http://khumkarta.wordpress.com/borderlands-2000-tournament-kells-wolves-in-exile/
Another Saturday morning in this fine cold weather of winter and I barely slept the night before going over and over in my head if I really want to bring the Rune Priest or the 3rd Long Fang unit. To my late night recollection the mental debate raged between my inner fierce tournament ego who would urge on the inclusion of 5 more Missile Launchers while my gentleman’s prerogative dictated that the Rune Priest would be less of a douche move. Less but not by much as the day dictated. The army I took consists of the usual tools of Russes’ war machine:
Logan (aka Kell)
Rune Priest with Jaws, Living Lightning, Chooser of the Slain and Wolf Necklace
Wolf Scouts (5x) with Meltagun
Wolf Scouts (5x) with Meltagun
Grey Hunters (10x) with 2 Meltaguns, Mark of the Wulfen and Wolf Standard
Grey Hunters (10x) with 2 Meltaguns, Mark of the Wulfen and Wolf Standard
Grey Hunters (10x) with 2 Plasmaguns, Mark of the Wulfen and Wolf Standard
Wolf Guards (10x) with 2 Terminator Armor (2 Cyclone/Powerfist/Stormbolter), 8
CCW/
BP
Wolf Guards (5x) with 3 Terminator Armor (2 Chainfist/Stormbolter, 1 Assault Cannon/Chainfist), 2 Powerfist/Combi Melta
Long Fangs (6x) with 2 Lascannons, 3 Missile Launchers
Long Fangs (6x) with 2 Lascannons, 3 Missile Launchers
The Wolves-in-Exile were ready for war and they did not disappoint. My first Opponent was a Shrike list which consisted of some Ironclads in Drop pods, 2 Tactical Squads in Rhinos, a Libby + Combat squad in Razorback, 20 Sniper Scouts, an Assault Squad with Shrike. The mission was the 2010 OFFC mission with the objective that any played owned model that ended the game closer to their owning table edge than the opponent would lose, with the deployment being the 2nd Edition slant deployment and winning first turn / deployment, I strategically placed my Long Fangs as far as I could from my table edge since they represented the most static unit I owned, outflanked both Wolf Scouts units, and walked the Grey hunters across the table. His deployment was very similar and it looked like both our armies would not get to face each other but Shrike did decide to outflank with his Assault Squad thus could lead to a promising late game outflank into my lines. Upon my first turn of fire, I ended immobilizing the Razorback which gave me the biggest advantage in this mission than anyone could hope for as I had no vehicles for him to immobilize and the best he could do to restrain my movement was tie me up in combat. On turn 2, 1 of the scout unit showed up and charged 10 sniper scouts winning combat but failing to force a retreat, as well some Grey Hunters who blew up a rhino charged into sweet melee. On his turn 2 Shrike showed up on my Long Fangs flanked and proceeded to force an early retirement to these old wolves and the other tactical squad counter assaulted my Grey Hunters. On Turn 3, Logan’s Grey Hunters decided that while their mind was on the strategy, their heart lay in the prospect of melee, with both Preferred Enemy and the Wolf Standard active, they charged into the pile of melee and proceeded to wipe out every last man as Russ would have demanded. Shrike’s Unit was in the open and the 3rd Grey Hunters, 2nd Long Fangs and Wolf Guards weren’t about to let them have time to celebrate their victory over old men. The return volley of fire was deadly as Krak Missiles and Bolter fire whittle down the unit to Shrike and one man. The Rune Priest summoned the powers of the elements and conjured the Jaws of the World Wolf for an astonishing puppy size maw which the opposing Marines did not even notice. The Grey Hunters proceeded to howl in laughter at the Rune Priest and he cursed the gods for his misfortune. Shrike and his lone soldier, thought it appropriate to charge the last Long Fangs but these old wolves were ready for melee and with swift vigor proceeded to punch them dead but not before Shrike took 2 with him. At this point of the game my army had walked past his immobilized Razorback and the game had ended as Russ intended, with both feet on the ground and bodies of our enemies in the dirt.
