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One of my all time favorite opponents is Andrew. Like me, he truly understands the futile nature of playing the Imperial Guard. Being the good sport he is he also doesn’t mind shelving his marines and coming down to my level to get in a little guard on guard action. This time it’s an apocalypse sized game! Something tells me there’s going to be a lot of ordnance blasts and a lot of unhappy infantrymen. Sounds like good times!

Scenario: Apocalypse
Armies: IG vs IG

IG (my super radical force)
To bulk up my points I just re-created my normal company formation into hardened vet squads. So when you see a platoon command squad that’s really just 4 vets and their vet sarge acting as junior officer, and when you see an infantry squad that is actually just 9 hardened vets and their vet sarge acting as …uh, a vet sarge! Get it?

Doctrines:
Independent Commissars
Rough Riders

Copmany Command Squad – Junior Officer with a Storm Bolter and 4 guardsmen with 3 Meltaguns

2 Independent Commissars each with a Bolt Pistol & Power Weapon

1st Platoon - CO Junior Officer with Plasma Pistol & CCW and 4 guardsmen with 2 Plasma Guns, Red, Green, and Black squads each have 9 guardsmen with a Plasma Gun and a Grenade Launcher and a Veteran Sergeant with a Bolter

2nd Platoon - CO Junior Officer with Laspistol & CCW and 4 guardsmen with a Lascannon, Red, Green, and Black squads each have 10 guardsmen with a Missile Launcher

3rd Platoon - CO Junior Officer with Laspistol & CCW and 4 guardsmen with a Heavy Bolter, Red and Green squads each have 10 guardsmen with a Heavy Bolter

5 Ogryn mounted in a Chimera with Hull Heavy Bolter and Smoke Launchers

4 Storm Troopers with 2 Plasma Guns and a Veteran Sergeant

4 Storm Troopers with 2 Meltaguns and a Veteran Sergeant

4 Rough Riders with Hunting Lance & Laspistol and a veteran Sergeant with Hunting Lance & Bolt Pistol

Sentinel with Multilaser

Sentinel with Multilaser

Sentinel with Autocannon

Sentinel with Lascannon

Sentinel with Lascannon

Sentinel with Lascannon

Hellhound

Hellhound

Hellhound

‘Emperor’s Wrath’ Artillery Battery (3 Basilisks with Indirect Fire)

Demolisher with Hull Lascannon and Sponson Plasma Cannons

Demolisher with Hull Lascannon and Sponson Plasma Cannons

Demolisher with Hull Lascannon and Sponson Plasma Cannons

Leman Russ with Hull Heavy Bolter and Heavy Bolter Sponsons

Leman Russ with Hull Heavy Bolter and Heavy Bolter Sponsons

Leman Russ with Hull Heavy Bolter and Heavy Bolter Sponsons

Baneblade



IG (Andrew’s super cheaty army)

Doctrines:
Veterans
Grenadiers

Command Platoon – CO Junior Officer with a bolter and 5 Guardsmen with 2 Plasma Guns and a Heavy Bolter, Red Squad is an Anti-Tank Support Squad with 3 Lascannons

5 Hardened Veterans with a Lascannon and a Veteran Sergeant with a Bolter

7 Hardened Veterans with 2 Meltaguns and a Plasma Gun and a Veteran Sergeant with a Bolter

7 Hardened Veterans with 2 Grenade Launchers and a Meltagun and a Veteran Sergeant with a Bolter

1st Platoon - CO Junior Officer with Bolter and 4 guardsmen with 4 Meltaguns, Red, Green, and Black squads each have 9 guardsmen with a Meltagun and a Veteran Sergeant with a Bolter

2nd Platoon - CO Junior Officer with Bolter and 4 guardsmen with 2 Plasma Guns and a Missile launcher, Red, Green, Black, Yellow, and White squads each have 9 guardsmen with a Grenade Launcher, Missile Launcher, and a Veteran Sergeant

7 Grenadiers with a Plasma Gun, Meltagun, and a Veteran Sergeant with Hellpistol & Power Weapon mounted in a Chimera with Multilaser, Hull Heavy Bolter, and Extra Armour

7 Grenadiers with a Plasma Gun, Meltagun, and a Veteran Sergeant with Hellpistol & Power Weapon mounted in a Chimera with Multilaser, Hull Heavy Bolter, and Extra Armour

