Greetings,
This Batrep is thematically a sequel to my last
Apocalypse batrep.
The forces of Chaos, the Dark Elder, and a mighty Ork WAAAGH! had descended on an Imperial city, and after much gruesome battle the Imperial defenders had managed a narrow fought victory. The Dark Eldar quickly claimed what they wanted and departed, but now it is up to the forces of The Imperium to push the raging Orks and the maddened forces of Chaos from the city. Called to this task is a large contingent of the Allied Mechanicus 665th Expeditionary Fleet who are looking to secure the city to hold onto precious
STC machinery. Meanwhile, a force of Space Wolves (or maybe it's a successor chapter...I can't imagine purple is codex standard...) have arrived with the more honorable goal of just stomping in the faces of some enemies of the Imperium.
To the battle!
The battlefield prior to deployment - the line of barricades represents No Man's Land.
The Most Honorable Aubergine Wolves
When in doubt - bring tanks, everything else will probably sort out okay.
The Imperium wins side selection and claims the city corner. Objectives are placed (the big hill, a statue in a city square, one of the Griffon statues, a ruined building, a wrecked bunker, and two very strategic 'random spots of open ground' that we hope the other guy stands in so we can shoot the gak out of him
The Imperial forces want to go second, so bid a fairly silly amount of time. The
CSM and Orks bid two minutes and start to slap their stuff out.
The Orks (shock) decide to go with an aggressive deployment. Seen here is a Gargantuan Squiggoth (15 Tankbustas inside), a Battlewagon (Ghaz, Zogwort, a Warboss,
KFF Big Mek, and some Meganobz), and some Looted Wagons (Warboss and diversified Nobz)
A squadron of Burna Buggies waits in eager readiness to unleash mayhem - behind them can be seen the more thoughtful positioning of the Plague Marines.
The Imperial Guard open up by revealing that they took the Imperial Shield Infantry Company Formation. Amongst many advantages granted them is being provided a lot of 3+ barricades to place out - the corner of the Imperial city quickly becomes a nest of barricades, heavy weapon teams, and lines of Leman Russ tanks.
A Heavy Weapon squad considers the Death Guard Landraider (oddly filled with Kharn and Berserkers - Kharn is also making threatening gestures)
A reverend Dreadnaught stoically takes up a firing position within an Imperial Shrine - he will not allow it to be defiled by the oncoming Ork horde.
The view of some Long Fangs perched atop a tall spire of ruins.
Recruits to the Allied Mechanicus - troops from the Armageddon Steel Legion offer to take the front lines vs. the Orks, well wishing to test their skills as some of the finest Ork killers in the galaxy.
A line of Imperial steel serves as the corner of the two fronts the Imperial Guard are holding. With the tanks at their side, the Imperial Guard are ready to hold the line at all costs.
Ratling Snipers take up some handy forward positions.
Company and Platoon Command are secure within their Chimera, ready to move to reinforce any part of the line where they detect shirking. Also visable is a Stormlord Heavy tank - within it is the grizzled Commisar Yarrick and some Ogryns, as well as a Techpriest (the true commander of the Expeditionary Fleet) and his Sevitor assistants.
The 701st and 304th squads secure themselves within the field headquarters for the Imperial forces - their job is to hold the point or die trying.
A combined squad of Cadians and Catachans await with flamers and an eager Commisar. The Catachans rather wish they were in the fields beyond rather than crouching upon piles of skulls (and, what a shock, the Khorne forces are coming this way)
The overlay of the field - my Morkolith (left side of picture) is serving as a stand in for a Big Mek Stompa)
The Imperial guard also deploy another strategic asset - a gift from the Mechanicum, the Disrupter Beacon will prevent easy deep strike or outflanking maneuvers around their position.
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Battle Plans
Imperium - We develop a very simplistic strategy and base it off fluff logic. The Imperial Guard will hold the (fething) line and claim the primary home objective as well as hopefully pushing forward enough to claim the secondary right in front of them as long as they gut the Orks. The Space Wolves will focus on providing gunline support, but will be mostly tasked with striking behind enemy lines and claiming the primary enemy objective (the big hill) with artillery support from the Guard gunline.
CSM+Orks - Again, pretty fluffy strategy plans. The
CSm are mostly going to slurp forward with their Plauge Marines and hold objectives while the Berserkers go berserk. Meanwhile a wave of Daemonic Assaults, Obliterators, and Terminators will flank or teleport in all over the map to disrupt and kill multiple major units. The Orks plan to put their foot on the accelerator and dakka, dakka, waaagh, the orks, WAAAAGH!
