This battle report got really out of control on me – just so you know, what you're about to read is one massively epic report fought between 2 teams with 8 players each, totalling almost 14,000pts per side, supplemented with dozens of pictures (shot on an
HD camera, an iPod and a cellphone), a diagram that I put together to show what happened each turn, and written up based on the notes I scribbled down during the game when I had time. Due to the huge scale, most of the information is concentrated on the Imperial Team, and in my section of the board, but I tried to expand out further when possible. Ok,you got that? Awesome, let's start this thing.
This battle was a follow-up to a previous apocalypse battle report I wrote, so I recommend that you read it first if you haven't
here. Two weeks later, we reassembled for Part II, now with 1750pts apiece (up from the 1500pts of the previous battle).
Initially, there were far too many Imperial players, so after a random pick (via the scatter die), Lord Commissar Devlan's Deathstrike Company was chosen to be rogue guardsmen. Also, one player for the Xenos arrived with an incredibly illegal army list made up of Blood Angels, Chaos Space Marines and Imperial Guardsmen. The kid was kind of a noob, so we let it slide, not really wanting to argue with him. However, then the organizers decided that since he had Blood Angels he would get to use a Stormraven at no points cost!
The teams were split as follows (
/
= Team Captain):
IMPERIUM
Max, Imperial Guard Armageddon Steel Legion
Lord Graveline's Own (Imperial Guard)
Andilus Greasword's Great Company (Space Wolves, and me of course)
Logan Grimnar's Great Company
Lord Marshall's Ultramarines Company
Ultramarines 6th Company
Crimson Fists 1st Company
XENOS
Max, Ork Mekboyz
(coincidentally, both team captains were named Max)
Stompa Boyz
Farseer Valandil's Warriors (Eldar)
Shas'o R'alai's Fire Warriors (Tau)
Lord Commissar Devlan's Deathstrike Company (Rogue Guard)
Mutant Guardsmen
Chaos Warbands (Rogue Guard/Blood Angels/Chaos Space Marines)
I had to make up the names for most of the groups of course, so if they have a lame name then that's probably my fault.
DEPLOYMENT
Anyway, we expected the field to be divided similarly to last time, along the long table edge... instead, the organizers announced that they were splitting the board in half
width-wise, which cast all our plans out the window. The Imperials were given the city-section of the board, while the Xenos deployed in a clear, lightly-forested section. Both teams were told to place 1 objective in their deployment zone, 1 in no-man's-land and 1 in the enemy deployment zone.
The Imperials deployed very aggressively, creating a spearhead of Land Raiders that would punch through the enemy lines, followed by a column of Rhinos that would sweep in behind and capture the objectives. Meanwhile the Steel Legion's Warhound Titan and Super-Heavy tanks would support the advance, eliminating the Stompas that formed a wall of steel from the objectives. Finally, Lord Graveline's Imperial Guardsmen, a squad of Crimson Fist Terminators and Lord Marshall's Ultramarines would defend the Imperial's main objective – an objective marker placed at a landing pad far behind Imperial lines.
However, even before deployment was finished, I got the feeling that the Imperials were going to need the first turn or things would go downhill fast. We had deployed aggressively – perhaps
too aggressively. Half the heavy weapons and vehicles in the army were out in the open, and some of them would surely be lost if the enemy got the first turn. It seemed to me that we were putting all our eggs in one basket; we needed the first turn or we were going to be in trouble.
Since the Imperials went first in the last battle, the Xenos were granted first turn. And, just like that, we were in serious trouble...
By the end of deployment, the forces were placed something like this (this isn't a 1:1 recreation, but it's close):
Objectives
Objective A:
Objective B:
Objective C:
Objective D:
Objective E:
Objective F:
Deployment Photos
(These photos were taken by Lord Graveline on his iPod)
(These photos were taken by me)
TURN 1 – XENOS
The Xenos commenced their movement by running the Stormraven down along the Imperial's right flank, unleashing the skimmer's occupants on top of one of Lord Graveline's infantry platoons. The Imperials were shocked to discover that the Stormraven was loaded with over a dozen Khorne Berzerkers and Abaddon the Despoiler!! Of course, we didn't realize that the Stormraven can only carry up to 12 models at once (with Terminators counting as 2) until about halfway through the turn, and even then we let it slide because the kid was (as I have said) a total noob. I guess we're all just too nice for our own good.
