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Hi all,
sometimes, there appear these nostalgia-threads on the net. As a big fan of the old warhammer(40k)editions and generally everything ,,historical" concerning our hobby ( When all this stuff had just appeared, I wasn´t playing yet, I started in 2001) , I would like
YOU to post your veteran-stories. I`ve got a copy of the Rogue Trader Rulebook and have built a small group of a Magos Biologis and some guys, including a gorilla and squats. I don´t have played it yet, but some day I will

I remember when 3rd edition came out. I built an ork horde and I almost exclusively played against marines, chaos marines and necrons. Choppers destroyed them and I don't remember ever losing a game. Oh wait. Even without choppers I still rarely lose .

Good ol' Choppas.

I remember a game in 2nd edition were I shot an Ork Biker and he lost control and crashed into Ghazkull and killed him!

I remember in 3rd, I played against an all infantry Tau army, and shot an indirect bassilisk shot(were you guessed) and overshot and killed the ethereal and the whole army broke and ran on turn 1.

Darkness wrote:Good ol' Choppas.

I remember a game in 2nd edition were I shot an Ork Biker and he lost control and crashed into Ghazkull and killed him!

I remember in 3rd, I played against an all infantry Tau army, and shot an indirect bassilisk shot(were you guessed) and overshot and killed the ethereal and the whole army broke and ran on turn 1.

Lol Thats an awesome shot. Won an entire battle with one shot

There is an old WD, around the time when chaos appeared for 2nd edition, where a CSM, burning because of having been hit by a flamer, jumps into a pit full of ork-gak to put the fire out! Great batrep!

Like darkness noted - I was always fond of the old rules for Ork bikers and their big ol' dakka guns. After they fired you used to have to roll scatter dice to see where they'd end up. Sometimes the effect could be very good for you, sometimes not (I never saw anyone lose Ghaz before though, ouch!)

I was a big fan of Necromunda back in its first incarnation. Our final game of one campaign culminated with three of the toughest gangs in the sector teaming up to deal with a sudden Genestealer incursion. One of the players who ended up with two 'stealers right on top of him pointed out that the rules fully allowed you to target yourself with a thrown grenade. He promptly played hero by pulling the pin and exploding himself and the 'stealers sky high. Oddly enough, of the three, he was the only one to survive the blast which seemed a significantly Herculean effort.

I miss RT, when everyone of my Bezerker sargents carryed a Vortex grenade.

I miss Ork big bosses. Why is it that later editions of 40K scrapped the idea of middle-level characters?

warpcrafter wrote:I miss Ork big bosses. Why is it that later editions of 40K scrapped the idea of middle-level characters?

Yeah, in 2nd edition they had around 14 or so HQ choices...
I think there were special grots and orky drill sergeants as well.

Another question.: Was the Ichar IV Campaign played in 2nd edition? Did you attend? I think a campaign with the detailed rules of this time should have had really great depth.

Let's see. 2nd ed, Canadian GT, transports were pretty much death traps, I think like 90% of the results killed all occupants. Anyways, a Marine Player deployed his entire force into a building. Ork player fired a Pulsa Rokkit for the first shot of the game and destroyed the building, and buildings were treated the same as a transport. Entire Marine army dead on the first shot.

sustained fire dice. Give a dread an assault cannon and twin linked Heavy Bolters (back then that meant two heavy bolters, not re-roll to hit) and I think it resulted in about 10 sustained fire dice. For those not familiar with them, they told you how many shots you got. Six sided dice with (IIRC) 2 x Jam, 2 x 1 shot, 1 x 2 shots, and 1 x 3 shots. And there was no AP, just negative armor modifiers, so light up a unit of Marines with that Dread and not much survived.

Overwatch. Put that same dread on overwatch and dare your opponent to move those jump troops. Look guys, nothing but a fine red mist falling from the skies........

shooting into hth. I loved this. Wow, your HeroHammer hth monster is locked in hth with my little Guardsman? OK, first squad shoot, hits randomized, guardsman dies, now unload on herohammer. bye bye.

