Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

It seems as if the Elysian Drop Troops lose all the time in the fluff despite having modern tactics in the Imperial Armor series. Are there any instances of them winning major battles in the fluff?

It does seem like they are doomed to lose. Not entirely their fault though I guess. Imperial forces lose every battle in the IA books.

If I remember correctly, They drop down on key objectives and hold them till then main wave of guard/sisters or SM reach that objective.

Veteran Sergeant wrote:It does seem like they are doomed to lose. Not entirely their fault though I guess. Imperial forces lose every battle in the IA books.

They won the Siege of Vraks and Badab War.

Oh yeah, "won" the Siege of Vraks" lol. Good one.

And the Badab War is actually from some early 90s issues of White Dwarf. IA just re-did it

They won alright. Traitor Cardinal was killed, his forces in ruins, population destroyed, traitor marines crushed, Daemons purged and world in ruins.
I call that victory.

Brother Coa wrote:They won alright. Traitor Cardinal was killed, his forces in ruins, population destroyed, traitor marines crushed, Daemons purged and world in ruins.
I call that victory.

That sounds like an Imperial victory to me, too.

Isn't that the same exact type of victory they claimed in the first 2 Armageddon wars?

Their job being drop ahead of the army and secure ground or similar missions means that if s### goes downhill, then they can be left hanging without support and well, we all know what happens to guard when they don't have enough support...

Veteran Sergeant wrote:It does seem like they are doomed to lose. Not entirely their fault though I guess. Imperial forces lose every battle in the IA books.

Except against Eldar

dæl wrote:

Veteran Sergeant wrote:It does seem like they are doomed to lose. Not entirely their fault though I guess. Imperial forces lose every battle in the IA books.

Except against Eldar

Technically the Eldar did achieve their ultimate objective, only at a much higher cost than they would have liked.

As for the Elysians in that campaign, they were held mostly in reserve. And they did end up stopping the Eldar forces from slaughtering the civilians wholesale and pushing the main eldar forces back, so I'd definitely call that a victory.

The Imperials never win. They just occasionally don't lose as horribly. The loss of Vraks's manufactorum cant be considered a victory, and the Eldar achieved their objectives before retreating. The Imperial "wins" were completely empty in both cases.

I mean, I'm not complaining, but it's stupid to suggest the Imperium "won" in either case

But they also denied Chaos the manufactorum.

The Eldar were forced off the planet, and were soundly beaten in the process. Aside from a couple of stray corsairs the Eldar have virtually ceased to be a threat in the system. A 'loss' would have resulted in the fall of Betalis III, or even a successful invasion of the important Betalis IV. There's no denying that the Imperium achieved its objectives here.

As for Vraks, what could have been a thorn in the Imperium's side during the Black Crusade was neautralised. The loss of the supplies is a setback, but in the grand scheme of things Vraks was a victory for the Imperium. It certainly wasn't a victory for the forces of Chaos.