Elsewhere, things were looking even more grim. An armoured column of Ork Stompas and Dreadnoughts rushed forward to wreak havoc on the vulnerable Imperial lines, capturing Objective A in the process.
When the shooting phase commenced, it was a total bloodbath. The Deathstrike Company's Shadowsword fired at a building housing Lord Marshall's Devastator Squad and one of Lord Graveline's infantry platoon command squad. The Shadowsword's D-weapon easily punched through, completely annihilating the building. 2 of the Devastators were vapourized or crushed in the debris, while 4 of the guardsmen in the command squad died. However, the officer survived by, as Lord Graveline so colourfully put it, leaping from one exploding building to the next, propelled by the fireball behind him, like something out of a
Die Hard movie.
As the shooting phase continued, a unit of Wraithguard deployed across from my Land Raider Crusader opened fire on it, causing the venerable vehicle to explode. Luckily, Andilus Greatsword and his Wolf Guard Terminator retinue escaped unscathed, but a nearby Ultramarines Terminator was killed in the blast. Things went from bad to worse as the Xenos rained down severe fire on the Imperial spearhead, obliterating Logan Grimnar's Land Raider Redeemer (Logan, Arjac Rockfist and his Wolf Guard Terminator retinue escaped unharmed), the Ultramarines 6th Company's Land Raider Redeemer (a Chaplain and 3 marines were able to escape the wreckage), as well as the Ultramarines 6th Company's Dreadnought and Vindicator. In addition, the Crimson Fists Land Raider was picked up by a Lifta-Droppa and hurled at the Warhound Titan. The Land Raider was destroyed in the collision (its Terminator occupants escaped mostly unharmed), and the Warhound Titan was shaken. Finally, a Imperial Banehammer which was parked on top of Objective D had it's Tremor Cannon destroyed before it could even fire off a shot.
The assault phase was somewhat more successful for the Imperials. Abaddon and his Khorne Berzerker cohorts launched an assault on the vulnerable Imperial Guard infantry platoon. However, what should have been a one-turn massacre was surprisingly successful for the guardsmen – 4 Khorne Berzerkers were killed, and enough Imperials lived to drag the fight on into the next round.
So, after an absolutely disastrous first turn, the Imperials' spearhead had been utterly destroyed – every single one of the Land Raiders had been annihilated and the enemy now had them outgunned. With the majority of the objectives now under Xenos control, and Abaddon the Despoiler launching a flanking attack towards Objective C, the Imperials were going to have to fight an uphill battle... but could they turn things around after such a crippling first turn...?
The Imperial Guardsmen defenders battle desperately against the Khorne Berzerkers and Abaddon the Despoiler.
The Imperial Officer who escaped the exploding building (he is the lone model on the 2nd floor).
TURN 1 – IMPERIALS
After the devastating first turn, the Imperium was ready to pay back some divine retribution. Despite the loss of much of their firepower, the forces surged forward to destroy the enemy. Logan Grimnar and Andilus Greatsword led the charge, seeking vengeance. Meanwhile, Lord Marshall sent his Dreadnought to battle Abaddon and lend the beleaguered guardsmen some aid, as it was the only unit near enough and strong enough to support them.
Meanwhile, Lord Marshall and Lord Graveline began to move their defensive units towards Objective C, anticipating an imminent attack by Abaddon and his Berzerkers. While these forces hurried to Objective C, Lord Graveline sent a unit of Ogryns and 2 squads of Guardsmen to capture Objective B after Andilus, Bjorn Fell-handed, Lord Marshall's Assault Terminators and Lord Graveline's Leman Russes cleared the way. However, a Stompa lumbered directly in the way of the attack, putting the whole charge in jeopardy. Bjorn Fell-handed took it upon himself to destroy the Stompa, and quickly manoeuvred to get a shot at its rear armour.
