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One thing that can help with fluffy lists is using strong units, but a fluffy structure. For example, I like the structure of a 1st and 10th list. You start with some scouts with maybe a few fast scouting elements, like speeders or bikes on the table. Once you make contact with the enemy, you bring the hammer down in the form of podded sternguard, dreads, etc.

A lot of competitive things are pretty darn fluffy. So you can have your cake and eat it too. Alternatively, you might want to bring both a hard-core list and a more friendly one, so if someone comes in looking to kick a puppy, you bite his foot off.

The first day event will be a 1850 list or a 1000 pt ZM list. I sure once submitted you will be stuck with it. Gits will make a game of it either way he goes.

Mine will be mostly generic as well.

4 weekends to go

+++ Personal Log: Brother Paulus, Chaplain of the Mantis Warriors +++
+++ "The rogue inquisitor known as Jaxeena is in possession of our captain. He was grievously wounded after our last encounter with the Blood Angels and is now, according to intelligence gathered by remote sensors, being kept in a kind of stasis cube awaiting transport at an Astra Militarum outpost. Repeated actions against the Blood Angels have left both forces shattered and unable to field a viable army. We believe they are out of the conflict until reinforced, as are we. Our only hope of rescuing our captain lies with our scouts who have been on maneuvers in the Whindahm Hills with a small contingent of Skitarii scouts from a nearby Adeptis Machanicus salvage operation. The magus in charge has consented to allow the Skitarii scouts to take part in our rescue operation, there being no love loss between the AdMech and the Inquisition under the best of circumstances. Our best assault assets are two land speeder storms supported by two land speeder typhoons... and myself. Reluctant as I am to surrender my trusty crosius... I have accessed our reliquary vault in order to wield the Teeth of Terra. Emperor willing it will aid us in our attempt to rescue his faithful servant from this wicked creature and her minions. Log ends." +++


Jaxeena's Escape
Points: 1000
Deployment: Vanguard Strike
Missions: (written by Yorkright)

Vanguard strike set up, modified Emperor's will, 2 objectives worth 2 pts each. One set up in each players deployment zone. Both objectives are grav fields, -2 to charge distance. Imprisoned Captain worth 3 pts at end game, works like the relic cannot be moved more than 6 inches per turn. Jaxeena will have it at first in the bastion must get it too top of landing pad which is 12 inches away from bastion, it will take a 6" move to get it to top of landing site, gives you 5 turns to stop her. Relic is worth 3 pts at end of game and can always move as long as someone in the Inquisitors unit is alive . Valkyrie comes on turn 3, must land on turn 4 then leave by turn 5. May fire weapons every turn it is on board even while on the ground. Jaxeena may leave the relic and escape if possible. Relic has a AV of 12 with 3 hull points, if destroyed Captain is lost. Jaxeena will never try to destroy Stasis Chamber. Terrain must be set up in a way that will allow one Scout unit to deploy behind Stronghold but not near the objective. Slay the warlord, first blood and linebreaker are in effect.

Forces of the Inquisition
Inquisitorial Detachment:
HQ: Ordo Malleus Inquisitor (Jaxeena) - force sword, incinterator
HQ (?): Henchmen - 3x acolyte w/ boltgun, Valkyrie

Astra Militarum CAD:
HQ: Company Command Squad - 4 veterans, company commander w/ power sword & refractor field, Nork Deddog, enginseer w/ power axe & servo arm
EL: Militarum Tempestus Scions (5)
TP: Veteran Squad (10) - grenade launcher
TP: Veteran Squad (10) - grenade launcher
FA: Armored Sentinel
FA: Armored Sentinel
FT: Imperial Strongpoint - Aegis DL, Skyshield, Bastion w/ Icarus lascannon

Yorkright wrote:
Inquisitor Jaxeena holds the captured Mantis Warriors captain in a stasis cube. With help from the local Planetary Defense Force she waits for her personal valkrie to get her prize off planet.

Forces of the Mantis Warriors
*side note - These are kinda screwed up as I brought the wrong list and wrong figures with me to the game & forgot my Skitarii dex. Have no idea what happened but Yorkright was a real trooper about my confusion and just went with it.

HQ: Chaplain on bike, Teeth of Terra (?)
TP: scouts (5) - 4x sniper rifles, ML
TP: scouts (5) - 4x sniper rifles, ML
TP: scouts (5) - bolt pistols & CCW
Some formation or other...
5 scouts - BP & CCW in LS Storm
5 scouts - BP & CCW in LS Storm
LS Typhoon
LS Typhoon

Skitarii Battle Maniple
5 rangers - 2x transgenic arquebus
5 rangers - 2x transgenic arquebus


Here's the pic of the army I intended to bring... not sure what happened. It's pretty though.



Deployment:

The Astra Militarum base was hard up against a large inland sea, making an approach from the north or west impossible. One Mantis Warrior sniper team had been able to infiltrate a near-by woodland north of the landing pad and had been feeding intel to command for roughly 14 hours. The assault would have to take place from the east and south... unfortunately the directions where the base was prepared best to defend... but needs must as the devil drives. The various scout units were able to move into the surrounding hills without incident, however nothing was going to mask the roar of the approaching land speeder assault force, nor the piercing whine of Paulus' jet bike. The stealth of the scouts and the sheer speed of their approach, as cacophonous as it was... did give them the edge. If they were going to be successful in their rescue, they'd have to make the most of it.

