We altered this mission from a simple strike and kill mission into a more narrative form with the imperial forces defending a derelict titan hangar, finding a titan within but being attacked by the alpha legion before they can fully explore the site and bring the titan online.
Phase 3 – Mission 2 – Sudden Strike
Kill point mission. Short table edges [End to end] deployment.
Chaos forces deploy first and have first turn. Chaos force includes their Lord of war selection.
The imperial forces lord of war will arrive on a 6+ at the start of turn 3, a 4+ at the start of turn 4 and automatically at the start of turn 5. In addition any other imperial units placed into reserve are delayed by a further turn. (They start coming in on turn 3.)
The bitter end: instead of rolling the imperial player can force turn 6 to be played.
Onslaught attack, Slay the warlord, line breaker, price of failure.
Onslaught attack:
Gain 1 victory point for each unit destroyed in the first turn.
Price of Failure:
Lord of war is worth 1 VP per 3 HP/wounds it started with when destroyed
Forces
Imperial
AN
Primary Force: Mechanicum
Warlord: Arch Magos Prime Driel: Myrmidax, graviton gun, djiin skien, master crafted phased plasma fusil, mechanicator array, cyber familiar, chainfist, paragon blade, 4 cyber occularis, Rad grenades, augury scanner. (Campaign warlord trait – 1 to enemy reserve rolls)
Secutarii hoplites, 10 with arc lances and mag inverter shields.
Thallax 1 multi melta, 2 lightning guns, tank hunters
Thallax 1 multi melta, 2 lightning guns, tank hunters
Krios venator
Myrmidon secutors 3 with dual phased plasma fusils
Myrmidon destructors 3 with conversion beamers
Thanatar, Paragon of metal, enhanced targeting array
Vorax 3 with bio ammo rotor cannons
Ursurax 3 with dual power fists
Magos prime, Servo arm, power axe, volkite culverin, ordinator
Aduseclaris 10 with laslocks and carapace armour.
LOW
Warhound titan with plasma blastgun and turbo laser destructor.
Secondary force: Storm hawks
Thunder gryph cavalry, one with thunder hammer, one with wolf claw and melta bombs, one with thunder hammer and storm shield.
Blood claw pack, wolf guard pack leader with thunder hammer and combat shield, meltagun, 1 thunder hammer, 7 with bolt pistol and ccw.
Tactical squad, 5 bolters, heavy bolter, grav gun, veteran sergeant with thunder hammer and plasma pistol.
Long fang squad, 5 missile launchers, ancient with flamer.
Devastator centurions, 3 with grav cannon+amp and hurricane bolters.
Chaos
KE
Primary Force: Alpha legion
Warlord: Preator Susurri, Tartaros terminator armour, Iron halo, Paragon blade, power dagger, volkite charger, void shield harness, Venom spheres, Meltabombs, volkite charger. (His campaign warlord trait gave an additional 500pts to his bodyguard unit.)
Flense, Level 2 librarian with force axe, artificer armour, refractor field, plasma pistol, melta bombs.
Loquere, Chaplian with power dagger, melta bombs, venom spheres, Power maul, artificer armour, refractor field.
Vetus, Primus medicae in terminator armour, power dagger, power sword, needle pistol.
Terminator command squad 2 chainfists, 2 power fists, 1 reaper autocannon, 3 combi bolters with banestrike ammo. Includes banner bearer.
Leviathan dreadnought, cyclonic melta lance, 2 twin linked volkite calivers, siege drill, phosphex discharger.
Vindicator, Laser destroyer array.
Tactical squad 10 men with bolters, sergeant with artificer armour and power sword.
Rhino combi bolter
Tactical squad 10 men with bolters, sergeant with artificer armour and power sword.
Rhino combi bolter
Breacher squad, 10 men, 2 meltaguns, sergeant with artificer armour, power sword, meltabombs, breaching charge.
Proteus land raider, armoured ceramite, printle multi melta.
Rapier team: Laser destroyer
Duoboros: Techmarine with power axe, servo arm, bolt pistol and meltabombs.
Tactical support squad: 10 with meltaguns, sergeant has artificer armour.