On the left flank, another Bjorn Fell-handed (belonging to Logan Grimnar's Great Company) charged a Stompa of his own. Somehow, the Space Wolves player also got to deploy a unit of Grey Hunters from a drop pod behind enemy lines, hoping to destroy the Deathstrike Missile Launcher. Not only was this (as far as I know) illegal, but it was just plain stupid – the Grey Hunters were ill-equipped to face the Deathstrike and were quite literally on a suicide mission, as they were now completely surrounded by enemy troops. However, this wasn't the dumbest thing that the Space Wolves player did that turn... he charged a Stompa with a
Rhino that was full of Grey Hunters who would be almost useless against the behemoth.
That shooting phase, the Imperials fired all their remaining heavy weapons, hoping to serve the Xenos a taste of their own medicine. Lord Graveline's Leman Russ Demolisher kicked off the payback by destroying a building housing a unit of Eldar Pathfinders and Fire Dragons. Those who weren't crushed in the rubble stumbled out to prepare for the imminent charge they would face. The other Leman Russes decimated a unit of Tau Pathfinders, leaving 1 lone survivor, and finished off the Eldar Pathfinders who had survived the destruction of their garrison.
As expected, the suicidal Grey Hunters fired at the Deathstrike and did absolutely, positively nothing. My Bjorn Fell-handed fired his assault cannon at the Stompa looming before him, causing 1 rending wound which took 1 structure point off of the Stompa. The Warhound Titan also fired its weapons at the Stompa, blowing 2 structure points off of it and leaving 1 remaining structure point. Lord Graveline's heavy weapons attempted to destroy the Stormraven, but their weapons were shrugged off easily.
With the thunder of the guns dying down, the warriors charged into combat in search of blood. Lord Marshall's Terminators armed with thunder hammers charged a unit of Dire Avengers, while his Terminators with lightning claws attacked the Fire Dragons. Meanwhile, Andilus Greatsword and his 7 Wolf Guard Terminators attacked the Wraithguard, hoping to get revenge for the destruction of their Land Raider. These assaults were massacres – the Fire Dragons and Wraithguard were wiped out without a single casualty, and all but the Dire Avenger Exarch was killed at the cost of 1 Terminator. The Exarch failed his leadership test and went running towards the nearest table edge.
Meanwhile, Bjorn (my Bjorn) charged the wounded Stompa and caused 2 structure points worth of damage – more than enough to put it over the edge and destroy it. With the rampaging Stompa now out of the picture, the Imperial advance just got much easier. Unfortunately, things didn't go so well for the other Space Wolf player's Bjorn. The Stompa managed to immobilize the venerable warrior, putting the Imperials in a very precarious situation – if Bjorn is destroyed, then his wreck counts as an additional objective. With Bjorn immobilized on the first turn, it was going to be difficult to keep the Xenos off of him until the end of the game...
Finally, Abaddon continued to wreak havoc, destroying Lord Marshall's Dreadnought as the Khorne Berzerkers wiped out the rest of Lord Graveline's infantry platoon.
Although the Imperials weren't even close to dishing out as much punishment as the Xenos did, the right flank was pushing forward, and Objective B was within their grasp. However, they would have to stop Abaddon's advance as they drew perilously close to launching an assault on Objective C...
Abaddon routs the last of the Imperial Guardsmen.
Objective B is well within the Imperials' grasp.
TURN 2 – XENOS
The the front pretty much established now, the Xenos were unable to advance very far this turn. 2 of the 3 remaining Stompas and the Ork Dreadnoughts continued to lurch forward, pressing towards the Steel Legion's Warhound Titan and Baneblades. Abaddon and the surviving Khorne Berzerkers returned to the Stormraven and shot like a rocket towards Objective C, ending their movement just in front of the landing pad. As if things weren't looking grim enough for the defenders of the landing pad, a Dreadnought (belonging to the noob playing as Chaos/Blood Angels/Guard) used a drop pod to deep strike just beside the landing pad. On top of that, a trio of Crisis Battlesuits led by
Tau Commander Shas'o R'alai used deep strike to appear behind the Warhound Titan and set themselves in a position to harrass the Imperials' left flank.
This shooting phase was decidedly less devastating than the Xenos' first, but was by no means poor. Max's Big Mek's Stompa used its Lifta-Droppa to hurl an Ultramarines Predator at the Warhound Titan. The Predator was destroyed in the blast, and the Titan was left shaken, unable to reciprocate. Another Stompa looked down at the Space Wolves Rhino that was foolhardily charging it and promptly blew it to smithereens. The occupants spilled out of the smoking hulk, wondering why the hell they charged the Stompa to begin with.