The Mantis Warriors form a crescent with snipers providing support fire from the hills as the assault elements move in.


The Astra Militarum prepare to take the brunt of the Mantis Warrior's assault while Jaxeena's retinue move the stasis cube into position for transport.



The Mantis Warriors take advantage their stealth and mobility afford them and move in quickly. Firing from the LS typhoons takes down a sentinel, unfortunately the multi melta fire from the LS storms just bounces off the bastion. Support fire from the scouts at the AM infantry behind the aegis wall accomplishes little.


To the north, the chaplain turbo-boosts his bike behind a pillar of the landing pad, keeping himself out of harm's way for now.


In response, fire from the tower brings down one of the typhoons.


The nearest skitarii unit also takes some casualties, but holds.


Having survived, the two LS storms are now in position to drop their payload (thanks to a formation rule that allows them to go 12" while still having their occupants disembark). The two scout squads are now in position to hit the rear of the Inquisitor's bodyguards!


To the north, the chaplain roars around the pylon and is ready to engage the front end of the column.


The charge is costly, and many bave scouts succumb to overwatch, especially from Jaxeena's immolator.


The Teeth of Terra and the Emperor are with the Mantis Warriors this day! The first round of combat is decisive and only Jaxeena and a solitary henchman remain.


The veterans respond by downing one of the LS storms.


In assault, a final challenge is issued between Jaxeena and Brother Paulus.


Jaxeena has been a deadly and resourceful foe, but even she cannot resist the might of the chaplain! Will HER skull be the next to adorn the cowl of his jet bike??


The marines then move in to occupy the AM base. Most of the scout units are called in from the hills and the speeders move towards the landing pad for the duration of the mop-up. In the mean time, the scouts begin the process of releasing the captain from his prison.


The Valkyrie arrives right on schedule, only to find chaos below. The Militarum positions are being over-run and command has been knocked out. There are still pockets of guardsmen bravely fighting and the unit on top of the tower are accounting for themselves well with their las cannon, downing a LS typhoon as the crew watches.




The forces of the Mantis Warriors continue to close in... attrition is showing in nearly every unit on the table. The snipers, guard & bastion have all been plinking away at each other and nothing is unscathed with the exception of an outflanking MW scout unit that comes in north of the landing pad.


Scouts move onto the landing pad to prevent the Valkyrie from having a safe perch.


The stasis cube is deactivated and the captain staggers out... all silvery and shiny with the aftereffects of his captivity. Jaxeena's body is then placed in the cube and it is reactivated! The sole surviving land speeder drops down from the pad to take the captain to safety.


Mysteriously, a herald of Slaanesh appears not too far away from the deactivated stasis cube!


However, fresh from their training exercise... the skitarii rangers are unphased.


There isn't much for the Astra Militarum to do save fight for the honor of their unit. The Valkyrie moves over to the landing pad, but realizes that trying to land amidst a group of crak grenade armed scouts is probably a poor idea. The last veteran squad who by themselves have accounted for a LS storm and a skitarii ranger squad move to intercept the other group of skitarii behind the aegis wall. The men in the tower (and the tower itself) continue their relentless fire vs. any and all targets that present themselves.


Shooting from the Valk downs two scouts and the retinue is dropped in the hopes of taking out the MW chaplain... but it's not enough.


The space marine forces respond by gunning down Jaxeena's retinue and moving the stasis chamber (with Jaxeena) to a position of relative safety by the tower.


The captain is spirited away by the land speeder, seeking cover underneath the landing pad before it makes the mad dash for friendly territory.


The last three of the noble veteran squad charge into the skitarii rangers, killing one. The combat stalemates.


An armored sentinel looks on. The outflanking maneuver left him too far away from the battle to do much good. It's clear that this particular Astra Militarum outpost hasn't been re-supplied in a while. It's also clear that they're very good at taking care of their old equipment. Makes sense that they'd be on a Mantis Warrior world with those attributes.


With a few casualties but still combat effective... the las cannoneers view the outcome of the battle as the dust settles below. To this point, the Mantis Warriors have been trusted allies and this was a world both forces mutually protected. What could have brought on this sudden attack? To slaughter an Inquisitor and her retinue was unthinkable... yet, they had just witnessed it. Why had they taken her body? What was that "thing" that appeared when the cube was deactivated? What had the captain done to deserve such inquisitorial sanction? They weren't even aware that the Adeptus Mechanicus were on planet, how were they involved? The sergeant looked at his sole surviving trooper and could see the confusion on his face. "Whatever you've seen, whatever you're thinking... take my advice... forget it all." "Why?" responded the trooper. "Mind wipe." said his sergeant. The trooper nodded, then they both backed away from the edge of the battlements... hoping none of the raiders realized anyone was still alive in the tower.



