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This is a bit of a double post from my painting and modeling log, but I figured there may be a different set of folks frequenting this forum that might enjoy seeing this. Hopefully that's okay with everyone. Should have just posted here and made a link in retrospect. Anyway, let's get to the fun part:

Inquisitor Kailen had a hunch, and as her hunches had proven the salvation of the Imperium in the past, the Ultramarines under Romulus' urging, Cannoness Margarite and her annexed Guard, and portions of Inquisitor Mack's personal army traveled to Mars to meet the forces of Chaos. Other Imperial forces protected other high value targets throughout Segmentum Solar and the Sol system in particular, but Kailen was sure that the secret STC library on Mars' polar cap was the true target of the Ruinous Powers.

They found the base in good condition to defend with excellent infrastructure between the entrances to the underground complex and the only suitable landing area in the area (far end).

Surveying the battlefield, Kailen and her allies knew there would be six main objectives that would need to be considered to keep Chaos from penetrating the library. The first two were the physical entrances (near end) consisting of an armored pyramid and a simple escape hatch built into a cut-off Martian outcropping. These objectives were well guarded by two bastions and barricades. Also of strategic importance were en electrical facility and test station (mid field), which were surrounded by razorwire, but, if lost, could reveal secrets about the base and it's defenses, and finally the control tower and fueling station in the landing area (far end), which would allow the Chaos forces to quickly escalate their assault.



Turn 1A - Chaos holds their entire force in Strategic Reserve to co-ordinate their attack with the support of their Daemonic allies. (Score: Chaos 0 - Imperials 0)

Turn 1B - The Imperial forces await the onslaught of the Ruinous Powers by consolidating their defenses around the two entrances to the library complex and advancing exploratory forces into no-man's land. (Score: Chaos 0 - Imperials 0 + 4*1 = 4)




Turn 2A - The Chaos vanguard strikes! Chaos takes hold of the test station in the no-man's land and refueling station near the landing pad, threatens [forgets] to capture the control tower, and sends deep-striking packs of Daemons and Obliterators behind the Imperial lines. Bye bye, Baneblade! (Score: Chaos 0 + 2*2 = 4 - Imperials 4)




Turn 2B - The first wave of Imperial reinforcements deep strike, taking possession of the control tower. Back nearer the library complex, the Guardsmen's resolve holds strong and the Daemons are largely eliminated from the Imperial backfield. (Score: Chaos 4 - Imperials 4 + 3*2 = 10)




Turn 3A - The remaining Chaos troops enter the fray behind the covering smoke of a Blind Barrage. (Score: Chaos 4 + 2*3 = 10 - Imperials 10)




Turn 3B - The Imperial reinforcements arrive just as the smoke lifts to reveal the true chaotic threat! The battle for the control tower intensifies. At the electrical facility, the Bloodthirster is taken down by disciplined, massed fire. (Score: Chaos 10 - Imperials 10 + 3*3 = 19)



Turn 4A - With the battle fully joined, the Warhound turns his attention to Grey Knights and Ultramarines around the control tower. The unengaged elements of the Chaos forces push forward in a Strategic Redeployment to close the gap with the Imperial artillery. At Abaddon's order, his ship, the Planetkiller unleashes a controlled Orbital Bombardment, knocking a Valkyrie from the skies and decimating a unit of storm troopers and a squad of Ultramar's finest. (Score: Chaos 10 + 3*4 = 22 - Imperials 19)




Turn 4B - The true heros of the Imperial forces, a squadron of (pesky) Imperial Ultramarine landspeeders, repeated efforts to destroy the Traitor Baneblade succeed, leaving another massive crater in the polar ice. The library entrances secure for the moment, the Imperial forces advance while the Grey Knights hold the Control Tower in the shadow of the raging Warhound Titan. (Score: Chaos 22 - Imperials 19 + 3*4 = 31)