Hi.
I missed the 'this is a crap ton of fun ' mentality .Before the 41st milenium got mega grim dark (and expensive)pre PLC days.
When creativity and narrative was FAR more important than who actualy won a game.

I can remember several game being abandoned due to hysterical laughter .(Due to the potty behavior of my Mad boys usualy!)

Pre PLC days Games Work shop was a games company that sold minatures specificaly for thier range of games.

Now they are in the buisness of 'selling toy soldier to kiddies' according to Chairman Tom Kirby.

Thats why I have MY wargames hobby, NOT a GW hobby!

Happy gaming
Lanrak.

Darkness wrote:Good ol' Choppas.

I remember a game in 2nd edition were I shot an Ork Biker and he lost control and crashed into Ghazkull and killed him!

I remember in 3rd, I played against an all infantry Tau army, and shot an indirect bassilisk shot(were you guessed) and overshot and killed the ethereal and the whole army broke and ran on turn 1.

that sounds like my first fantasy game.. I played orcs and goblins.. set up against a dwarf player.. His first cannonball shot landed over my troops and bounched through my general.. who failed his save .. everything in the army ran, except my two night goblin units.. lol..

we reset the game and played it again, with no crazy cannonball bounces.. lol

I miss my Madboyz.

More than once I can remember them doing little of worth to a battle, shooting at hedges, wandering off the wrong way, hurting themselves or my own units, used to be the turn highlight seeing what they would do next.

3000 pts of BA v's 1500 DE and 1500 Eldar on an 8x4 table. Pulled them into a nice little terrain trap and slammed it close by DS a 13 man jet packed death company plus chaplin + librarian (no command squad) behind them. Had a big chunk of Eldar surrounded - positively laugh at them for falling for my superior generalship and tactics. Then rolled a double one and the whole squad disappeared. Much howling and tears of laughed. I think it was about 600 points that just died with a roll of a die - yes, I know - a BA player that took bikes and terminators in 3rd is a bit rare.

I know I have said it before but the diversity of each army was the greatest part for me in 3rd (when I came on board). Granted I remember fighting nothing but Nids, BA, and Chaos Berzeker armies for almost 2 years, waiting for that inevitable chaos deamon possession to take hold and kill the champion to unleash the bloodthirster. But the options where there. The Deathwatch kill team gave me an almost unfair advantage at the time against those armies.

My favorite moment was the game my DA scout sarg lasted 4 turns in hand to hand with a bloodthirster. That sarg still has his medal after all these years.

Beserkers best troop type ever in 3rd edition and Kharn a one man army I had him slice through 3 tactical marine squads 2 terminator squads.Then I promptly drove up 3 land raiders flipped down the ramps and 30 Berserkers joined him in the Red gore themed fun and frollics.

By the Time my Bloodthirster arrived with his Bloodletters not much was left plus fearless meant no matter how many shots you poured in they were'nt running.

Plus 2 attacks plus one on the charge I was rolling my dice out of a bucket usually result in 3 men out of a entire army surrounded by a sea of red armoured mad men.

I remember the good 'ol days when my Chaos Marine army could field a Bloodthirster or a Great Unclean One... and that distinction meant something. Thanks Gav and Jervis for taking that away. Generic Daemons are much more fun.


But for an actual story, and I've told this one before, it's my most memorable shot from 2nd Ed:

Back then Basilisks could fire twice a turn. The aim was to hit with one and miss with the other so the scatter could get something else. The game was a rolling campaign, so if one side won, the terrain was slid towards them 2 or so feet, or if the other side won, it went back - so as long as you remembered what the terrain setup was, you could go back and forth fighting over the same ground. Well the Marine side had lost a succession of games and was back to their main stronghold with their final remaining forces. They had fought valiantly, and the two opposing commanders - Yarrick and Calgar - had even had their own private war in the previous game involving a crew-less Rhino and a lot of Grand Theft Auto style Rhino-jacking as they each tried to run each other down.