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Turn 1
Ghazgkull and his Bully Boyz formation are here, so the Orks decide to say 'ullo' to Yarrick and the Armageddon boyz by dropping some roks on them from orbit. Ork accuracy being what it is...a structure point is popped off the Stormlord, a Chimera is shattered, and another immobilized, and about half the Steel Legion is swept off the board. But other than that the line holds firm.
Using the roads to their advantage, the Looted Wagons roar towards the Imperial line, the Nobz inside hooting with glee.
The Big Mek Stompa goes to town, the Eye of Mork (or maybe Gork) fails to do much to this
LR Vanquisher, but it does use its lifta-droppa to pick up and smash around a Leman Russ Battle Tank in the main line.
The Orks unleash waves of flame into the Ratlings (also some big shootas) and generally laugh in amusment as the small fellows leap screaming and burning from the statue in a doomed attempt to escape.
As the Imperium surveys the damage it isn't too bad. The Imperial Guard and Long Fang missile teams go to work to hamper the Ork assault. First a Battle Wagon falls, dumping out Ghaz and his boyz.
The Imperial Guard, not to be outdone, unleash waves of shooting into the Looted Wagons, blasting them apart. Orks are walking today.
A Heavy Weapon Team's Bolters and a Master of the Fleet calling in a strike manage to rip a big hole in one of the Nob squads - most importantly fragging the Pain Boy.
A lot of shooting is lobbed at the Land Raider - but to no effect, the Berserkers start revving their chainaxes.
A Scheduled Bombardment pounds down on a building that the
IG expected the Orks to occupy but...not so much.
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Turn 2
Oi! Those first Rokks didn't kill everythink! Drop some more! Orks drop more Rokks on the
IG, but do shockingly little damage (The Commissar happily informs the infantry squad that the two men who died actually helped make the rest of them stronger)
Chaos decides to test the Disrupter beacon - out of seven units that test it - five are redeployed! Multiple Daemon Princes, some Raptors, a Vindicator, and some Terminators are all redirected to the big hill...it's almost as though the
IG wanted it to be overflowing for some reason...
Another Daemon Prince and some Termicide show up to deal with a Dread and Long Fangs.
A Predator rolls in to deal with a Manticore that both Orks and
CSM agreed was not wanted.
A Vindicator joins him, aiming to frag the Techpriest running around fixing vehicles.
Run rolls on the hill are generally abysmal. The Grots stationed at the objective jeer, because now they are sure they're safe from any last minute assaults.
The
CSM shooting is less then hoped for, the Manticore is stunned, and a single Servitor incinerated.
The Lifta-Droppa picks up a Leman and bats it around like a cat with a mouse. When it's all said and done the Leman is incapacitated and lacking all weapons - plus is unceremoniously dumped in front of an ally.
The Orks slam into the
IG gunline, shredding apart the Heavy Weapon and Infantry squads that had been defending the barricades. Orks had entered the Imperial defense lines!
More Nobz storm the Leman Russ Vanquisher - tearing it apart in seconds.
For *some* reason the Berserkers all tell Kharn to go assault one thing, while they assault another...
Kharn vs. tank - Kharn wins
The Berserks tear further holes in the
IG tank lines.
The
IG lines are buckling on both fronts.
Hope from the skies, Valkyries swoop in, blasting away at the approaching
CSM forces
One of them disgorges its passengers - a squad of hardened penal legionaries, who quickly rush to engage the Plague Marines.
Stormtroopers try, and fail, to deal with the Landraider.
The
IG's plot comes clear, as the drop a scheduled bombardment atop the big hill.
In the aftermath, the forces of Chaos are much diminished.
Recognizing the danger to the Imperial Guard, Space Wolf landspeeders and other forces swoop in to dismantle the attack on the rear lines.
Njall Stormcaller (and his pal,
JotWW) appear and maul one of the Nob squads.
A flight of three Landspeeders and a Dread attack the Big Mek's Stompa from behind.
The Wolves also bring out their own super heavy (I forget which type of mega tank he took...oops) it eats the Tankbusta squad in one go, and drops some wounds on the Squiggoth that now carries Ghazgkull and his Meganobz.
Wolf Guard packing Termie armor and hammers swarm out into the Prince and Termicide.
The Termies will survive for a turn, but the Prince is battered into submission.
