Welcome to game 42 in our campaign. The Imperial forces are now nearing the curtain wall surrounding the fallen Hive Erd, base of the chaos corruption that has thrown the system into anarchy and war.
Previous games in this campaign can be found here:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Gordy2000%27s_Battle_Reports
The forces of the god-emperor have slowly beaten back the armies of Ruinous Powers, but the followers of the eight-fold path are not so easily beaten…
The Deathguard have sallied forth in strength, determined to blunt the Imperial assault before it starts and to harvest a mighty tally for Grandfather Nurgle.
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Captain Gordus Maximus stood silently in the troop compartment of the Land Raider, head bowed. He allowed the multitude of tactical data pouring into his helm to wash over him, sorting, analysing, deciphering. He would occasionally give short commands and responses as he kept his spearhead armoured force in line with his Salamander brothers to his east.
Gordus watched through a vid-captured data ghost as the armies crested a low rise that opened into a wide valley ahead. The tactical maps noted its name – the Kattara Depression. An old name, dating back to the crusade era.
A priority message flashed up on his retina display. Scouting units ranging ahead of the force were reporting back. The entire valley was filled with an unnatural smog that confounded auspexes and pict systems.
The captain’s lip curled. The enemy awaited.
The same data feed was being transmitted to his terminator retinue. The sergeant, Kias Adrosfane, caught his eye.
“A trap captain, almost certainly.”
Gordus nodded once. “Yes, a trap indeed Kias. But sometimes, the best way to spring a trap is to punch your fist through its jaws”.
A moment later auspexes across the strike force lit up. Contract reports flooded in as the first enemy elements were engaged. Gordus allowed himself a grim smile. Now would come the bloody work against those who had betrayed the Emperor so long ago.
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The strikeforce deploys across the valley floor.
Arrayed against them, the Nurgle host seems endless.
Ancient heroes stalk the field.
The fell smog obscuring the valley floor lifts, to reveal the enemy already close by as the marine force opens up across its entire frontage..
Fire!
Plague Haulers are priority targets to prevent them further shrouding the enemy from incoming fire
The Deathguard advance, heedless of casualties
More warp-spawned horrors appear
Forward! The eyes of our lord are upon us!
This wall feels like it should be higher….
Greater daemons begin to manifest as the chanted praises to Nurgle thin the walls of reality
The Salamanders begin an aggressive assault into the heart of the enemy, spearheaded by their ancients.
Something abominable manifests behind the Salamander line…
The Sons of Gord wipe out the waves of poxwalkers and zombies to their front, but the next rank of enemy is made of sterner stuff.
The Deathguard elite arrive.
The relentless advance of the XIV Legion continues into the storm of loyalist fire
Right down the barrel…
Bolt rounds, demolisher shells and plasma beams are poured into the enemy, but still they come on.
Even super-heavy weapons are not enough to stem the tide.
With a final, shocking burst of speed, the leading Deathguard elements slam into the Imperials.
Grandfather will be pleased…
Salamanders fight desperately against their fallen first-founding brothers.
Alongside other horrors.
Even the mighty ancients are hard pressed.
Well, hello little tank…
Such a fragile little thing…
Marine air support bores in, adding lascannon and assault cannon fire to the mayhem.
All across the field, no quarter is asked or given.
The Salamander elite smash into the enemy heart.
The loyalists have taken the blow, and now punch back harder.
Gordus Maximus and his retinue storm into the melee.
The daemon prince cannot stand before his wrath. As the creature falls, the Deathguard, so close to overwhelming the marines, melts away into the gloom…
Imperial victory!
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That was a much closer game than it appeared. One more round and the Deathguard would have swept the Imperial side away. The greater daemons, Deathshroud, and other hero units would have been unstoppable and would have run amok amongst the stationary marine tanks.
The concept of this game was two-fold. First, to see if an all-infantry force could go toe to toe with an armoured one, and two, to let
DC table the bulk of his impressive Deathguard force (you will note we needed two marine armies to even match him!).
I think Sandy’s (Salamanders) bold assault up the middle stalled the enemy long enough to run the turn clock down. Honestly, facing down a charge from three greater daemons, multiple heroes and more Deathguard terminators than you can shake a stick at was not going to be pretty.
Still in the end the Imperial side triumphed (just). As we played this game under 8th ed rules, the
DG still had the good old fashioned Disgustingly Resilient rule, so despite the punishing firepower, they were super hard to put down. Much of the Nurgle force withdrew in good order to fight on the walls of the Hive itself in the final battles to come…
Next game, we come to it at last after all these long years. The curtain wall of Hive Erd is reached as the Imperial forces commit to a massive armored frontal assault against hardened defenses and every unit the Chaos side has to call on – part one of a two-part Grand Finale.
Tanks! Greater Daemons! Titans! Oh my!