Turn 5A - Still flush with his destruction of Ultramarine terminators, Abaddon wades from his Landraider into combat with six Grey Knight terminators, killing three easily, but suffering a thunderhammer blow that slows him briefly. The last Grey Knight at the control tower ends his duty to the Emperor under the foot of the Warhound. (Score: Chaos 22 + 3*5 = 37 - Imperials 31)




Turn 5B - The Grand Master of the Grey Knights fearlessly charges into combat with the Great Unclean One behind the control tower, relieving a sole Ultramarine Champion who had survived four turns of combat with the immense pustulant Daemon. Despite this heroism and the massive volleys of artillery fire, the Imperials can not extend their control of the battlefield beyond the twin entrances to the complex. (Score: Chaos 37 - Imperials 31 + 2*5 = 41)




Turn 6A - Sensing a possible victory in the air, the minions of Chaos charge forward into the teeth of the Imperial tanks. The Warhound covers their advance by destroying the famed Imperial Tanker Task and his command Vanquisher. The Marines and Daemons of the Plague God dig in to the objectives they hold, anticipating a righteous final push from the forces of the Imperium. (Score: Chaos 37 + 3*6 = 55 - Imperials 41)




Turn 6B - The Imperial Ogryns rush forward to try to push the Plague Marines out of the electrical facility and secure a famous victory. They are supported by the combined firepower of as many Imperials as could bring their guns to bear. Unfortunately, the Sons of Nurgle proved too resilient and the Ogryns could not secure the objective. With only two victory points separating the forces of Good and Evil, the battle was declared a draw. (Score: Chaos 55 - Imperials 41 + 2*6 = 53)

Really cool i must say and it makes me wanna play a apoc game now

It would have been really nice to see this battle from the other side... literally... grumble. Overall, nice report, seemed pretty neck and neck.

Very cool!

Short and sweet is always nice lol .

Apoc is always fun, especially in large scale games, if you can get it to run smoothly.

Nice report, that chaos warhound looked pretty cool. Got any closeups?

pewpew! Kill the emprah! Great report

Sweet battle report! I think the points scoring system was well thought out as well, definitely put the focus on controlling things in the 11th hour! Great pictures too!

I am curious as to how well the tanks performed versus using more infantry, or using one of the Apoc formations for the infantry that was on the board.

Do you have army lists posted in the painting section?

The Ultras came with this:

HQ: Space Marine Librarian: Psychic Hood; Jump Pack; Bolt Pistol; Force Weapon

HQ: Space Marine Captain; Iron Halo; Power Armour; Plasma Pistol; Power Sword
Command Squad; Company Champion; Company Standard; Apothecary; meltagun x2; Rhino

Elite: Terminator Squad; Power Fist x7; Storm Bolter x6; Assault Cannon; Sergeant (Power Sword; Storm Bolter)
Land Raider Crusader; Multi-Melta; Hurricane Bolter x2; Twin Linked Assault Cannon

Troops: Tactical Squad; Plasmagun; Lascannon

Troops: Tactical Squad; Plasmagun; Lascannon

Troops: Tactical Squad; Meltagun; Plasma Cannon; Sergeant; Power Fist; Combi-Meltagun; Rhino

Troops: Tactical Squad; Meltagun; Plasma Cannon; Sergeant; Power Fist; Combi-Meltagun; Rhino

Troops: Tactical Squad; Flamer; Multi-Melta; Sergeant; Power Fist; Combi-Flamer; Drop Pod

Troops: Tactical Squad; Flamer; Multi-Melta; Sergeant; Power Fist; Combi-Flamer; Drop Pod

Fast Attack: Assault Squad; Plasma Pistolx2; Sergeant; Combat Shield; Bolt Pistol; Power Weapon; melta bombs

Fast Attack: Assault Squad; Flamerx2 NO JUMP PACKS; Sergeant; Combat Shield; Power Weapon; melta bombs; Drop Pod