Receiving their orders, the Catachan and Cadian squad moves forward, dropping a wave of lasgun fire and two well placed flamer blasts that greatly weaken the Berserks. The Autocannons fire into them as well. (not pictured - a Space Wolf Razorback drove up and popped Kharn in the face with a lascannon, removing the uber Berserk from the field.)
Commisar Yarrick gets sick of waiting for Ghaz to arrive, he and the Ogryns disembark to try and push back the onrush of Orks.
After a serious amount of fire to soften up all the Nobz (and wipe the squad without pain boy) The Ogryns assault the Nobz while Yarrick sets himself up to duel the wounded Warboss. Yarrick easily dispatches the Warboss and the Ogryns do acceptably for themselves, absorbing a lot of wounds but managing to kill most of the Nobz.
The Penal Legion hold their own versus the Plague Marines.
When House VanSaar rides Valks, they do it as The Emperor intended - by surfing them into battle.
The line is (fething) held.
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Turn 3
Ork solution to annoying Razorback - ram it at full speed with a Looted Wagon. The Razorback will explode as the Orks inside the Looted Wagon laugh merrily.
A...well...****ton of Oblits appear and open up with melta into the Valks.
The last two Berserks figure they can handle around 20 Guardsmen *easy* and assault. They kill five or so, but the Sarge's power weapons and Commisar's fist end their threat.
A Demon Prince and the Ork passengers in the Mek's Stompa try to swat some of the annoying bugs buzzing around them.
Some Daemons are summoned up and eat the Stormtroopers in assault.
Penal Legion and Wolf Hammernators secure a flank and objective.
Landspeeders are smashed around as a lone Dread continues to batter on the Stompa and keep it locked in assault (kinda shameful, really, aren't Stompas supposed to go for assault?)
The Squiggoth is still locked up on terrain as it has been all game (dice rolls of 1,1,2 and 1,2,2 have been common for him) The Warbuggies muscle forward hoping to maybe at least distract the
IG until Ghaz can get there.
More victims of the Disruption relay...yes, we had more Orbital bombardments to saturate them with.
Yarrick hunting another Warboss.
The Wolf assault on the Hill is in strong effect, they will contest.
The Wolves hold this objective.
Though slightly battered from some Rokks - the
IG still hold their objective.
A view of the board as it stood when called for time.
The Imperial forces hold 3 Objectives.
The Orks and
CSM hold 2
1 Objective is contested
IG+Space Wolf victory!
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MVP for Orks+CSM
This is a tough one to say, as I'm not sure if they had a clear standout unit rather than just a lot of small units that did pretty well for themselves. I suppose the Nobz in a general sense were their MVPs, as they certainly did the most damage and drew the most attention. Actually, considering how many saves were made - MVP is probably the
KFF Mek - he stopped, *easily* 15 or more penetrating hits on various vehicles around him, and we never did get that bugger.
WTF for Orks+CSM
The Squiggoth. It was very expensive, and after the Battlewagon was wrecked the Tankbustas bailed and its job was to carry Ghaz and his Meganob deathstar forward to glory. Instead...it just kinda got hung up on terrain due to bad dice and sort of shifted around staring at the fight. Ghaz and the Meganobz would have made a *potent* impact on the
IG line (Ogryns weren't swamping that unit, for sure) instead the heart and soul Deathstar of the Orks never got into combat as their very expensive ride just sort of shuffled around. That had to hurt the impact of the Ork assault in a dramatic way. I'll give honorable mention to the Dread who assaulted and locked a Stompa in h2h just because...wow.
MVP for Imperium
Not even a question for me - the Disrupter Beacon. It allowed us to reposition over 8 units during the course of the game and put most of them into a position where they were hit by an Orbital Bombardment. This single asset thus practically neutered the
CSM forces and prevented them helping gut the
IG lines. Even without Ghaz the Orks might have carried the day if the
IG couldn't focus fire - but there was never much of a threat behind the
IG, and so the Orks entered a shooting gallery and were cut down.
WTF for Imperium
Kind of embarrassing to say since I know they're good - but the Valks were pretty 'meh. They rolled on, one dropped passengers, they popped a Rhino and then the Oblits fragged them. They probably should have been used better.
Possible honorary mention to the three melta Landspeeders who jumped the Stompa - they all missed or did nothing, and then were assaulted and smashed. But probably the Valks were more shameful.
Night Lords (40k): 3500pts
Klan Zaw Klan: 4000pts
) But at least no sources I have show him with 
4000pts 
1850pts