The Battle for Mirum Ostentum - The Burning of Xalaciva (part 13)

Imperials get 1 victory point* for each building that is neither destroyed or on fire at the end of the game. (*Score 2Vp for structures within own deployment zone)

Chaos may use a lord of war.

Imperial forces get free ammo dumps (Re-roll 1’s to hit for occupying infantry units) in the buildings wholly within their deployment zone (but these buildings may explode if lit, on a 6+ at the end of each turn. This destroys the building and hits each model within with a str 6 ignores cover hit, vehicles are hit on their rear armour.).

Imperial forces also get 1 free bonus cityfighting stratagem. (So chaos forces will have 1 and the Imperials will have 2)

Secondary objectives

Onslaught attack, slay the warlord, price of failure.

Cityfighting objectives

Setting ruins and buildings ablaze

An attacking unit (cannot be a vehicle unless said vehicle is armed with a flamer type weapon or is carrying troops with flamer weapons) that ends its movement phase within range with a flamer or template weapon can use it to set a single building alight (this is done instead of shooting normally, they cannot assault after doing this.). An ablaze building becomes dangerous terrain and blocks line of sight being drawn through it. Models within the ruin now gain the stealth USR but suffer –1 BS. At the end of each subsequent turn each unit within a burning building suffers D6 str 3 ap- hits which are randomly allocated.

*Vehicle mounted Flamer/torrent/hellstorm weapons can target buildings instead of shooting normally and will automatically set the target building on fire. (The unit/vehicle that does this cannot then declare a charge in the assault phase, as they spend the rest of the turn insuring that the building is fully ablaze.)

Demolishing ruins and buildings

An attacking unit must spend an entire turn in base contact (1/2 or more of unit strength remaining needs to do this) with the structure setting charges. At the end of each subsequent turn (yours and your opponents) roll for the charges to explode which they do on a 4+. (you then keep rolling until they do explode.) [This destroys the building and hits each model within with a str 6 ignores cover hit, vehicles are hit on their rear armour]

Once exploded buildings are destroyed and replaced with a piece of rubble.

A Lord of war can ram a ruin by moving into contact with it, Roll a D6 on a 3+ the building collapses counting as destroyed but units within only suffer a single str 4 AP- hit each. On a roll of 1 the Lord of war hits something that it cannot smash through and it suffers 1 hull point of damage.

(Nothing happens on a roll of 2 as the building holds but does not damage the LOW. The LOW can move round the building but cannot attempt to ram the same structure again this turn.) (-1 cumulative modifier for any subsequent building ramming attempts if the first is successful during a given turn.)

If the vehicle/unit is armed with a siege weapon {EG demolisher/medusa or a weapon with the wrecker rule} they can target and potentially destroy the structure with shooting/Close combat. Ruins are Av 12 and small buildings are destroyed on a 2+ by a penetrating hit, medium on a 3+ and large on a 4+ by these weapons. [Small buildings can take a maximum of 2 penetrating hits before being automatically destroyed, 3 for medium and 4 for large]

Note: if an enemy unit is within 6″ you cannot choose to burn a building. If they are in a building and you target it with a flamer type weapon the building is ignited on a roll of 3+.

Imperial

Primary Army Imperial Guard

List unchanged since last used.

Secondary force

Bombard

Vulture gunship with punisher cannons

2 10 man scion squads with 1 grenade launcher each, sergeants have helpistols

1 6 man scion command squad sergeant has bolt pistol.

Taurox Prime with missiles

Cityfighting strategems

Sewer rats and power generators (He played this on each of the buildings in his deployment zone. While it is a key building stratagem we could find no limit to the amount of times it could be used. This allowed him to re-roll failed to wound rolls and to hits rolls of 1 for each unit within a structure in his deployment zone. These benefits are lost if the building is set on fire)

Chaos

Primary Army Emperors Children

List unchanged since last time.

LOW detachment.

Legion baneblade, Lascannon and twin heavy flamer sponsons with legion crew.

Legion vindicator with power of the machine spirit

Secondary Force Chaos space marines

Heldragon, Heldrake with Baleflamer

The unbranded – 2 6 man Chaos space marines all with ccw and bolt pistol, 1 flamer per squad, 1 aspiring champion with power fist, 1 aspiring champion with chainsword.

