Epic: Armageddon, 4k NetEA lists, Imperial Fists vs. Minervan tank legion.
'Ill met by moonlight' expansion, 'Blitzkrieg!' scenario.
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SETUP AND OBJECTIVES:
The scenario details an escalating clash between two forces pushing randomly rolled reserves towards the mid-third of the table, where the players have placed six objectives (the small grey emplacements). The battle is won solely through the control of these objectives. Selen II's planetary defence forces are defending against an Imperial Fists assault. As the attacker, the Fists will start rolling for all of their forces immediately on the first round. The defenders start with 1/4 of their forces already on the field, but will have to wait until round two before getting any reinforcement rolls. The supreme Guard commander with their super-heavy company is overseeing a commandeering hill position deep in the lines while one Russ company lies hidden somewhere closer to the front.
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ROUND 1:
The attackers begin their initial wave, moving Whirlwinds and Devastators up the board to probe which hidden counter houses the defenders. Thus spotted and determined to protect their own side's maneuvers from the marine artillery, the Demolisher company throws their camo aside and pushes forwards to pummel most of the Whirldwinds dead, driving the last vehicle back in distress.
Thus exposed and obscured from the
SHT co's protective Overwatch, the approaching marines take the chance to gang up on the Demolishers with massed Predators and Land Speeders, driving them back in turn with heavy casualties.
ROUND 2:
With reinforcements now available to the defenders as well, the road leading to the supply depot starts getting well and truly churned as mechanised infantry, more Russes and a long column of other vehicles behind them start making their way towards the fight. As attacking aircraft harry the broken Demolishers that withdrew back, Storm Troopers rush forth to secure the flank from the approaching Tactical formations.
With the impetus still on their side, the Imperial Fists mass before pushing forwards.
Unable to properly reach the
SHT co that is starting to get their main guns sighted on the approaching yellow tide, the prowling Predator squadrons rake the Infantry Platoon's Chimeras leaving several burning by the roadside.
With more Speeders and Vindicators rushing to the lines, the Fists are making good time to their objectives as the Infantry break and dash backwards into the hillside woods.
With the escalating tank battles at the front keeping the Marine
AA fires suppressed, the defenders send their air assets to deal with the remnants of the Fists' artillery capabilities in the deep lines, securing their own safety of movement.
ROUND 3:
In the middle, the Marines make the fateful decision to contest the guardsmen in their own game. With massed shell and plasma bolt, the rugged Russes and superheavies soon start taking a fearsome toll on the lighter Marine tanks while shrugging off lascannon shots one after another.
With Predators, Vindicators and occasional Russes blowing up all over the middle, the Fellblade and another
SHT co join the fray and let rip with their big guns as the most mauled Russ company withdraws to the safety of the hills while more keep pouring in.
Recently arrived Marine Scouts have taken to the forward bushes on the left flank while their Tactical brethren on the right hunker down in Overwatch. Deciding to avoid the prepared fires, the Storm Troopers swoop on the other flank entirely to pile on the Scouts instead, failing to drive them out of their bushes.
ROUND 4:
In the middle, the Guard countercharge starts thrusting into the Marine territory. Through the storm of fire the Marines charge to confront them, catching the battle tanks in a dangerous crossfire with their Speeders and threatening to throw them back with a Devastator assault. Alas, the tenacious fellows in green are not so easily swayed and utterly eradicate the Devastators as they pour out into the open firefight. Despite the wipeout victory, the Russes have taken enough losses to necessitate a withdrawal nonetheless to avoid being lost in the confusion themselves.
In the duel between one angry yellow boi and a pile of pissed off tankers with volcano cannons, the only prize the astartes can be awarded this day is one for turret tossing as the Fellblade is wrecked by a screaming beam of white-hot death.
The general battle of attrition rages with the Storm Troopers being driven off, Scouts getting flattened by superheavies and Guard artillery pounding the Fists command post in the hill-top tower with extraordinary accuracy. With the losses incurred, the tide has unquestionably turned against the astartes.
ROUND 5:
The Imperial Reaver titan finally decides to join the fight, stomping forwards to blow some fresh holes in the leading
SHT co, reducing two of the three behemoths to slag. On the right flank, tank companies both small and superheavy roll forwards to clear marine Speeders and other stragglers from the objectives.
ROUND 6:
With almost all Marines spent or about to get run under remorseless steel tracks, the Imperial Fists captain charges down the hillside to challenge their equally "alone" counterpart. The clash between the supreme commanders is brief and ignominous, as the marines are heedlessly cut down in a hail of rapid fire and left to decorate the radar station with their bright blood spattered over the vivid green pastures.
While the right flank's remaining Tacticals were being pulverised by heavy tanks, hammering the final nail to the coffin of the invasion's failure, even the Reaver titan was ultimately unsuccessful in clearing the objective at its feet. By the combined powers of the infantry, artillery, Shadowswords, remnants of the Demolisher company, supreme commander's Baneblade and finally a determined fly-by strike of the regrouped Storm Troopers, the god-machine is *just* brought down in flames before the curtains fall.
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RESULT:
A decisive Guard victory!
With all six objectives controlled by boot and tread, the Marine invasion force was utterly shattered. Of all attacking forces, the only survivors that remained were two fleeing Tactical stands, one broken Speeder and a singular airplane.
The first half of the battle looked like it could go well for the Marines, but the mid-game brawl at the open crossroads cost them their battle tanks for relatively light gains. As the damaged and smoking but still moving superheavies ate their fire, the three-fold wave of Russes kept coming while the Guard overtook aerial and artillery superiority, getting in gear and utterly dominating the late game through sheer weight of heavy armour.
If the Reaver titan had arrived earlier or the leading
SHT had lost engines a bit earlier it could have been a much harder fight. While the marines got trounced pretty hard here, we both enjoyed the scenario very much. Escalating engagements are some of my favourite wargame setups in general and produce nicely divergent games every time.
