Abhorrent Grotesque Aberration
Hopping on the pain wagon
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Guardsman Piet Larinski popped his head up over the edge of the wall of sandbags his squad was assigned. The sandbags were doubled and tripled - the greenskins weapons were crude but no less effective for it. He ducked down quickly and waited expectantly for the heavy thuds of impact. After several seconds of silence he peeked back over. The guns were silent. This could only mean one thing. His fears were confirmed a minute later as the orks took up their bestial war cry and charged across the no man's land.
Larinski emptied his flask of Woidka - he would not need it to keep warm tonight. He then switched his rifle to full auto and met his death well.
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"General, a massive ork advance just overwhelmed the 231st Vostroyan," the comms officer was breathless from running to the officer's mess.
The general wiped the grease of roast grox from his mouth though droplets of grease clung tenaciously to his thick beard. "What is the eta for the Quetzoc 11th armored?"
"Colonel Tlandis has mobilized his reserves. His armored company will arrive there in 90 minutes."
General Vandire rose from the mess table. "That is about 70 minutes too late to prevent the entire line from collapsing. Contact Castellan De La Cruz, let him know of the situation and request - "
The rest of his words were drowned out with the roar of supercharged engines. A deep thunder resonated in both men's chests and though these new arrivals were allies they still quailed at the sight of the Emperor's finest arrayed on iron steeds.
"That notification will be unnecessary, general. I will take my swiftest elements and we shall hold the line until the Quetzoc arrive. This I swear on my honor."
The ground shook as the Wind Crusade sped toward the battle lines.
So, this last weekend I was able to slip away from the snotling and get in a game with Shep. It's been a couple of months since a full size game (had a couple of corkers with Gitsmack in our growing campaign but those were just 400 points) so I was jonesing something bigger. Shep rubbed his hands maniacly and started to cackle - he asked which list, I said bikes, he said done. I brought my tentative 1750 "goal" list and Shep brought a characterful ork list. My army is painted like Black Templars (in process anyway). I figure that the "captain" who leads them has taken the vow "Be Swift As The Wind".
The Wind Crusade (Codex:Space Marines)
Castellan De La Cruz (captain, bike, relic blade, storm shield, hellfire rounds)
Chaplain Veigne (bike)
Hamsin (command squad, bikes, 2 power fists, banner, company champion, storm shield)
Chinook (8 bikes, mm attack bike, 2x meltas)
Bora (8 bikes, mm attack bike, 2x meltas)
Sirocco (8 bikes, hb attack bike, 2x plasma)
Kosava (3 mm attack bikes)
Squamish (3 hb attack bikes)
Orks
Warboss (power klaw, attack squig, maybe some other stuff)
Mad Doc Grotsnik
2x30 Shoota boyz
2x30 Choppa boyz
2x3 kannons with 3 ammo runts each
20 'ard Boyz (the Mad Doc went 'ere)
Pregame
We rolled up Take and Hold as the mission and got 3 objectives which ended up in a straight line pretty close to the middle of the table. We got a spearhead deployment and Shep went first.
With a Spearhead deployment the orks took up position with the kannons at their rear and a building along their long table edge. The shootas started the game in reserve in order to get across the table a bit quicker. The warboss deployed with a unit of choppas which followed the 'ard boyz in. The last choppa unit was just in front of the kannons awaiting shenanigans and holding the objective.
I combat squadded everything that could with the special weapons going alongside the attack bike. My deployment pretty much filled up my quarter with much of my army hiding behind a complete building. I promise to get pics for the next one. I didn't try to seize initiative and the game kicked off.
Turn 1
The 'ard boyz advanced up the center and ran closer as did the choppas with the warboss. Everything else hung back. I lost a bike to a kannon.
For my turn in return I decided to see what kind of damage I could do to his 'ard Boyz via shooting. I basically shot my entire army at them and when all was said and done I think that I had killed 5. Hmmm... this could be really bad. At least I had my command squad in position for a countercharge and through positioning had really only hung one unit out to dry.
Turn 2
Neither unit of shootas arrives - whew. The Mad Doc leads his 'ard Boyz in dancing on the heads of a combat squad. It is, unsurprisingly, wiped out.
Castellan De La Cruz leads his command squad against the 'ard Boyz with Chaplain Veigne working them into a frothing frenzy. De La Cruz singles out the Mad Doc and cuts him down. The rest of the squad does well, all but wiping out the squad. The nob does manage to take out the Company Champion before losing his nerve and fleeing. The bikes cut the squad down with contemptuous ease. The take up position to receive a possible waagh charge in the next turn.