Vetul, Chaos lord – Mark of nurgle, terminator armour, burning brand, power axe, sigil of corruption, meltabombs, veteran of the long war

Decimator daemon engine – Two siege claws with heavy flamers.

Khornate raptors – 6 men, inc 2 meltaguns and aspiring champion with power weapon

Oblitorator

Cityfighting strategem
Siege shells (fitted to vindicator and baneblade Demolisher cannons)

Story excerpt

Lord commander Solomon Gyre read over the missive that had been delivered to him and sighed. The nurgle follower who had handed it to him was presently destroying the silken rugs of his camp with his mere presence.

“So we are to strike this location and burn it to the ground?” He asked.

“Indeed. We are going to clear the route to Altum by going through these settlements”

“Leave me I need to prepare my forces” Gyre adds shooing off the nurgle warrior who left a trail of unidentifiable secretions behind him as he left. Gyre summoned a squad of his marines.

“Clean that up” He snarled pointing at the trail the nurgle lord had left. “If I find any of it I shall feed it to you.”

—

Cavros Thawne was overseeing the final shipment of materials to allow for guerrilla actions to begin once the forces of chaos moved through the cities towards Altum. An enemy thunderhawk transporter in the colours of the Emperors children flew around the city’s outskirts before it dropped off a bastion.

Thawne grabbed the spotting magnoculars from his master of ordinance and looked out into the area beyond the city. His eyes picked out the approaching enemy forces and the baneblade that was in close attendance.

“Damn it” He states handing the item back to his MoO. He grabs the vox handset and cleared his throat before continuing. “all forces make ready to repel the enemy.”

The Game

Deployment

The imperial guard are placed to take advantage of their re-rolls. The meltagun special weapon team is in the chimera on the far left. The other two are empty. In reserve, we have the two flyers Vendetta and vulture as well as an infantry platoon [command squad, 2 squads], a 50 man conscript squad, an inquisitor, a Culexus assassin, all three squads of scions and three drop sentinels.

The chaos space marines are poised to charge down the right flank while the emperors children castle up around their Baneblade. The Decimator joins them while we joked about how the deredeo found its way onto the bastion and how it would get down afterwards. Two veteran tactical squads and their rhinos are in reserve and ready to outflank.

Imperial Turn 1

The Imperials seize the initiative.

DSCF3467 — The imperial transport vehicles move up to try to slow down the forces of chaos. One of the command squads also moves forwards towards the central ruins.

DSCF3468 — Psychic powers are cast giving the command squad a 2+ cover save.

DSCF3469 — And the laser destroyer team Ignores cover.

DSCF3470 — The imperial shooting phase tears four hull points from the baneblade, wounds on quad mortar cannon, and takes a hull points and shakes the crew of both the vindicator and sicaran. The deredeo also takes a hit and loses a hull point.

DSCF3471 — A whole cannon + 2 crew and 3 Chaos space marines suffer the attentions of the imperial guard artillery.

Chaos turn 1

DSCF3473 — Not wasting time all of the chaos space marine units move forwards as the decimator hugs the building ahead of its starting position for cover.

DSCF3474 — The Emperors children also move up with the baneblade trying to wreck the building ahead by ramming it. A 1 is rolled for its test and it takes another point of damage.

DSCF3475 — The taurox prime is wrecked as the light shooting that chaos possesses at this range does little more than a couple of wounds to the rapier team[One man one on the gun], a single model from the unit in the yellow floored building (This was caused by the baneblade cannon) and a hull point from the bombard.

The contemptor cortus charges the chimera (taking a hull point and a crew shaken result in the process from the melta overwatch) and tears it apart. The explosion killing two more guardsmen.

DSCF3477 — The chaos space marines and chaos lord set fire to two buildings with their flamer weapons.

Imperial turn 2

DSCF3478 — One squad of scions uses the sewer rats stratagem (brass circle) to emerge into the burning building. {Our joke was teenage mutant ninja scions which garnered a small chuckle amongst our group.}

DSCF3479 — The conscripts emerge and fill the area between the buildings with bodies.

DSCF3480 — A second infantry squad moves to reinforce this building.

