search and Destroy deployment. Terrain was an old, bombed out suburb. The center of the board had three ruins making a triangle, with a double-tower ruin in the south, two-story one in the north, and a three-story one pointing east. The western third of the board had another ruin in the NW, a park in the center, and a rubble pile in the SW. The eastern portion of the board had a small ruin in the NE and a forest in the SE. Beyond this, there were various remnants of razorwire, the odd tree, and the occasional crater scattered around.
Objective 1 was placed in the northernmost ruin, Objective 2 in the small NE ruin, Objective 3 in the mid-east ruin, 4 in a crater at board center, 5 in the double ruin in the south, and 6 in the open right near the NW ruin.
My opponent got to pick his DZ and chose the NW quadrant. The rangers went in the ruins, the vanguard just behind the ruins. The Dunecrawlers held his southern flank, the Armigers held the eastern flank, ready to charge. The Knight Paladin and Cawl were in the back, with the Enginseer taking up the extreme rear by getting posted to the farthest northwest corner. Both the Infiltrators and the Callidus would infiltrate or...callidusate?
I did my best to draw out his placements before committing to drop anything his anti-tank rich force could blow up on turn 1. The sentinels went first, forming a rough triangle around my army to push back any infiltration attempts. The mortars went in the SE corner, the lascannons in a crater in about the center of my DZ. The Chimera (with special weapons squads aboard) got as close to board center as I could manage. The Punisher deployed behind the double-ruin for the purpose of obscuring the Executioner behind it from view. The infantry filled in most available space near the front of the zone, with a reserve squad holding the center of my zone from any shape-shifting assassins. My Warlord went about at the middle of my DZ, the other commander took the lead. The Scions would drop in from the air; both the Deathwatch units would teleport onto the board. Lastly, the Valkyrie, full of plasma-equipped command squads and the powerfist commander--dropped near the back of my DZ, waiting to see where the Armigers would decide to go.
Deployment
My crowded DZThe Valkyrie zooms overheadThat's a lot of big robotsTurn 1The AdMech wins first turn and I fail to seize, which is pretty much as predicted. Uncle Tungsten pulls three tactical objectives, one of which just requires him to roll for his Canticle this round--hardly a challenge. The Armigers are the only ones that move that much, sprinting along the northern board edge and taking cover behind the northern ruins. Cawl shifts a little to spread his re-roll bubble to the Dunecrawlers, and he spends a CP to give the knight access to the re-rolling ones canticle.
In shooting, the Knight shoots the battle cannon at the Valkyrie, knocking off 8 wounds--all other guns are out of range. The Icarus Array on one Dunecrawler pretty well wipes out one infantry squad and the Neutron Laser on the other knocks 6 wounds of the Chimera. A smattering of small arms firepower tickle the southern sentinel, but it only loses two wounds.
The loss of the infantry squad grants him a kill point *and* First blood. Score: 3-0, AdMech in the lead.
Top of Turn 1
The Valkyrie is caught in an airburst!My plan as of my first turn was loosely this: press the enemy's left flank with the Valkyrie and all the plasma I had, hopefully wiping out the Armigers in one turn. Then, I'd use the Deathwatch in a (very risky) move to charge the Dunecrawlers right out of the gate. My first draw of tactical objectives had my warlord tasked with killing one of his characters in close combat (hahahahahahaha...ye
ah, right), the need to defend objective 6 (tough sell), and to kill an enemy unit in close combat (or kill 3 for big points).
I drop the scions at the edge of the northern ruin so they can take aim at the Armigers. They are joined by the command squads and powerfist commander who drop in via grav chute from the damaged Valkyrie. The two command squads make relatively short work of the first Armiger, but my opponent uses Our Darkest Hour stratagem to allow him to stand up with 2 wounds left (dammit!). The Scions and Executioner along with some autocannon fire from Sentinels are enough to put the other Armiger down as well, despite it Rotating Ion Shields on me.
Elsewhere, my two forward infantry squads move into the double ruin with their officer. Their lasgun fire, along with a mortar bombardment and heavy bolter shots from various Leman Russ, the Chimera (which rattled forward), and the Valkyrie, are finally able to wipe out the forwardmost unit of rangers in the ruins (those guys can be *hard* to shift from cover!). The rearguard infantry squads circle up around the Warlord, looking out for assassins. The Lascannons take a few potshots at the Knight, since they don't have good LOS to much else, and do one measly wound thanks to that monstrosity's numerous, redundant defense systems.
Finally, the Deathwatch drop in, shoot up some rangers (kill maybe one?) and then, amazingly, both the Captain and the Kill Team make their charge against the Icarus Dunecrawler. The Captain, however, takes 2 wounds from overwatch (d'oh!) but I believe that was the better option than losing two veterans on the way in. The Dunecrawler is crushed in short order by five thunder hammer attacks and twelve marine attacks, especially bolstered by the Malleus Doctrine stratagem. In an act of cold calculation, the AdMech uses a strategem
forcing the vehicle to explode, killing one veteran and stripping another wound off of the Captain. They consolidate into the Neutron Laser Dunecrawler and I call for Honor Your Brothers, letting them attack again (and discounting it by two CP thanks to my warlord!). For all that, though, all the thunder hammers whiff their attacks (YOU BUMS!) and I only do two wounds with chainswords. The Neutron Laser is locked down, though--it won't be blowing up any of my tanks today!
