The battle field was littered with the debris of long forgotten civilization; this scattered world was dead, abandoned and echoing with their screams. Lt Colonel Rhane did not know what brought the Kelryan III to this planet; it wasn’t his place to question the orders from on high. This planet had some value, which was for certain. Already the third had skirmishes breaking out all along their drop zone. Something must have brought all the forces which were descending upon this planet here.
The fringe lines had been pushing out slowly, making room for the brass to bring down the big guns and more soldiers. Rhane’s regiment had just begun constructing the first series of defense lines when the vox began crackling.
“… incoming contacts … hostile…” The coms cut out.
Rhane glanced at the scattering of soldiers constructing the defense lines. “Sh*t… send call for gunnery support, and hail the scouts again. I want to know what’s coming.” Rhane clambered on top of his parked command vehicle. “Shovels down, and guns up! We’ve got incoming!”
This is the first battle report in the map campaign being run by the
FLGS near me. The campaign gives one territory for playing and two for winning. When a game is played you compare map spaces. Whoever has the most loses 1% of their army points for each extra territory. (this keeps forces from growing too fast, and encourages once weekly players to participate with players who play almost daily)
Imperial Guard Forces: (1750) I must a forgot something…. As it was supposed to be 1800
CCs with astropath, master of ordinance, 2 BG, 1 plasmagun, medic,
AC, chimera
Psyker Primaris
Stormtroopers (5) with 2 melta
Stormtroopers (5) with 2 melta
Marbo 65
PCS with al’rahem & 4 flamers
3 IS with Commissar,
PWs & 3
GLs
SWS with 3 flamers
Vets with 3 plasma and
LC
Vets with 3 plasma and
LC
Vets with 3 melta and
AC
PL
Defense Line
Mantacore
Hydra
Necrons (1750)
Anrakyr + Catacomb command Barge
2 Lords - Leads Immortals and Lych Gaurd
2 Crypteks - harbinger of the storm (Blue) and harbinger of destruction (purple)- Leads Warrior Squads
5 Lychgaurd
5 Deathmarks
10 Immortals
18 warriors (2 squads of 9)
3 Tomb Blades
5 scarabs (Should have been 8 but that got worked out in game)
Doomscythe
Ghost Ark.
Rolled for game type: Crusade
Rolled for Deployment: Hammer
The board:
Deployment: Guard win the roll!
Rhane’s forces dig in and prepare for the incoming threat. Forward sentries having sent the word ahead, the guardsmen prepare to open fire as soon as the foe shows its ugly head.
(the objectives are the oil barrels on the field)
Warlord traits: Necron’s get a non-useful trait. Guard gets the -1 to enemy reserve trait.
Guard deployment
And Necron deployment
View from Necron side
Turn 1
The veterans rush the defense line, piling in and taking cover
The big gun begin to open fire on the exposed mechanic warriors
The Necron’s are taken by surprise, and exposed in the open
The ghost ark goes down to a lucky Las cannon shot
Spilling its juicy contents that are smited by the incoming heavy artillery. Heavy losses are taken, as the machines attempt to pull themselves back together
Necron Turn 1.
Having been decimated by the lucky round of artillery fire, The necron’s begin their slow, on foot advance across the field. Their bikes whipping around the ruins to unleash firepower upon the entrenched veterans. The snipers out of range abandon the ruins to advance into range.
An explosion eccho’d across the battle field, as the large robotic vessel crumpled to the ground. Rhane’s men cheered and shouted, waving their guns in the air. The battle was going very well, and Rhane permitted himself a smirk of satisfaction.
But before the humor of his men had faded green gauss fire splayed across the defense line. Distracted by their success and celebration the men had failed to see the flanking forces. Several men were cut down before they knew what was happening. Rhane shouted for his men to get down then turned his attention back to the battle, trusting that the hasty walls would hold against the incoming fire. A shout from the pilot the brace echoed out just before the whole transport shook as a missile slammed into the front armor of the vehicle.
The vox crackled again “incoming scarabs!!! Right flank!”
The necrons open fire upon the guard line. Several of the veterans on the left flank lose their heads, the central unit dives to ground, taking only a single casualty as a torrent of necron firepower is loosed upon their location.
The necron’s take advantage of the distraction and board edge’s protection from blast, running his scarab swarm up the flank.
Guardsmen hunker down.
GUARD TURN 2
Reserves are rolled for, everyone but the red storm trooper squad enters.
The vox crackled again. “Reinforcements are in bound.”
Bolstered by the news Rhane throws open the transport hatch a screams orders to the nearby veterans, his voice competing with the sounds of the battle field. “Get back in the fight you dogs! We’ve got inbound storm troopers! Let’s show those spoiled pretty boys how you win a war!”