Then the
real massacre started. Two units of Eldar Pathfinders opened fire on Andilus Greatsword and his retinue, getting a lot of extremely lucky rolls which tore the Wolf Guard Terminators to ribbons (Pathfinders' weapons are AP1 on a 5+). When the barrage was over, only Andilus and a lone Wolf Guard were left standing... however, they weren't done. A Rogue Predator opened fire on the decimated unit, finishing off the last Wolf Guard and leaving Andilus alone, and
extremely pissed off.
The shooting phase continued as the Deathstrike Missile Launcher attempted to fire. Despite requiring only a 3+ to be able to shoot that turn, the Missile Launcher failed to fire and had to wait. Perhaps annoyed that he didn't get to kill swathes of enemies that turn, the Deathstrike's player turned his Shadowsword to kill the Grey Hunters who were right next to it. The shot scattered wide, as the Deathstrike player managed to kill half of his own Guardsmen that were defending the missile launcher!*** Despite the embarrassing loss, the Grey Hunters were quickly wiped out by the other infantry models that had them surrounded.
The assault phase passed fairly quickly. My Bjorn was assaulted by a Chaos Defiler. Bjorn failed to phase the walker, but the Defiler scored 4 hits. 2 of these hits were negated by Bjorn's invulnerable save, but the other 2 scored penetrating hits which both resulted in destroyed results.
However, I used Bjorn's “venerable” special rule to force the opponent to reroll these results... which caused him to roll a pair of 1's!! It was an extremely lucky break for Bjorn, but the stalwart warrior fought on.
While this phase was considerably less of a blitz than the last, the Xenos were still pressing forward, and had weakened the Imperials' right flank by wiping out Andilus' retinue. With Abaddon poised to strike at Objective C, and half the objectives in Xenos hands, the Imperials were going to have to make a strong push this turn in order to come back...
***
If you read the previous report, then you might know that this was not an isolated incident. This player is best described as the Michael Bay of Warhammer players, wanting a big explosion for every action, even if it is grossly unnecessary or dangerous. In the last apocalypse game, his Shadowsword scattered on top of a unit of allied Terminators, killing all but 2 of them and quite possibly costing the Imperial team the victory.
“C'mon, they're right in front of us, how can we miss???”
The Xenos press on towards the Steel Legion's defensive positions.
Shas'o R'alai leads his battlesuit comrades into the fray.
TURN 2 - IMPERIALS
After a 30 minute lunch break spent discussing strategy to turn the game around, the Imperials were ready for action. The warriors on the right flank shot forward, making a beeline for Objective E and captured Objective B in the process as Lord Graveline's troops came in to secure it. Also, the Ultramarines 6th Company deployed an Ironclad Dreadnought near the Deathstrike Missile Launcher using a drop pod, while a unit of Terminators led by a Librarian teleported just in front of the Grey Hunters' empty drop pod.
Meanwhile, the defending Imperials hurried towards the landing pad to try to destroy the Stormraven before it could launch its attack, while a unit of Crimson Fists Terminators hurried to attack Commander Shas'o R'alai.
The shooting phase was an absolute massacre. Lord Graveline's Leman Russes blew the cannon off of the Rogue Predator, slaughtered a unit of Eldar Pathfinders and destroyed the Rogue Blood Angels' Baal Predator. Meanwhile, the Ultramarines Razorback wiped up the last of the Tau Pathfinders. However, the defenders were unable to shoot down the Stormraven, which was poised to launch its attack on Objective C.
The defenders of Objective E were quickly falling under the weight of the Imperials' guns, and those who hadn't were attacked in the assault phase. Andilus and the Ultramarines thunder hammer Terminators attacked a Rogue Land Speeder, destroying the light skimmer. The Ultramarines lightning claws Terminators wiped out the last unit of Eldar Pathfinders with ease, while Logan Grimnar assaulted a unit of Chaos Space Marines. The old legend still had a fight left in him as he and his squad also succeeded in destroying their foes. Not to be outdone, Bjorn assaulted a Rogue Leman Russ and blew it to smithereens. Finally, the Crimson Fists Terminators attacked Shas'o R'alai and killed him. Finally, the Grey Hunters that spilled out of their destroyed Rhino attacked the Stompa but failed to do anything significant.