DSCF3482 — A second scion squad emerges from the sewers.

DSCF3483 — 2 Raptors and 4 more chaos space marines are gunned down.

Chaos turn 2

DSCF3484 — The heldragon flies onto the battlefield as the oblitorator deep strikes down onto the sewer entrance marker and the raptors and chaos space marines move to engage the scions.

DSCF3486 — Having failed to kill it in their turn the melta squad prepares to face down the contemptor dreadnought. The emperors children command squad move deeper into the ruins. The baneblade is now on its last three hull points.

DSCF3487 — The Large building is wrecked and the scions are wiped out. The heldragon kills three guardsmen while the chimera loses 2 hull points and suffers an immobilized result. The newly arrived rhino and its marine cargo kill one missile launcher team and set the building on fire as a bonus.

DSCF3488 — The oblitorator uses its heavy flamer and kills two guardsmen and sets the building on fire. 25 conscripts are slain through a combination of a bad baneblade cannon scatter and the flamers from the newly arrived veteran tactical squad.

DSCF3489 — The green camo bombard is wrecked by the missiles from the deredeo.

DSCF3491 — The raptors and chaos space marines kill off the scions in close combat. The raptor champion gains the eternal warrior boon. (Useless on a single wound model yay)

DSCF3492 — Despite losing a model to overwatch the emperors children command squad and praetor easily defeat the infantry squad they charge into.

Imperial turn 3

DSCF3493 — The vendetta and vulture fly in to provide the imperial forces with air support.

DSCF3498 — The drop sentinels deep strike mishap and are placed in the far corner of the board.

DSCF3494 — The inquisitor and Mr 12 join the conscripts as they take aim at the emperors children rhino.

DSCF3495 — The scion command squad emerge from the sewers.

DSCF3496 — The baneblade is blown apart and its apocalyptic explosion scatters onto and destroys the already burning building in the centre of the table. The vendetta takes a hull point from and shakes the heldragon. The vulture and scion command squad pour fire into the emperors children command squad and manage to kill one marine. The obiltorator loses a wound.

The burning buildings kill a missile team and their commissar.

Chaos Turn 3

DSCF3499 — The chaos space marines and khorne raptors continue to advance with the nurgle terminator lord going on his afternoon stroll.

DSCF3500 — The emperors children veteran tactical squad jump out of their rhino as the heldragon wrecks the damaged chimera with a vector strike attack. The emperors children praetor moves centrally with his squad.

DSCF3501 — The sicaran and vindicator advance up to where the baneblade had been the turn before.

DSCF3502 — The vendetta loses two hull points and its centrally mounted lascannon to the deredeo. The CSM squad have run to try and get closer to their target for next turn. The central mechanicum ruin has been wrecked allowing access to the squad within.

DSCF3503 — The emperors children kill three members of Cavros Thawne’s command squad and wound kell. (Their rhino had been destroyed in the previous turn by the inquisitors psycannon.)

DSCF3504 — The tech priest and his servitors have been wiped out by the emperors children squad.

DSCF3505 — The scion command squad suffer the attentions of the contemptor dreadnought.

DSCF3506 — The decimator charges at the remanants of the central squad while Gyre charges the laser destroyer rapier team.

DSCF3509 — The oblitorator and raptor squad charge in to engage the imperial guard in the yellow floor structure.

DSCF3508 — The emperors children charge in to mug the imperial guard command squad.

DSCF3510 — The commissar kills the Eternal warrior champion [lol] and two guardsmen fall to the raptors. Gyre has easily beaten his opponents.

DSCF3511 — The preator easily kills the rapier team while the veteran tactical squad loses two men but manages to kill kell and nork with their attacks.

Imperial Turn 4

DSCF3512 — The vulture moves over the emperors children command squad aiming to punish them. An imperial command squad move forwards to try to block the chaos forces from setting another building on fire.

DSCF3513 — The contemptor cortus is wrecked and a quad mortar is silenced.

DSCF3514 — Shooting was highly ineffective but the conscripts, inquisitor and Mr 12 rescue cavros thawne from the veteran tactical squad. The inquisitor and veteran sergeant continue their double KO tradition and kill each other with power fist to the face tactics in their challenge. The imperial guard squad fighting the raptors kill one for a single casualty in return.