7 Grenadiers with a Plasma Gun, Meltagun, and a Veteran Sergeant with Hellpistol & Power Weapon mounted in a Chimera with Multilaser, Hull Heavy Bolter, and Extra Armour

Hellhound

Armoured Company

Command Tank – Destroyer Tank Hunter with Extra Armour

Leman Russ with Hull Heavy Bolter, Heavy Bolter Sponsons, and Extra Armour

Leman Russ with Hull Heavy Bolter, Heavy Bolter Sponsons, and Extra Armour

Armoured Fist Squad with Grenade Launcher and Missile Launcher mounted in a Chimera with Multilaser, Hull Heavy Bolter, and Extra Armour

Armoured Fist Squad with Grenade Launcher and Missile Launcher mounted in a Chimera with Multilaser, Hull Heavy Bolter, and Extra Armour

Armoured Fist Squad with Grenade Launcher and Missile Launcher mounted in a Chimera with Multilaser, Hull Heavy Bolter, and Extra Armour

Demolisher with Hull Lascannon, Plasma Cannon Sponsons, and Extra Armour

Demolisher with Hull Lascannon, Plasma Cannon Sponsons, and Extra Armour

Hellhammer without Sponsons

Deployment




I won the bid with “10 mins” compared to Andrew’s “15 min” so we just shook hands and called it right there. Since we finished out game 2 hours ahead of schedule we decided to play the game out and see what happens. I deployed first and along with my army I revealed my Strategic Asset “Supreme Headquarters.” I’ve been trying to play through all of the assets and this week it’s time for this one. Since I finally finished a model to represent it I was itching to use it and get that Tank Hunters bonus. So with that in mind I placed it right behind a line of Demolishers, the Baneblade and a few heavy weapon toting guardsmen. The right sided of the field looked like the path that Andrew would take to get to my side of the table so that’s where the most anti-tank resistance sat. The left side of my zone was where the infantry killing swarm went down. I was hoping that I could make a push for the objective right in front of my lines there and possibly secure the one in the center as well with just sheer numbers. Hopefully, I will be able to make a late game grab but going fist might see that plan go sideways. One of the independent Commissars starts joined to the Command Squad (vets) on the left and the other joins the Ogryn in their Chimera parked behind the Baneblade. I actually ran out of time before I could deploy one of the plas/grenade launcher squads and the meltagun ‘command’ squad so they have to sit on the sidelines for a bit. [NOTE: Lately, we have deviated from the book’s recommended scatter dice method of determining deployment zone. After rolling some horribly lopsided zones we decided to simply draw a straight line through the arrow on the dice and use that as the center line rather than drawing a line to the board edge, then to the farthest point. As long as the dice is rolled in the center of the table this way ends up being much fairer to both sides.

Turn 1 IG



The units on the left make a concentrated push through the terrain that separates them from the objective. They manage to sweep away some of the return fire they are likely to get but to their dismay there is still more than enough units covering that side to make short work of my exposed squads. The Basilisks manage to immobilize the Chimera in the center and cause some devastation to the units covering the center objective. The Rough riders and Storm Troopers make their move to hopefully intercept the tanks that are coming and the two russes move up on the right covered by Sentinels and an infantry squad. To my amazement the lascannons on my side actually find their mark and with the ‘Tank Hunters’ boost destroy one of the Demolishers on the right and severely cripple the other one by blowing it’s cannon off and immobilizing it. With an instant roadblock set up preventing the chimeras from getting through the Baneblade decides to use this turn to get greedy and chew up some infantry. After combining it’s fire with one of the Leman Russ tanks the platoon holding the objective there is decimated.

Turn 1 IG



Andrew reveals his asset which is “Orbital Barrage.” He rolls a 1 which allows him to use it first turn but with such a target rich environment it’s hard to choose a target. In the end he decides the Basilisks have to go. Without any artillery of his own it’s the right way to go and two of the tanks go up in flames. The left side of the field erupts in vengeance fire as one Sentinel gets popped and another is immobilized. The vets on the edge of the terrain get all but wiped out and a nearby Hellhound gets it’s Inferno Cannon blown off. One of my Demolishers escapes death by cursing Andrew’s dice as he rolls his to hit with the Destroyer. The unit in front of the Baneblade gets to take a trip back to the army case after the Hellhammer moves up and destroys them. Meanwhile the Chimeras try to jockey for position and find a new route to the combat with their lanes blocked.