In the north, facing down an Armiger with *only* two wounds (and at that point thinking I still had the chance to pull off killing 3 guys in close combat), I charge both command squads and the powerfist officer at the remaining Armiger. Though bold, the plan does not work--my commander can't manage to wound the thing and one command squad gets squashed flat in combat.
Tallying my first turn, the score is now tied at 4-4, since the Techpriests picked up another one for the dead command squad.
Bottom of Turn 1
Men vs MachineThe Armigers take heavy damageFile this under "stupid, but brave."My men move through the buildingDeathwatch appear!It's hammer time!Almost had it...Turn 2A close game thus far, and a lot of action. In the second turn, the Armiger falls back from combat with the remaining command squad and officer (and the Techpriest does his best to get close enough to heal some wounds, but doesn't make it). In the west, the Neutron Dunecrawler also falls back from the Deathwatch. The vanguard move out of their cover to claim objective 6 and blast the command squad with whatever irradiated bullets they can--they kill 3 out of 4, but the fourth one sticks around despite morale. Rangers fire on the scions, killing 3 of 5. Knight puts a wound or two on the Valkyrie, another wound on the Chimera, and then pounds the crap out of the Deathwatch Kill Team, killing everybody but Watch Sergeant Harrold and his big, mean hammer. Cawl closes with the Captain and tries to atomize him, but fails. He charges into combat, losing two wounds to overwatch, but puts and end to the captain just the same and consolidates into the Watch Sergeant.
If my opponent fulfilled any objectives this turn, I don't know about it. The score is now 5-4, AdMech leading.
Top of Turn 2
Cawl makes the mistake of gloating over a bereaved Space WolfI draw two objectives of note this turn: Kingslayer (d3 VP for killing the warlord--hmmmmmm) and Hammer of the Emperor (blow an enemy unit off an objective). Both of these are very doable. My advance infantry move towards Objective 6, the officer urging them on. The Chimera, amazingly still in one piece, also moves closer, claiming the center objective. The Scions, lone command squad gunner, and the officer put an end to the Armiger, which explodes, killing a few Vanguard. The Punisher moves closer, ready to open up on the Vanguard as well, who are currently claiming objective 6. Even though my opponent had Shroudpsalm up, the mortars, Valkyrie, Punisher, and legions of lasguns wipe out the Vanguard and even have enough firepower left over to kill the remaining rangers, too. The Lascannons scooch north a bit to help the Executioner destroy the Neutron Laser Dunecrawler. Finally, in the assault phase, Watch Sergeant Harrold enacts the Decapitation Doctrine on Cawl, scoring 3 wounding, unsaved hits for a total of 9 wounds done. Cawl, durable though he is, is smashed to dust by the fury of the Deathwatch.
This was a huge turn--simple huge. I scored 5 VP on kills alone, 1 for Warlord, 1 for Hammer of the Emperor, and I rolled 3 for Kingslayer--a total of 10 VP!
Current score: 10-5, Vostroyans
Bottom of Turn 2
Starting my advance...Harrold sets his sights on larger prey...Turn 3This turn, the Callidus Assassin turns up, kills a lascannon team, and then charges and kills half an infantry squad in my backfield (that's okay, though--there's still fifteen guys back there to shoot her next turn). The Knight moves east, blowing up both the Valkyrie and the Chimera (finally), which disgorges it's payload of flamers and angry guardsmen. The Infiltrators show up, too, right in front of the knight, facing off against the dregs of my Armiger-killing mission in turn one. They shoot a godawful number of bullets at the Scions, who use a Take Cover stratagem to save themselves. I lose only one guy, leaving the Tempesptor alone. Unfortunately, the Infiltrators fail their charge.
Again, I'm not sure if my opponent scored any objectives this turn, but I know he scored a few across the course of the game, so let's assume he earned a point there, too.
Current score: 10-8, Vostroyans leading
Top of Turn 3
Sneaky assassins......killing our dudes.Infiltrators can't assault. Bummer.In the bottom of 3, I draw Behind Enemy Lines and Mission Critical Objective (Objective 4), which I was *not* currently holding with the southern Sentinel (the map is wrong). I get a d3 VP for moving my Sentinel 4" to the right, basically, and another d3 for moving 3 units into my enemy's DZ which, due to the MSU nature of my force, is also child's play.
The Infiltrators are burned alive by Vostroyan flamer teams and then torn apart by a Punisher cannon--boom, gone. The infantry engaged with the Callidus falls back and she is blown apart by concentrated lasgun fire and some mortar shells. With only a techpriest and a knight on the board, I sort of assume the game is over and charge the Knight with Watch Sergeant Harrold. He is blown apart during overwatch, sadly (had I realized my opponent wasn't ready to concede, I might have had him hide in a corner for a guaranteed Linebreaker point). No matter.
I score 2 for units killed, another 2-3 for Behind Enemy Lines, another 2-3 for Mission Critical Objective. I am in possession of Objective 6 for the purposes of Defending it for two turns. My opponent gets 1 VP for Harrold.
Current score: 17-9, Vostroyans
Bottom of Turn 3