When all was said and done, the Imperials had put up a mammoth assault phase, which resulted in the capture of Objective E. With the majority of the objectives now in Imperial hands, it looked like they were back in business... but with the Stormraven in position to contest Objective C, and a trio of Stompas bearing down on their front lines, could they hold on long enough to win the game...?
The defenders hurry to the landing pad to defend it from the Stormraven.
The Terminators appear on the battlefield and prepare to take a crack at Objective F.
The Ironclad Dreadnought gets ready to ruin someone's day.
TURN 3 – XENOS
With time running short, the Xenos were in a do-or-die situation (like the previous battle report, there would only be enough time for 3 turns). To kick off the offensive, they unleashed Abaddon and his Berzekers on Objective C, causing it to be contested. The attackers ignored the Ultramarines, and instead concentrated all their attacks on the Crimson Fists Terminators. In addition, their troops moved to secure the other objectives, as the defenders surrounded Objective F, a Stompa parked on top of Objective A, and a Chaos Rhino and Rogue Basilisk captured Objective D from the immobilized Banehammer. Finally, the lone Dreadnought, unable to climb the landing pad, parked directly underneath Objective C to ensure that it would remain contested if Abaddon's assault somehow failed.
It wasn't until the shooting phase that things got
really interesting. The Deathstrike Missile Launcher fired, and the Vortex missile hit the Warhound Titan, destroying it. After rolling for damage, the Titan was vapourized in an apocalyptic explosion which caused the entire store to shout in anticipation. Everything within 18” was incinerated, including the Tau Crisis Battlesuits, Lord Marshall's surviving Devastators and the Crimson Fists Terminators who had killed Shas'o R'alai. In addition, the blast immobilized the Steel Legion's plasma blast cannon-armed super-heavy tank. In a humourous twist, the blast radius was
just short of reaching the Imperial Officer who had earlier escaped the exploding building, which caused Lord Graveline to laugh about his badassery. I like to imagine that he calmly held a cigar which was lit by the fireball caused by the exploding Titan and then said something along the lines of “I love the smell of napalm in the morning...”
Anyway, the shooting phase continued as an Eldar Farseer used Eldrich Storm on Lord Graveline's Leman Russ Demolisher. The tank was immobilized and had its demolisher cannon destroyed, but it survived (barely). Also, a Big Mek used its Lifta-Droppa on Lord Marshall's Rhino which destroyed it and caused the occupants to pile out. An Ork Battlewagon used its Lifta-Droppa on my Bjorn, but the blow only succeeded to shake the ancient warrior. The shooting phase closed out as the defending Xenos obliterated the Ultramarines 6th Company's Terminators, leaving only the Terminator Librarian to fight on his own.
The assault phase was short, but brutal. Abaddon and his Berzerkers completely wiped out the Crimson Fists Terminators before they even had a chance to strike. With 3 objectives secured and 1 contested, the Xenos now had the lead, and the Imperials were going to have to make some desperate moves if they hoped to snatch it away...
Abaddon launches his assault on the defenders of Objective C.
Andilus Greatsword leads the charge to Objective E.
The lone Librarian sees an opportunity to turn the tide...
TURN 3 – IMPERIALS
This was it – the last turn. The time when the winners are crowned, and the losers have a last shot at doing something epic. With the majority of the objectives in Xenos hands, the Imperials needed to do everything in their power to change this. First, in the most strategic action by the Space Wolves player in the entire game, Logan Grimnar moved to Objective A, contesting it. The surviving Terminator Librarian also moved to Objective F, just barely contesting the heavily surrounded objective. Meanwhile, Andilus Greatsword and the Chaplain of the 6th Company Ultramarines secured Objective E as Bjorn Fell-handed assaulted the Ork Battlewagon in a last-ditch effort for some extra glory. Finally, Lord Graveline took his 2 units of Stormtroopers out of reserves, deep striking them on top of the landing pad.