Heavy Support: Devastator Squad; Heavy Bolter x4; Sergeant; Signum

Heavy Support: Devastator Squad; Missile Launcher x4; Sergeant; Signum

Heavy Support: Predator; Twin Linked Lascannon; Lascannon sponsons


Extra 500 point detail:

Elite: Dreadnought; Dreadnought CCW; Heavy Flamer; Twin Linked Lascannon

Elite: Dreadnought; Dreadnought CCW; Heavy Flamer; Twin Linked Lascannon

Fast Attack: 3 Land Speeder Squadron; Multi-Melta x3; Heavy Flamer x1


Total Roster Cost: 4000

Thanks for the comments guys and thanks to Kaiser for the extra pics!

CaptainCommunsism wrote:It would have been really nice to see this battle from the other side... literally... grumble. Overall, nice report, seemed pretty neck and neck.

You have a few more angles now thanks to Kaiser, but I agree, we'll have another tripod on the other end next time.

ChristmasMarine wrote:Apoc is always fun, especially in large scale games, if you can get it to run smoothly.

Nice report, that chaos warhound looked pretty cool. Got any closeups?

Some WIP in the P&M blog forum. I need to finish him up and get some pics as I do so.

slice of toast wrote:Sweet battle report! I think the points scoring system was well thought out as well, definitely put the focus on controlling things in the 11th hour! Great pictures too!

I am curious as to how well the tanks performed versus using more infantry, or using one of the Apoc formations for the infantry that was on the board.

Do you have army lists posted in the painting section?

Now you have Kaiser's (1/3 of the Imperials). Mine was is in the P&M blog. I think with guard against chaos, the tanks were probably the way to go. On the other hand, AP3 is not that great against plague marines due to the FNP. They didn't kill as many CSMs and their variants as I expected.

The escalating scoring was fun and is described in reload. It came down to two points, so those early turn objective pushes made a big difference. Better than a last turn land grab.

your battle cannons should be St8 right?
that means no FNP for plauge marines

This was truly a most memorable battle and inspiring too. I couldnt get to the FW order site fast enough after this one. The escalating points really made for an interesting game dynamic - constantly counting and anticipating outcomes. I learned alot about what a full Company of marines can and cannot do. I underestimated the survivability of my speeder squadron and a singular Assault Squad sergeant while carelessly throwing away my Librarian and Terminators.

There was simply too much Chaos firepower at the other end of the table to ignore. Taking the far objective was a sacrificial lamb - allowing me rear armor shots on the Baneblade and distracting the firepower of the Titan for a few turns (at one point in the battle TG destroyed 9! Imperial units on this OBJ in one turn).

TG's deliberate and careful use of strategic redeployment was brilliant and cemented his control of 4 OBJ's - had the game gone one more turn the Library was his for the taking.

In the end the toughness of his army (and a certain Black Legion Commander) proved too much to shift off the middle OBJ's to secure a decisive outcome.

Ah, more nice shots; thanks Kaiser. Not sure all the strategy praise is due - having two generals commanding one force is easier than three generals and three forces like your side had, yet you did well with it.

Battle Brother Loken wrote:your battle cannons should be St8 right?
that means no FNP for plauge marines

True. I am sure we messed that up at least once. And quite a few other rules besides! Overall, I think we did a pretty good job keeping up, but there are a heck of a lot of rules in play with this many models in play.

Agreed - the pace of the battle -turn length - was very manageable given the sheer volume of models on the table. Thanks for providing the venue for a great game.

100% my pleasure. I want to do it again! Looking forward to our Lion and the Wolf grudge match.

Yeah it definitely left me wanting to play more and spend more money lol - always a true indicator of a good game!

I've never played a game of that size, now i really would like to. I've never played more than 1500 pts.

It was a lot more easy to digest and tactical than I expected, yet still coming down to key match-ups of heros and units at times. Really quite a fun experience which I heartily recommend.

hopefully i'll be able to soon. And also nice pics. I enjoyed this battle report.