DSCF3516 — The imperial guard command squad charges into the chaos space marines squad and manage to kill one and only lose one man in return. [The power fist aspiring champion rolled a double 1 to hit.]

Chaos Turn 4

DSCF3517 — The raging fires kill the last raptor and the two imperial guard left alive in combat with him as well as the final missile launcher team. The decimator moves forwards and the heldragon drops into hover mode.

DSCF3518 — Solomon gyre and his squad jump onto the balcony to engage Cavros thawne. The Nurgle lord and final CSM continue their advance.

DSCF3520 — With the command squad gone another two buildings are set alight putting victory out of the reach of the imperial side. (That and our time running out meant we called the game here)

Story excerpt

Cavros looked up and then around. Thick black smoke obscured the sky from where buildings were burning. His forces had been broken and very few survivors remained. The time had come to fall back. His attention was drawn to the enemy commander as he and his command squad landed on the balcony nearby.

—

Lord commander Solomon Gyre looked down at Cavros Thawne and chuckled.

“There is no escape this time you imperial lapdog” He states.

“The first rule of chess.” Cavros Thawne replies “Is to think two moves ahead.”

He dropped down through the nearby access hatch and into the top of his emergency chimera escape route. As he did this the Culexus assassin Mr 12 slammed into Solomon Gyre and pitched him off the balcony. The impact with the ground made Gyre black out for a moment. When he regained his senses his command squad stood around him and helped him up.

“Where did he go!” Gyre snarls.

“The enemy pulled back commander” one of them replies. “They sucker punched you and then fled before we could pursue.”

The crackling of the many fires in the area could be heard as Gyre attempted to compose himself. A crunch sound was followed by further sounds as Vetul approached.

“The deed is done, the city burns.” He states “Do not worry Gyre you will have your chance.”

Vetul points at Altum of which the spire can be seen through the heat haze created by the spreading fires. “There is their final line of defence and that is where they will be forced to make their final stand.”

Conclusion

Despite seizing the initiative, the imperial forces could not capitalise and did not manage to get any points for onslaught attack. And seemed to struggle as the chaos forces began to advance down the table. (Bad dice rolls aided in this regard

The Baneblade was very underwhelming and did very little damage but seemed to draw the attention of the imperial player who did gain his 3 points for price of failure from its destruction.

At the end of the game the imperial player had three intact structures. (6 Vp but was 10 behind the forces of chaos.) His warlord (and 4 ablative wounds surrounding him) ~20 conscripts with a priest, his assassin, one mobile chimera, a bombard, a vulture, a damaged vendetta, a commissar, a weaponless manticore, a single banner guy (from a command squad) and a rapier team with priest. We had yet to conduct the chaos shooting phase at this stage. (a deredeo, sicaran, quad mortar, vindicator, oblitorator and the nurgle lords burning brand all had targets by my estimates the imperial forces would have been most likely tabled by the end of turn 5)

DSCF3522 — When removing imperial guard casualties bring a dustpan and brush.

We really should have tested this mission more thoroughly before we ran through it. As despite discussing and clarifying the rules and victory conditions before we started and the imperial player wanted to include a method for his troops to be able to extinguish the fires [Mentioned last-minute as we about to play the game].

Afterwards we had said if a unit is within a structure and there are no enemy units with 6” they can then spend the turn putting the fire out (The same as chaos creating the fires). But no imperial squad was in a position where they could spend a turn not shooting. (mostly due to assaults and or being shot at.)

If we revisit this mission in the future we will test and then implement a way to do this. [Perhaps even using command points to allow a unit to do this action as our next campaign will be using 8^th edition rules.]

The upside to this has been that due to chaos winning all the missions since phase 2 bar the one that ended in a draw we have gotten to play a lot of the more interesting missions that were written up for this campaign.

Next up we have the Blood sacrifice mission which does away with victory points and instead has a simple win/lose condition. Then we move into the campaigns Endgame Apocaylpse>Battlefleet gothic>Smaller apocalypse game> Crown winner.

Once completed a review of the campaign will be conducted where the aspects of it will be looked into and judged to see where we can make improvements in the future.