Turn 3
The shootas decide to continue their game of knucklebones for teef off the table They must be Snake Bites cause they rolled Snake Eyes to come onto the table. This was pretty huge. Somehow the topic of conversation turns to the merits of taking Korsarro Khan as opposed to my regular bike captain. After all, I never get a chance to use combat tactics - the unit is either wiped out or too close to the table edge to risk rolling 3d6. The choppa unit moves forward and shoots causing 2 wounds. Combat tactics is redeemed. Twice this game combat tactics would prove to be clutch in keeping me outta combat but somehow I stay on the table. The warboss and his unit get ready to take a charge from the command squad.
My two fleeing units both rally. One of them is just an attack bike and a regular bike. This squad turbo boosts into the ork back lines and threatens the kannons. I move the command squad behind the warboss's squad - I debate charging it or not. I figure to soften it up with my shooting and lacking both a 4+ save and a Mad Doc we are both a bit stunned to see me wipe out the entire unit leaving the warboss there all alone. This is before I even shot with my command squad. The tactical thing here is to blow through the next squad, but the warboss talks some smack and flicks some boogers my way. He challenges my honor, and as a Black Templar my honor is my life - none may dispute it. De La Cruz charges in and thanks to some deft swordsmanship leaves the warboss with only a single wound. Next up Chaplain Veigne hits and wounds. The dice spin on the table and the drama is heightened. His Cybork body comes through! His power klaw rips the Captain off of his bike and slams him to the ground, shattering several ribs and puncturing both primary lungs. The brother with the power fist avenges his fallen commander.
We were both howling with laughter. I even cheered when he made the cybork saves at 1 wound. It was awesome, one of those moments that makes all the hours of painting worth it.
Turn 4
The shootas come on in a wall of green. Each squad shoots at a different attack bike squad reducing both to just a single model, but both hold their nerve. His remaining choppa squad shoots and charges the command squad and wipes it out for a few losses. The unit spreads out a bit over its one objective and half way to the second. The kannons see that they are in trouble but they are unable to get a bead on the fast moving bikes (I made both cover saves.)
The two bikes dual charge both kannons and win the combat, running the little runts down. One of the attack bikes turbo boosts directly in front of a shoota squad, the other moves 12" to a point on the other end of the big green wall from the power klaw. It shoots and charges in and wins combat but, most importantly, pins the unit for turn 5.
Turn 5
The shootas not in combat charge the attack bike, hoping to get a decent massacre move since I was really in the way. The choppas spread out taking the middle and right objectives and being sure to be more than 3" deep on both sides to prevent any charge pulling off objective shenanigans before shooting at the squad that saw off the kannons and killing the regular bike. This line was pretty thin and I thought that I would be able to move my 2 single model units that were remaining to within 3" of the objectives but still be 1" away from enemy models. Unsurprisingly both attack bikes were wiped out and both unit consolidated toward the final objective which I was claiming with my 1 untouched squad.
Things were looking desperate for the Templars. I was correct in that both units were able to get within 3" of the objectives via turbo-boosting. That put us at 2 objectives contested and 1 in the Templars hands though I had but 7 models remaining. I had to hope that those reinforcements would arrive soon.
The Emperor was with me.
After Action Review
Wow, what a great game to play after a fairly long break (for me, at least.) It was a whole lot of fun - Shep is always a great opponent, full of laughs and kunnin' plans in equal measure. I think I could have waited one more turn before committing but I was afraid to get too close to his table edge with those two shoota units. It was a very bloody game. There were a couple of things I was on the fence about before the game started:
1. The command squad is insanely expensive. Turned out it hit like a ton of bricks and I think I will be making it even a bit more expensive if I can find the points.
2. Combat tactics. Wow, what a difference that made this game. Had my squads not fallen back early in the game I think it would have been over by turn 4. Orks really counter my movement well just by virtue of taking up the entire freaking table.
Anyway, a great game, lots of fun, I can't wait to play them again.
Man of the match has to go to Castellan De La Cruz. He took out the Mad Doc and pretty much the warboss. Not too shabby. Everything worked pretty well and while I could be a bit more cagey in play (that will come with experience, I am sure) I am happy with how the army performed. Thanks for reading.
Brother Sergeant de Beers prepared to sell his life dearly. He ran his bike in circles around his fallen Castellan throwing dirt and rocks onto the orks who were advancing. The biggest of them, de Beers knew that they called themselves "nobs" was licking his lips - not at the thought of battle, the Templar realized, but because he was looking at the wicked looking power klaw on the fallen warboss. This was to be a power play.
A screaming shell flew over his head and exploded in the ranks of the orks, tossing limbs and rusted bit of metal around like so much debris. This first round was quickly followed by a second and then a third. De Beers stopped his bike and threw the Castellan over one shoulder. He called for the remaining bikes to fall back to the Quetzoc line as heavy tanks took up position led by a mighty Shadowsword and began to punish the orks for their daring.
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