Turn 2 IG



I decide to leave the two reserve units off the table until the third turn so the rest of the force begins its movement. The weaponless Hellhound on the left moves back to make way for a fresh one as the Sentinels and Command Squad scramble to hold the line. The units concentrate fire and kill 9 guardsmen in the woods across from them while the Hellhound picks off one more on the table edge. The remaining 2 vets pick off two opposing vets and the Storm Troopers charge into the ruined building seizing the objective and killing 3 guardsmen. They would celebrate if it weren’t for the Hellhammer cannon sitting right in front of them. Without the threat of a massed Chimera attack on the right side the Rough Riders and Meltagun armed Storm Troopers get a new mission – “Bullet Catchers.” Hopefully they can draw some fire away from the Storm Troopers holding the center objective. Most of the right side pushes forward behind them and tries to capitalize on the enemy’s halted progress. One of the Leman Russ tanks blows away 7 guardsmen hiding in the woods while the infantry squad in the lead takes out the single remaining guardsman from the original 30 that were there before turn 1. The Baneblade gets greedy and finds that it has moved out of range of the Supreme Headquarters so it hits the Hellhammer well but can only glance it causing an “Immobilized” result. I also made the gamble to try to silence the main gun but Andrew makes his save and the Storm Troopers begin filling out their wills. The remaining Basilisk goes for the sweet target of the disembarked Grenadiers but fails to hit anything while a nearby Chimera gets ‘shaken’ and losses its Multilaser.

Turn 2 IG


Andrew’s Hellhound springs out and destroys a Sentinel and the last two guardsmen in the woods in one Infero Cannon shot. The Nearby Missile Launcher armed squad can’t find its mark but the russ backing them up manages to immobilize the Hellhound across from it. The remaining veterans and the single giardsman charge into the ruined building but all simultaneously get stuck in the doorway ala three stooges and end up getting killed by the Storm Troopers waiting inside. The Hellhammer decides to destroy the Rough Riders and when the Hellhammer decides something there’s just no changing its mind. Some of the nearby Storm Troopers are caught in the blast and the remaining members are killed by the grenadiers who squeeze between the immobilized vehicles to take their shots. The Demolisher that got pummeled so bad takes a pot shot at the Baneblade and damages its drive. The crew quickly opens the glovebox and realizes to their horror that their insurance does NOT cover acts of god, demon possession, or damage caused by Lascannon fire.

Turn 3 IG



The Baneblade creeps backward to attempt to get into range of its Supreme Headquarters but 3” just doesn’t quite cut it and the thing can’t seem to harm the Hellhammer. The cannon shot deviates right into the clustered Grenadiers though and kills all of them. Meanwhile, one of the Demolishers and a nearby Infantry manned Lascannon combine fire to destroy the last enemy Demolisher causing it to explode and kill a nearby infantryman. The Leman russ on the left makes a great shot on the Hellhound and another explosion occurs killing a guardsman and simultaneously blocking the lascannon team behind it from firing next turn and creating another roadblock. Two more guardsmen in the woods are picked off but not one of the heavy weapons fired at the nearby russ can seem to harm it. The guardsmen on my side all begin arguing over which would work better against it “red kryptonite or green kryptonite” as the round ends.

Turn 3 IG



The russ on the far left takes a shot at the newly arrived command squad and Commissar as the other Commissar and the remaining guardsman with him fall prey to infantry fire. The other russ zooms up to claim the objective and blow away most of the squad next to the Baneblade. The Chimeras in the center all combine fire and destroy the Storm Troopers in the ruins who thought they were home free. The Hellhammer blows away most of the command squad across from it and a few others nearby. The Destroyer finds an opening between the immobilized vehicles and makes a great shot immobilizing the russ on the table edge.

Results:

IG (me) – 3
IG (Andrew) - 2

Post Battle Report:
This one got pretty bloody. Had I not gotten first turn though it would have been brutal on the right with the two Demolishers and the infantry platoon. Even after dealing with them I would have had waves of Chimeras right behind them. It was that luck that got me the objective on that side with just one infantry (vet) squad. The objective I was going for on the left proved to be the one that caused me the most grief. I knew I would suffer some casualties but I didn’t think I would block myself in so badly! The same problem occurred on both sides though. When this many tanks hit the table certain lanes start to get blocked off and it becomes a hard area to maneuver around. Even on a 4x8 table IG forces of this size get pretty cramped. As always it was a great game and I always love me a good guard vs guard slap fight!