So the battle lines were drawn, and the Guard got first turn. Looking across the table, under the support of a rail crossing, the Basilisk could only make out a single Assault Marine. Figuring I had nothing better to shoot at, I fired. I got the desired 1 hit/1 miss. I placed the blast marker (Basilisks didn't use the huge marker back then, just the normal 2" one), it turned out that I covered that Assault Marine plus 4 other Assault Marines and the track of the Landraider next to the Assault Marine. All 5 Assault Marines died horribly. I rolled to see if I did anything to the Land Raider and, yes, I got through the armour on its track (2nd Ed had rules for hitting different parts of vehicles - more complex, but far more fun than the utterly gak vehicle rules we've been stuck with since 3rd). This caused the Land Raider to flip, destroying it, and it landed on a Marine with a Missile Launcher, killing him.

But the carnage wasn't over.

The shot that missed scattered into a Land Speeder. In 2nd Ed, Land Speeders and Bikes both had the problem that they tended to die spectacularly whenever they got it - I've seen whole Bike Squadrons die when two of them get hit and sent out of control, and then they start crashing into one another - so hitting a Land Speeder with a Earthshaker round pretty much guaranteed that it was going to die. I rolled damage, and, yes, out of control. I roll for where it goes, and it slams straight into a nearby Dread. Virtually everything in 2nd Ed had a Ram Value - a series of dice and bonus strength modifiers to determine how hard they were to ram and how hard they rammed (the Demolisher was notorious for this - I've seen Falcons slam into that thing at full speed and simply disintegrate, with the Demolisher taking no damage) - and the Land Speeder's results proved high enough to make the Dread go ASPLODE. The explosion was quite large, and the other Land Speeder was caught in the blast. Unsurprisingly, that Land Speeder went out of control and flew directly into a Techmarine, killing him instantly.

So the first shot of the game killed:
5 Assault Marines
1 Tactical Marine w/Missile Launcher
1 Techmarine
1 Dreadnought
2 Land Speeders
1 Land Raider

Suffice to say it the fight was taken out of the Marines after that, and they lost the game.


Another couple that always stick out, also from 2nd Ed, were those moments where great characters showed their power. First one was a big game where I was playing Blood Angels/Guard w/Inquisitorial support vs a large Chaos force. We had decided to give the 8-strong unit of Khornate Terminators 'Praise of Khorne', a Gift of Chaos that let them re-roll their armour saves. IIRC, Khorne Terminators had a 2+ on 2D6 save, which means that without a save mod they were impossible to wound and they could re-roll all their saves - stupidly tough. These things walked across the table shrugging off everything I could throw at them. Before they hit my lines I sent forward my brave Commissar - Commssar Chandler - to take the Terminators head-on. He had a Power Fist, and a Jump Pack, and the Emperor was on his side! I rushed in and over a couple of turns killed 4-5 of the Terminators before running into the Khornate Lord. Chandler did not survive that encounter, but was avenged by Inquisitor Lord Zentor, who broke the Chaos Lord in two with his mightly S9 Nemesis Great Sword.

A few games later Zentor again shone, leading 16 Cadians into combat with 20 Berzerkers. By the time the final Berzerker hit the ground, there were only two models left standing - Zentor, and a single Cadian with a Flamer (known thereafter as Billy Bob).

2nd Ed was so much fun.

HBMC, some great 2ed stories there.

Some of my own personal favorites are far more cinematic, as I remember the actual dice rolls far less, but they stand out in my mind quite vividly.

