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Below is the first battle report from a campaign I'm playing with two friends. Please excuse the blurry pics.
Three decades ago, a Warp Storm arose and obscured much of Sub-Sector Adheris. In recent years, Imperial sages and prognosticators have foreseen that the ebbing of the storm is imminent. An Imperial Crusade is launched from the sub-sector capital, Tyrnos, with the aim of securing the worlds lost in the storm. However, the storm still rages as strongly as ever. Some foul machination of the Enemy is agitating it far past when it should have subsided. Three Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, the Salamanders, Raven Guard, and Space Wolves, launch an assault on the once-peaceful agri-world of Seffix. Their Librarians and Rune Priests believe a Sorcerer is conducting a ritual to anchor the storm and thus deny the sub-sector to the Imperium. Their mission is to hunt down and destroy the heretic, and open the way for a massed assault by the Crusade.
The bridge was wrapped in gloom, illuminated only by the braziers set along the walls. Glimpses of tattered banners could be caught when the smoke shifted, showing cloth torn by claws, holed by projectiles, and seared by flame. The figures gathered around the hololithic projector paid these fragments of past glories no mind.
The three captains each regarded the image of a globe rendered fitfully by the projector. The pale skinned warrior armored in black gazed passionlessly at the world, like a bird of prey tracking its victim. The man wearing the sigil of the drake calmly eyed the data streaming through the projection with an air of infinite patience. Finally, the third, armor ornamented with runes and trophies, spoke up stubbornly.
“We should strike with all of our ships. Timidity will not serve us in this fight.”
The pale warrior eyed him, as if calculating how best to strike, but remained silent. The Salamanders Captain spoke.
“My Librarian assures me that the passage through the storm is a narrow and treacherous one. The more ships that we attempt to steer through the Warp-shoals, the more chance we have of meeting an ignominious end. A single strike cruiser and its escorts stand the greatest chance of navigating the storm, and even that will be fraught with peril.”
His voice took on a lighter tone. “Unless, of course, you do not think a single company will be sufficient to wrest one small world from the clutches of the enemy?”
The Space Wolf threw back his head and laughed. Several bridge serfs flinched, though none strayed from their duty. The savage looking warrior gave his fellow Astartes a fanged smile.
“One pack of my Blood Claws could cleanse this miserable ball of dirt. Very well, we shall do it your way. After all, what fools could stand before the fury of the Wolf, the Drake, and the Raven?” He gave the Raven Guard Shadow Captain’s shoulderpad a slap that would have leveled a normal man. The slimmer man budged not at all, favoring him with a flat look.
After that, there was silence for a moment. Then the Shadow Captain leaned over and flicked off the holo display. In the darkness that suddenly fell, he finally spoke.
“It begins.”
Storm Over Seffix, Part 1
Spoiler:
With a final, sickening lurch, the Incendium Spesum tore itself from the tides of the Warp and emerged into realspace. Deep, sonorous tones like monastery bells signaled the detection of unknown ships. The ship’s captain, clad in his green power armor and ensconced in his command throne, gave no sign of hearing them. Instead, he reviewed the incoming data through his mind-link to the ship, noting the disposition of the enemy warships. Closest contacts – three Infidel raiders patrolling the outer reaches of planetary space. More pressingly, an Archenemy ship, positively identified as the Murder-class crusier Misery, glowered menacingly above Seffix. Sending his commands in the blink of a mortal eye, the captain leaned back and prepared to run the gauntlet.
Turn 1 – Chaos
Spoiler:
The Archenemy capital ship immediately comes about, locking weapons on the trespassers. Its prow lances prove unable to pin down the nimble escorts.
The Infidels set a course straight for the enemy, salvoing torpedoes as they go.
Turn 1 – Space Marines
Spoiler:
The Gladius frigates – Infernus, Exterminus, and Moltemus – move to screen the Incendium Spesum from the incoming ships. Their gun batteries manage to bring down the Misery’s shields, but cannot penetrate its desecrated hull.
The Spesum launches Thunderhawks. One squadron intercepts the torpedo volley and returns to base. The other begins its attack run on the Misery.
Turn 2 – Chaos
Spoiler:
With a roar that floods the open vox channels, the Misery lurches forward. All weapon batteries fire unceasingly as it lunges through the escort formation. The Infidels pounce at the same time, torpedoes and plasma salvos rippling across space. The Salamander frigates brace for impact, and as the explosions die down, only the Moltemus continues to cut through the void.
Turn 2 – Space Marines
Spoiler:
The Astartes ships continue their push towards Seffix. Weapon batteries and bombardment cannons pummel the Misery, but it remains undeterred. Thunderhawks launch a hit-and-run attack on the cruiser, starting a shipboard fire.
Turn 3 – Chaos
Spoiler:
The Misery screams past the Spesum’s aft, firing its batteries point blank. The Strike Cruiser’s shields crackle and overload, but contain the damage. The Misery, dangerously close to its target, loses its shields to the debris and energy waves of its own attack. Its damage control teams quench the raging fires from last turn’s hit-and-run.
Ever the opportunists, the Infidels swarm the Moltemus, but the doughty Salamander frigate withstands their feeble attacks.
Turn 3 – Space Marines
Spoiler:
The Strike Cruiser captain, sensing an opportunity, strikes hard. Reserving his gun batteries for the Infidels, he orders a Terminator teleport assault against the Misery, along with a wave of Thunderhawks. The attacks leave the Archenemy cruiser with two separate fires to deal with.
Turn 4 – Chaos
Spoiler:
The Misery burns retros to stay in the fight. Infuriatingly, the Strike Cruiser continues to be unassailable by the Chaos cruiser’s formidable gun batteries.
The Infidels, knowing where the true threat lies, change course to attack the Spesum. Even though their ally is in the path of the torpedo volley, they fire anyway. Both the Spesum and the Misery take hull damage from the massed warheads.
This time, the Misery’s slave engineers prove less effective, and neither fire is put out, costing the cruiser two hull points!
Turn 4 – Space Marines
Spoiler:
Ignoring the cruiser for now, the Astartes ships focus their wrath on the Infidels, immolating one in righteous fire.
Turn 5 – Chaos
Spoiler:
The forces of Chaos continue to hound the Loyalists, but the Salamanders refuse to be deterred.
Misery’s damage control fails once again, and the cruiser is crippled by the raging fires. Even in the void, the Salamanders will purge you by flame!
Turn 5 – Space Marines
Spoiler:
Its path clear, the Incendium Spesum diverts all power to the engines, closing on Seffix. The Moltemus, ignored by the enemy forces, begins to circle around.
Turn 6 – Chaos
Spoiler:
The Strike Cruiser continues to swat away the Chaos attacks like annoying gnats. The Misery ignores the pitiful Gladius and continues its long range attacks on the Spesum, before losing another two hull points to fire.
Turn 6 – Space Marines
Spoiler:
The Moltemus, passed over in favor of larger targets, shows its true mettle and unleashes hell on Misery, taking its last hull point and turning it into a drifting hulk. His brothers are avenged.
The Strike Cruiser begins its assault on Seffix, launching drop pods and Thunderhawks, as well as starting the preliminary bombardment. The invasion of Seffix has begun!
Falling down is the same as being hit by a planet — "I paint to the 20 foot rule, it saves a lot of time." -- Me
ddogwood wrote:People who feel the need to cheat at Warhammer deserve pity, not anger. I mean, how pathetic does your life have to be to make you feel like you need to cheat at your toy army soldiers game?