Your battle report is pretty cool and the visuals are very nice. I especially like the red laserbeams. Hope to see some more cool Battle reports soon.

What did you use to make those battle reports? PowerPoint?

Very accurate pictograms there. I really like the way the vehicles are too scale.

Redmond wrote:What did you use to make those battle reports? PowerPoint?

Microsoft Visio. The background is made using photoshop. Each terrain piece is a seperate layer and I position them according to reference pics. Then, I set that image as the background in Visio and create icons or simply re-color existing ones that I've made to match the forces used. Using a combination of reference pics and notes of each player turn I match up the Visio diagram to match.

Thanks for the kind words guys!

great battle report. you two have huge armies. looks fun!

Great report, IG are one of the better armies for APOC, you really get a feel for how things ought to work - massive amounts of gun, grunts to blast apart, and loads of tanks for the killing. Though I was waiting for the hellhammer and/or baneblade to go critical!

Continuing to love the graphics too

- Salvage

Boss_Salvage wrote:Though I was waiting for the hellhammer and/or baneblade to go critical!

You and me both! This was my 12th Apoc game using at least one superheavy and I have yet to have one go critical! Usually my Baneblade just quietly loses its last structure point and just becomes wrecked. LAME! During the tourney though a Warhound had a super meltdown and ended up destroying almost an entire force and I witnessed another game where a brass scorpion went critical causing some damage but I have yet to have it happen in one of my games.

...maybe that's a good thing.

How long did it take you to make th eicons, or is there somewhere they can be downloaded? I use Visio at work pretty frequently but I hadn't thought of using it for Bat reps. Nice job.

I woul dlove to see what would have happened in the next few turns. Quite the meat/armor grinder nonetheless. Thanks for sharing.

I wish there was somewhere they could be downloaded! Why is it so easy to get an icon for a Cisco 15454 but so hard to get an icon for a space marine drop pod? Pssh, stupid Visio.

It didn't take too long. For some of them I just took an overhead shot of the vehicle with a tape measure next to it. Then I would set it as the background and just draw over the image. The tape measure on the image would then help me scale it down to match everything else.

Now to be frank, I just skimmed the report, but what a beautiful spread of well-kept pieces! Gamers like you dudes are what sells this game.

okay. I will admit to it.. I have looked at this thread about 20 times.. I love the format and the pictures of your models. I agree with wight_widow, such forces are awesome to look at.

Beautiful format and a fantastic job with the diagrams.

wow.

thank you for that.

Nice!

I really only looks at those awsome pix, but judging from that the volley of fire was completely on the player on the left side's favor. Way more lines in shooting phase. Seemed only about half as many shots coming from the right side. Where/how did you get/make those pix?

"Eeeeeeeyyy, sit on it"

Wow, a thumbs up from the Fonz is like a hallmark card! Or, wait! That's a hickey from Kenickie. Nevermind. Thanks for checking it out guys! Yeah, smart_alex I got first turn and was able to annihilate his platoon over there and cripple his Demolishers which opened up that whole side of the field. I think if he had first turn he would have rushed me and even though not all of his tanks would survive it would have been a huge quagmire over there with him outweighing me in scoring units. As it was he was unable to get his chimeras up and with his front infantry gone it went completely the other way.

The background is made with Photoshop. I take overhead shots of all of the terrain pieces next to a tape measure, then scale them down and save each one as a layer. That way I can recreate the report based on the reference pics I take during the game.

Then I import the image into Microsoft Visio and use it as the background for the report. I made all of the icons using Visio by measuring the vehicles and bases and scaling them down to match. Sometimes I just use an overhead shot as a background and just draw over it to get the dimensions right on the vehicles like the baneblade and others.

Thanks again for checking it out. I've been playing a ton of Warmachine lately and I'm just not good enough yet to concentrate on the game AND take notes and pics, but I've got another Apocalypse batrep on the way!

dude!
just use vassal?

really cool

Guard vs guard, a real game.

You are right about the lots of unhappy infantrymen, battle was far from 'over' most tanks were still active and over half the infantry were corpses.

Waw, this sounds like a bloody one, just like apoc should be!

I must say, like the rest of the dakkaites here, I really do like the graphics. Visio you say? May I ask where you got the pictogams? A really neat way of showing the flow of the action! Keep it up I say .

Do you have a picture of your Supreme Headquarters piece?

Also, gorgeous job with all the tanks involved. It's motivating me to paint even as I type!