Years ago, a good friend of mine and I experimented with an 'Apoc' style game where we set up as much terrain as we could muster and as many figures as our collections had. Some really strange army composition, but suffice to say we had one all-important rule for the battle: if at all possible, leave casualties where they lay. We took care not to break each other's figs and what have you, and the carnage was pretty immense. The opposing guard obliterated one another except for a Catachan holdout he had in some jungle terrain. My Blood Angels assaulted up the gut, and I used a ton of assault marines back then. The fight for the jungle holdout was particularly intense. In the end it came down to a lone missile launcher marine of mine who had at some point ended up in the middle of the table amidst the dead, versus 3 sisters of battle, two catachans, and a wounded commissar on his end. I figured there was no way I could actually win, but the missile launcher marine hefted his weapon, blew away the sisters, and the guard charged him. When the dust settled, it was just my marine on a huge, huge, HUGE pile of corpses. We took to calling it the thick red line. I named him, Brother Corten, and he still serves in my marine army today. Probably explains why I have always trusted the humble Missile Launcher far more than I should have.

Another time we played on a Tyranid board that was really great looking, the interior of a hive ship, looked like we were fighting inside intestines. We only took things like troops and walkers and had a huge Imperium vs. Nids battle, something like 8k a side I think. It was 3rd, so it wasn't too much of a pain to do that many points. The battle went pretty badly for us, but in proper cinematic fashion our HQ's generally made it to the center objetive intact accompanied by two dreadnaughts. The melee that ensued was the kind the fluff talks about but rarely actually occurs in 40k. We ended up losing, but not before the Dreads took out dozens of the nids through fiery explosions, and the combined efforts of our Marine heroes took out 3 Monstrous Creatures.

A fantastic Armageddon campaign game run at a local shop had an Imperial defence force trying to stop an ork horde rampaging through a dock area, where the Ork deployment zone was around a huge Orky submersible at the far end of the table. We got hammered, but in the end we scraped out a draw thanks to some Blood Angel Assault Marines who literally jumped from rooftop to rooftop killing enemy Stormboys, and (in one of the few instances I've ever seen this happen since we were playing multiple tables lengthwise) a long retreat to a pair of bridges over a chemical river. My Exterminator russ held one of the bridges and guned down tons of orks. I call it the Alamo, and (thanks to the shiny new 5th book) it has re-entered service with the Crujan 54th. I like giving it Pask so that it feels suitably veteran.

I've been playing since 2nd ed, and I collect the older stuff as well.

I thought that 1st ed was pretty grim, and dark, and had that '80s British feel that I really liked.

That being said I play more games of 40K these days, so that's gotta say something. I didn't like 3rd edition at all, though... I miss Movement values, dammit!

I always remember Ulric taking out a Carnifex with a Vortex grenade in 2nd edition )

Wolfstan wrote:I always remember Ulric taking out a Carnifex with a Vortex grenade in 2nd edition )

I keenly remember a game I played at GW where a Striking Scoprion Exarch cleverly got into range of a Demolisher and threw his Vortex Grenade, only to have the Guard player smile and show him the Vortex Detonator upgrade he had taken. The Exarch was sucked into the warp a moment later.

Jive Professor wrote:HBMC, some great 2ed stories there.

QFT

and @ Jive Professor.: I like it how your charakters develop ( the missile-launcher, flamer, tank...) a bunch of tough-as-nails-guys. You have to use them all at once
in a game of combat patrol - would be great!

I especially like how the storyline was a bit more ,all-day-like" in Rogue Trader. There´s a pic of a Space Marine, firing a bolter. There are letters on the bolter, calling it.:
,,Kill-o-Zap". Space Marines were warrior-monks of the emperor like now, but they had more human aspects( including 4+ AS)
I love the rules for the Jokaero( Space Orang-Utans) who could start building or copying any piece of technology you could imagine, if you had just the right materials on your battlefield. And there was a running-gag featuring the players being betrayed by a rogue trader named Abdul Goldberg who used to be hunted by Inquisitor Obi-Sherlock-Clousseau.