Rhino combi bolter
Rapier team, graviton cannon
Whirlwind.
LOW
Mastodon with 2 HKM.
(Remainder of points spent on power daggers for all squad sergeants)
DA
Secondary Force: Emperors Children
Rapier team quad mortar with shatter shells
Rapier team quad mortar with shatter shells
Rapier team quad mortar with shatter shells
Legion consul, power armour, bolt pistol, chainsword.
Contemptor cortus dreadnought, keres, ccw with meltagun.
Sicaran with lascannon sponsons
Vindicator with demolisher cannon and power of the machine spirit.
Deredeo with autocannons, heavy bolters and missile launcher
Story Excerpt
Titan hangar LTP#552874632985
Driel looked up from his telemetry as the storm hawks arrived. The beasts three of them where riding did not sit well with him but their use must have a logical reason for their use. Dawn would break within the hour and yet this facility had yet to yield anything worthwhile so far. Princeps Knead had commandeered the one warhound they had discovered intact and would be moved to the surface once the machine was awakened.
His cyber occularis chimed a warning which came too late as upon the break of dawn the sound of approaching vehicles could be heard. Checking the feed Driel noted the Mastodon transport and the arrayed forces bearing down on them. He sent a command to his backfield support and hoped they could arrive soon enough to help hold the line.
Turning back to the base systems he diverted all available power to the Warhound’s chamber to try and get it functioning to aid them in their defence of the site.
—-
Susurri observed the battlefield from within his Mastodon transport. The massive form of the leviathan dreadnought of Brother Keller was hunkered down and was ready to be unleashed when required. His command squad and his command staff Chaplian Loquere, Primus medicae Vetus and Libraian Flense stood ready as did Techmarine Duoboros whose red bionic lenses glowed brightly as his servo arm twitched in anticipation.
The void shield harness installed within his suit of terminator was inert for now. The vehicle rumbled forwards as the attack began.
The Game
Deployment
The Chaos front line. The three alpha legion rhinos and the two rapier have infiltrated forwards. The whirlwind is lurking further back while the mastodon and its cargo wait on the deployment line. The emperors children support units have followed this pattern and have also deployed as far forwards as possible barring the bare bone consul who is observing the battle from further back.
The land raider and breachers are in reserve and ready to outflank.
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- The other squad of thallax move back away from the advancing chaos forces.
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- The Thanatar holds the backfield with the storm hawks tactical squad and thallax. The centurions and blood claws are poised to move forwards to counter the AL advance.
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- A model’s eye view of the dawn attack being conducted by the forces of chaos. Imperial forces fail to seize the initiative.
Chaos turn 1
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- The mastodon moves forwards and its sheer bulk blocks line of sight for the rest of the AL anti-tank elements which have to move around it.
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- The infiltrated Rhinos move forwards aiming to simply close the gap on turn 1. The Emperors children vindicator moves up to target the myrmidons.
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- Fire from the vindicator, sicaran and deredeo combined kills off the Myrmidons and leaves the magos on 1 wound. The Ursurax also take a wound from shooting during the phase.
Imperial Turn 1
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- The blood claws, ursurax, centurions and thunder gryph cavalry charge out to engage the forces of chaos. Having lost their heavy bolter the tactical squad moves forwards to be ready to shoot any targets of opportunity.
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- The krios venator lines up the mastodon, as the blood claws and centurions advance to take the fight to the enemy.
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- One of the Alpha legion rhinos is wrecked by the magos’s armourbane volkite culverin.
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- The blood claws and ursurax charge into and then kill two more rhinos. (The centurions had failed to do any damage in the shooting phase.) The graviton cannon has been killed by the storm hawk long fangs (leaving toilet man, my seated crew member crapping himself. We made fun of the model over this).
Chaos turn 2
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- The breachers and their land raider arrive via outflank. The breachers ready their meltaguns to try and hurt the thanatar.
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- The alpha legion tactical support squad clamber over their rhino to draw line of sight to the blood claws.
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- The meltaguns of the unit kill 5 storm hawks. I then maintain position and try to goad a charge from the imperial unit. (As overwatch would give me another chance to shoot them.)