The storm troopers land next to the necrons objective, supported by an outflanking “knife fighter” penal legion squad.
Al’rahem and his platoon come in on the opposite flank, their flamers moving into position to light up the incoming scarabs. The blob deploys in the back to make a run on the central necron units and challenge the back field objective.
The aftermath of shooting, the scarabs are incinerated, and many more metal men fall to the ground and fail to get back up. Combined fire form the storm troopers and penal legion see a hand full of warrior remaining, all downed snipers stand back up. The bikes are brought down by combined veteran fire.
Having jumped out of cover this turn Marbo biffs with his demo pack.
The whole table:
NECRON TURN 2
Things are looking grim for the necron player. Desperately needing his reserve to enter, he rolls and is denied his flyer for a turn. He continues and advance with his elite warriors and splits his remaining warriors making for the blob.
His leader makes toward the blob, casually swinging and beheading marbo on his way.
The command barge and necron lord cut into the guard blob, having not been penetrated yet, the void shields hold off the imperial grenades and several more guardsmen are cut down where they stand.
GUARD TURN 3
The battle was going well, the metal warriors were falling to the massed fire of veterans and the entire right flank was burning with Al’rahem’s promethium troopers. Only the Metal lord upon his flying machine was proving untouchable. Only the stern voice of the commissar was keeping the men in the battle.
At this point I make the mistake of assuming that chariot vehicles are combat locked and I keep the troops in combat with the chariot.
The final storm troopers enter the field, deep striking to help claim the back field objective.
The veterans climb down from the ruin and secure the objective in the guard deployment. Al’rahem and his squad make for the surviving warriors, while the special weapon squad makes for an objective just outside the guard line.
A round of shooting sees most of the back field emptied with the central elite soldiers cut down by plasma fire.
NECRON TURN 3
Reserves are rolled for, and once more the necron player is denied his much needed flyer support.
Having not been locked in combat (we just now found the rule) the command barge make a run on the objective being held by the special weapons squad, cutting into Al’rahems squad on the way. The remaining necron warriors assault into the blob in an effort to keep them from advancing.
In the back field the snipers remove some of the convicts holding their back objective
Combat goes fairly well for the Necrons as the blob only manages to down one of the warriors and the command barge eliminates the special weapons squad on the objective.
GUARD TURN 4
The back storm troopers finish off the last of the back field necrons.
The veterans abandon their line to claim another objective.
The veterans finally down the command barge and Al’rahem and his survivors advance upon the lord.
The combat continues with the blob squad dragging two more of the iron men down.
And Al’rahem challenges the Unliving Metal lord to single combat.
Rhane stood in the access hatch of the chimera, watching as the last of the silent warriors powered down, their Leader, a massive robbed beast stalked in circles around the pompus fancy captain in his fire embalmed cloak. At his side the sleek power sword hung lightly in his grasp. As the metal man opened his mouth a gear churning cackle rattled forth, he whipped his massive blade back and forth, the blood of Marbo and countless troopers mingled along its edge, burning with the promethium which harmlessly smoldered around him.
Rhane grimaced, he’d like the arrogant fool and didn’t want to see him die, but played he go quickly, as the guns wouldn’t have long to cut the Necron lord down before he reached their lines. As Rhane watched, the creature advanced, pulling its blade back for the kill, as the men fell back in fear the captain held his ground sweeping his blade up and thrusting forward. His coppery blade driving straight through the oncoming lord’s mouth.
The duel with the lord and Al’rahem ends with Al’rahem’s ridiculous sword cutting the lord down before it could strike.
The turn ends with the board cleared of all but two necrons who are locked combat with the power blob. The back field emptied
And the center now littered with necron deactivated.
The Necron player concedes defeat and the game ends.
Guard: 4 primary objectives, 3 secondary
Necron: 0 Flyer still in reserve.
Lt. Colonel Rhane jumped down from his transport. His men descending upon the deactivated warriors, tearing into their remains, and scattering the pieces. Anything which moved would incinerated with enough Promethean to reduce it to slag. Casualties had been light, and as Rhane walked across the battle field he couldn’t help but smile, there would be much to celebrate tonight.
This was my first victory of the campaign, played against
CC who is still fairly new to the game. This was also the first time either of us had played the other faction. We had fun and look forward to a rematch now that we are more familiar with what each army can bring.
I learned this game that the strategy of Al’rahem is both effective and entertaining; I will be renaming him soon and will likely use him extensively in the games to come.
CC has learned that imperial artillery is a b*tch, even with the reanimation protocol and will likely never deploy so exposed again.
I hope you had fun reading the repport, and thanks to our buddy younger kyle for taking the pictures! I intend to bring more narrative in the future, and revive my Concurring Rhane series with this campaign.
Too bad he biffed his shot 