During the shooting phase, the surviving Imperial Leman Russes fired at the Farseer and his Dark Reaper companions, wiping them off the face of the earth. In addition, Arjac Rockfist threw his thunder hammer at a Rogue Leman Russ, destroying it (which caused me to quip “A Space Wolf killed Leman Russ!?!”).
Meanwhile at the landing pad, the Imperial defenders fired everything they had at the Stormraven, Abaddon and the Khorne Berzerkers, trying to wrestle control back. The Stormtroopers shot the Berzerkers to death, while a heavy weapons team fired at the Stormraven, immobilizing it. Lord Marshall's Ultramarines also managed to cause
3 wounds on Abaddon with their massed fire, nearly killing him.
The assault phase was limited to Bjorn attacking the Ork Battlewagon, which he managed to immobilize.
When the dust settled, the objectives were possessed as follows (everything was counted as a scoring unit, except for immobilized vehicles):
Objective A –
CONTESTED
Objective B –
IMPERIALS
Objective C –
CONTESTED
Objective D -
XENOS
Objective E -
IMPERIALS
Objective F -
CONTESTED
With 2 held objectives, the Imperials were declared the winners in a very close game!
CLOSING THOUGHTS
This game was very enjoyable, the whole time it was very back-and-forth. Just when I thought we were going to win BAM someone's Titan would get blown up and suddenly the future looked extremely bleak. The MVP would probably be the Xenos captain, Max, his dual-Lifta-Droppas were devastatingly effective. If not Max, then definitely Lord Graveline, his armoured column was essential to our victory, and his infantry helped to capture and secure Objectives B and C.
The deciding moments of the game are pretty easy to pick out. First and foremost, the Xenos 1st turn almost crippled us, and definitely weakened our left flank. Luckily I anticipated us losing the first turn, so I deployed in such a way that my units and Lord Graveline's would be sheltered from the super-heavies. The second defining moment would have to be the destruction of the Warhound Titan. It may not have been the most important moment of the game, but it brought an enthusiasm back to the room as everyone cheered in anticipation of the nuclear blast it caused. Moments like that are what apocalypse is all about, and you'll definitely be talking about them at games for years to come. Finally, our team actually played
as a team. We coordinated our attacks (for the most part) in a way that would better the team
As for complaints, the table was
far too narrow. There was hardly any room to deploy anyone near the front lines once all the vehicles had been placed, so we had to place a good chunk of our infantry to defend our rears. I had 2 Rhinos filled with Grey Hunters and a Wolf Priest each, but I just couldn't get them into a position to move forward and capture an objective. We really needed more space to play on.
As for players I wanted to comment on:
-I have a thing or two to say about the noob kid... I wouldn't exactly say that he was a cheater
per se, but he really, really needs to brush up on the rules. We really let him get away with too much, and I still can't believe he showed up with an army list made up of 3 armies... and then got
rewarded for it with that bloody Stormraven (by the way, the Stormraven kicked ass, it's basically a lighter-armoured, flying Land Raider Crusader).
-The Deathstrike player, like I said before, is too reckless. He seems to live by the mantra of “if it can be done, it can be overdone”. That said, his shoots are massively destructive and he did take out the Warhound Titan, but this is now 2 games in a row that he has needlessly put his allies in danger and paid the consequences.
-The Space Wolves player, who was easily
TFG in the last battle, was decidedly better this time... although he was still bafflingly bad at times. He is excessively and recklessly glory-hungry, like a Blood Claw with the Mark of the Wulfen. Dropping his Grey Hunters to attack the Deathstrike was incredibly pointless, if anything he should have dedicated them to attacking Objective F while our heavy weapons took out the Deathstrike. Also, if Bjorn had been destroyed, then he might have cost us the game, so he is really lucky that that did not happen. Finally, and most importantly, he wouldn't shut up about how awesome Logan Grimnar is and how he was gonna own everyone. I can forgive the other players for poor play because they're generally cool people, but this kid was just plain irritating to listen to.
THE DICE GOD!!
707th Lubyan Aquila Banner Motor Rifle Regiment (6000 pts)
) and keep better track of things. It was really hard taking notes, pictures and playing the game all at once though, during the first couple turns I was scrambling to get everything done. 
Oh well, at least it took out those Crisis suits 
Phaeron Amheosiris of the Isiran Dynasty 
Lord Yersina Thrax of the Death Guard 