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- The leviathan dreadnought makes short work of the centurions as the mastodon continues to do little more than annoy the imperial player.
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- Shooting from the emperors children and alpha legion forces have killed the thundergryph cavalry, the ordinator magos and reduced the last ursurax to a single wound. Toilet man is relieving himself behind the vindicator.
Imperial turn 2
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- The surviving ursurax jumps behind the mastodon as the surviving blood claws move into the building.
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- The tactical squad and thallax move to deal with the breachers.
-
- The other squad of thallax move back away from the advancing chaos forces.
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- The thanatar’s plasma mortar kills one cannon and crew outright before reducing the final two to a single crewman and a cannon respectively.
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- 3 breachers die from the fire aimed at them from the thallax and storm hawks.
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- 2 more breachers are killed by the thallax in close combat causing them to flee.
-
- The mastodon is reduced to eight hull points by the attacks of the ursurax.
Chaos Turn 3
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- The chaos forces continue to advance forwards as the meltagun unit tries to shoot at the surviving blood claws through the windows of the ruin.
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- The breachers regroup and take aim. The land raider turns to face the Thanatar.
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- The alpha legion tactical squads move up with the emperors children contemptor and vindicator.
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- The mastodons melta array wrecks the krios venator as the fire from the alpha legion and emperors children kill the second squad of myrmidons.
Imperial turn 3
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- The secutarri hoplites move in to attack the mastodon.
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- The ursurax which survived being fired at by two laser destroyers moves to catch the mastodon as the two surviving blood claws move to attack the rapier crew.
-
- The newly arrived Vorax surround toilet man.
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- The mechanicum forces rearrange to be able to fire upon the enemy invading their facility.
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- 2 more breachers are killed by the fire from the tactical squad and thallax.
-
- The securtarri knock the mastodon down to five hull points.
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- The aduseclaris kill two more alpha legionnaires.
-
- The Vorax have wiped toilet man off the table.
-
- The blood claws easily kill the rapier crew and the ursurax takes two more hull points from the mastodon.
-
- The thallax charge in again on the breachers and this time they hit a stalemate.
Chaos Turn 4
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- The Meltagun team and Alpha legion tactical squads move forwards as the mastodon disgorges its cargo. The Emperor’s children vehicles take aim at the vorax, while the alpha legion vindicator takes aim at the surviving ursurax.
-
- The leviathan dreadnought and AL terminator command squad and its cadre of officers make ready to bring the fight to the enemy. The mastodon is now down to three hull points remaining I tried to use cast forewarning on it with Flense (my librarian) to give it a 4+ invulnerable save but this was denied. The Emperors children contemptor has followed the alpha legion tactical squad onto the stronghold tile.
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- The combined fire from the sicarian and vindicator remove the Vorax unit from the table.
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- The vindicator manages to finally kill the ursurax while the breachers manage to lose 3 marines then run from combat again. The mastodon regains one of its lost void shields.
Imperial Turn 4
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- The blood claws move to attack the vindicator
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- The storm hawks tactical squad move down to engage the breachers.
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- The warhound titan rises from the underground vault.
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- Firing the plasma blastgun on the normal mode kills all but one AL tactical marine (I went to ground and made 4 6+ cover saves saving him) but fails to harm the contemptor dreadnought.
-
- The Turbo laser destructor fails to harm the leviathan dreadnought but kills three of the alpha legion terminators.
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- The breachers finally get wiped out as they are charged by both the tactical squad and the thallax. (The sergeant survived, failed his morale check again and then died to the sweeping advance.)
-
- The blood claws charge in and wreck the vindicator.
Chaos Turn 5
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- The mastodon and meltagun squad move deeper into the imperial deployment zone.
-
- Both the contemptor and leviathan have moved in to engage the Warhound titan.
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- The AL whirlwind immobilizes itself trying to move to a better firing position.
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- The mastodon kills a thallax and a tactical marine while the warhound is reduced to 5 hull points when every gun that can see it is fired at it.
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- The alpha legion command squad charges the thanatar while the titan is charged by both the leviathan and the contemptor dreadnoughts. The AL command squad take a wound from the thanatar, but lose the banner bearer from a return attack.