Brother Paulus eased his ancient jet bike next to the stasis cube. It's shiny black and gold a stark contrast to the muted glow of the cube. Inside lay the body of their adversary, Inquisitor Jaxeena. She was much too valuable to kill, and the reason for her aberrant behavior needed to be properly investigated. The stasis cube bought them the time to do that. Also, an explanation as to why the chapter had captured and detained an inquisitor was a lot easier to give than why one had been killed. The cube would stabilize her medically, then hold her for as long as they needed.



As for the captain... he was safely on his way back to the Mantis Warrior's operational base. What had happened to him in stasis? Why had a creature of chaos appeared when he was released from the cube? What had Jaxeena planned on doing with him after she got him off-world? WILL HE EVER BE GREEN AGAIN??!!!



For the answer to these and other questions my friends... you'll have to wait for the next installment of the campaign. (Feel free to pester Yorkright about it... he's the campaign author.)

Hope you enjoyed it.

Bravo gits! Great work excellent read can't wait till the next installment to be done

Hahahaaaa ah man that was a fantastic read!! Very well done, both of you!

Good to see the boys in green striking back after last sessions loss. Cant wait to see where this goes. The appearance of the Daemon got a chuckle out of me- Totally unexpected. And is that REALLY a Sentinel!? Thats just wild...

Nice report, glad to see a victory for the good guys!

Lots of awesome old school stuff on the table, always a plus.

@ Ramos REALLY a Sentinel!? Thats just wild...
Some of my models may be older than you Ramos, I should post up some pictures of my original terminators from the first space hulk game.
This narrative game has been a whole lot of fun with Gitz, some people might think its not 40K since we get to see each others list, but in my opinion it makes the game very enjoyable from a narrative point of view. You still have to play to the best of your abilities with what you have. My one guard squad did a hell of a lot of work, wrecked a landspeeder, shot up some skittari and never failed the 3 morale rolls they had to take.

The guys manning the las cannon did well too. Not only did they shoot up a bunch of stuff, but they passed two different leadership tests as well.

... and that Bastion did WORK man... dang heavy bolters were ripping me a new one all over the place!

People rag on HBs all the time. They do one thing, and they do it well: Kill 4+ units in the open. You brought a scout list. The only thing worse for you would be heavy flamers (the leading cause of death for my scouts). HBs can also work well against very light, especially open topped, vehicles. Like all the speeders you took.

I’m not going to say you list tailored just to showcase how awesome the HB can be, but it does kinda look that way...

in defense of the heavy bolters, I did let Gitz see my list first so he knew what he was facing. ;-)

Actually, with all of those points being invested in fortifications, I would feel that Steve would be at a disadvantage as his actual army would be too small to take advantage of and/or control the various protections.

So much fun! Great read, reminds me of what I love about 40k

@wyomingfox: Agreed. That and the points in the Valk that couldn't arrive until turn 3. On the flip side, I had 5 scout units that had almost no impact on the battle collectively... so at least in small part the dead points in his list was offset by dead points in mine. The real difference was the turn 2 assault and the impact of the Teeth of Terra on the result. Once that was resolved, even though I continued to take significant casualties... the end result started looking like a foregone conclusion.

@graven: Thanks my friend. Mayhap some day we'll get to make our own battle report featuring our own forces.

Great report. Oddly I didn't follow what happened to the scout bikes. they must have fair'd poorly.

Absolutely loved the report. I love narratives in games and feel I have lost sight of that fact. Definitely going to panic some sort of narrative with a good friend soon. Great job on the report too.

Scout bikes were casualties of the list mix-up. They deployed, then got removed.

When they redeployed they all got flat tires, so had to come back in on foot. Sneaky Inquistion!

Very nice writeup and great pictures . Love the stasis cube!

And lol at "Will he ever be green again"

Loved reading the naratives. I agree, liked the idea of the stasis cube. Looked like a blast.

Nice battle report, and I really like your army shot. I mean, I like the paint and all, but also the army theme itself. Visually speaking, it's a very balanced list.

I assuming this story isn't over if the Inquisition is involved!

Actually, the tale is going to take some very interesting twists. Yorkright and I hammered out some story arc ideas a couple of days after the battle & what's holding us up at the moment is that I've got to do some painting before the next battle, but am really tied up with trying to get the EC done by Adepticon. As soon as I'm able to do the extra painting, we'll continue our journey into the grim-dark.

Hey guys, I know it's been very quiet here lately as I've been consumed trying the get the EC ready for Adepticon. Just an open invitation to anyone who will also be at the event to come find me. I'll be in the Badab War event on Thursday and Friday. After that I'll probably be spending most of my time helping out RiTides at the ModCubes booth in front of the merchant hall (I think that's where we are).

Please come find me if you can!

I'll keep a keen eye out for you from over 6000km away...

Great job on the weathering. Whose army is it?

Home safe and sound. Have a million pics. Will have many days of posts to come. Also a special surprise announcement!

(teaser warning)

Chime in if you're still paying attention!

Chimed in!

Nope. Nope, sorry. No attention here.

Ting!