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- The titan is blown apart. Causing a glancing hit on the leviathan as it died from kicking it. The blast itself does no damage to the leviathan but immobilizes the emperors children contemptor.
Imperial Turn 5
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- The thallax turn and fire upon the armoured ceramite land raider but fail to do any damage.
-
- Arch magos driel fails to break through the leviathans armour.
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- Susurri cuts down the thanatar with his paragon blade.
We called the game here at the end of turn 5. The imperial player had 4 wounded thallax, arch magos driel, 3 long fangs, 2 tactical marines, 3 aduseclaris and 2 cyber occularis left and he decided that he could not claw back any further victory points. (Seeing as Chaos would get to move/shoot/assault before he would be able to act with his force again.)
Story Excerpt
The Leviathan dreadnought span up its siege drill and proceeded to grind through the knees of the Warhound titan. The machine dipped as the emperors children contemptor grabbed it and pulled it down further. This allowed the leviathan to drive its siege drill through the cockpit of the god engine. The titan detonated as its reactor went critical. Showering the immediate area with red-hot shrapnel and plasma.
Driel moaned as he noticed movement and the leviathan dreadnought strode out into view. Fire from every remaining gun targeted the machine which shrugged off the fire without effort. A rune flickered out on his display and Driel span round to see his Thanatar fall. His data gave him one solution.
“All units fall back.”
Susurri looked up from his kill as the last few dregs of the enemy forces fled the area.
“Let them run” He rasped into the vox, his signature voice not rising above a whisper. “Fools who run from combat are not worth killing.”
“But commander our orders are….”
“To secure this site” Susurri adds. “Gather the dead. Duoboros,”
Upon hearing his name the techmarine exited the Mastodon which had ceased smoking from the damage that had been caused to it.
“Yes” He state. The mechanical tones of his augmented voice distorting his speech pattern.
“Link the mastodon into the base’s system and give me a readout. I want to know what we can salvage”
Duoboros nodded before moving off to find an access point.
Conclusion
Victory points chaos 18 (Line Breaker, 1 Onslaught attack, 3 for price of failure 13 for destroyed units)
Victory points imperial 13 (3 Onslaught attack, 10 destroyed units.)
Another close game. When the titan appeared, the Mastodon had 3 HP and a void shield remaining and would have been worth 5 victory points 4 for price of failure and 1 for kill points. So when the imperial player used the titans turbo laser destructor on the leviathan dreadnought instead, I ended up losing three terminators from the command squad rather than the mastodon [The leviathan suffered 1 penetrating hit which I saved with its invulnerable save]. (He was trying to stop me from using the dreadnought to grind through the titan’s knees.)
A few errors in deployment were also made as the imperial player was not used to the mechanicum (The myrmidon destructors and secutors specifically, he placed the longer-ranged ones closer to the enemy.) or the centurions (They always just died when I used them, but he would have been better served giving them lascannons and missile launchers and using them defensively. The leviathan dreadnought likes things that cannot fire overwatch.)
We have two more missions before we get to out game of Apocalypse. Coming up next is a cityfighting mission where the objectives of the chaos forces relate to setting structures on fire or destroying them.
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You guys sure do have slugfests.
How many points was this?
Our gaming group has a history of brutal games where only a handful of units survive on each side.
As for this game it was 3750pts a side [2000pts main army, 1000pts secondary force, 750pt lord of war.] (the Alpha legion got a small 500pt boost due to a campaign warlord trait. Which was the techmarine {who hid in the mastodon and repaired 2 hull points over the course of the game} and the melta squad and their rhino, which gave up a victory point and killed a single unit.)
Guess you guys like big games? Seems all the previous ones were larger games like this as well; well, most, not all.
Indeed the standard games for this campaign once we moved into the phase 2 were 3000pts a side.
But before when we were playing normally we’d play team games with four players each having 2000pts each (so 4000pts a side with a 25% of total points limit on the LOW options so 500pts max per person. unless previously agreed.)
The Legion and 30k Mechanicum army lists tended to struggle at lower points values so we just used 2000pt armies.