In Game 2, The Wolves had finally been caught up by their Brothers led by none other Logan who demanded their heads at the insult of Kell’s withdrawal oath of loyalty from Logan. The mission was another OFCC one with 5 volatile and moving objectives, Russ had blessed us with the ability to choose our field of battle and go take to the field first. My opponent army comprised of a LRRedeemer with Logan, Arjac and 3 Terminator Wolfguard, a Long Fangs unit, 3 Drop Pods with 10 Grey Hunters, 1 Wolf Scout unit, and a Predator. With little Battlefield presense from my opponent the Wolf Scouts decided that an Infiltration Operation was more beneficial than an Outflank. 1 Pack managed to close in to at least 12 inches from the predator in ruins while the other was 12 inches from the
LRR. But alas due to Logan superior willpower he seized the initiative on us and the Wolf Scouts were left to their own devices. the
LRR screamed forward, the drop pods howled from the sky as they set upon the objectives and the battle was afoot. The Long Fangs and Predator unloaded in the Wolf Scouts in the ruins but their Pack leader had instructed them well on using their cover and survived the volley unscathed, their brother alas were not so lucky as 1 Flamestorm cannon belched upon them fiery death. but 3 of the 6 man survived and held their position. My turn and sweet revenge never came sweeter, the Wolf Scout in the ruins closed in on the Predator with their Meltaguns primed and hot while the surviving Wolf Scouts from the other Pack did the same to the
LRR. In Logan’s haste he had forgot to fire his smoke launchers and the Scouts were intent on emphasizing on his recklessness. The rest of the Wolves in Exile assumed positions upon the objectives and bunkered down while the Rune Priest Grey Hunters moved ever closer to his right flank to support the Ruin Scouts. The Shooting Phase was nothing short of deadly, the Scouts fired at the Predator and immobilized it while stunning it, the others blew up the Land Raider and their howls of victory could be heard in the Wolves-in-Exile line. This roused up Kell’s Grey Hunter which unloaded bolter, assault cannon and plasma death upon the surviving terminators, claiming the lives of 2 Wolf Guards, a wound on Arjac and Logan. Kell turned behind him and ordered his Long Fangs to continue the barrage which took the life of the last Wolf Guard Terminator. The Rune Priest once again called upon the elements for Jaws but Arjac was a hair out of reach for the World Wolf. Another of his Grey Hunters which had just came down by drop pod were targeted by a large barrage of Frag Missiles and took with them 2 Grey hunters. The Wolf Scouts charged the Predator and removed his Heavy Bolters but were unable to dismantle it completely. At this point in the game, Russ had left Logan’s side and the casualties stacked up too high, too early for a recovery. Kell was pleased to see his arch nemesis cower and curse his fate but saddened that this turn of events was so one sided as he would have liked to his face his ex-brother in arms in melee. The Space Wolves held as best as they could but they were soon overrun by the Wolves-in-Exile.
Game 3 was against some Loyalist Imperial Guard who were nothing but the pawns at the hands of the high lords of Terra but Kell had little want to spill mortal blood upon this battlefield but alas to reach the spaceport back to their battlebarge they had force their way through. The Mission was another OFCC mission with 3 objective and requiring 1 Troop and at least 1 supporting unit to claim the objectives. The Guard army consisted of 1 unit of Veterans, Company Command, 2 Leman Russ
BT, 1 Leman Russ Executioner, 1 Manticore, 1 Bane Wolf, 1 Vendetta, Al’Raheim Mechanized Platoon and 2 Scout Sentinels. The Imperial Commander had decided to use his superior strategies on the Wolves by choosing to outflank much of his force and keeping the executioner in reserve. With little battlefield presence, Kell ordered his Wolf Scouts to infiltrate and seek out the Manticore and Leman Russes
BT. With a nice ruin blocking line of sight they have both managed to infiltrate within 12″inches of both targets. Upon the first turn of the Imperial Guard, the Maticore fired 1 shot which went off target while the Leman Russes pounded death at Kell’s Grey Hunters seeking refuge in a ruin but alas little casualty was suffered from Kell’s side as the Imperial Guard were recalibrating their fire. In my turn using the very same ruin for cover, the Scouts discreetly approached their targets. Upon firing they destroyed the missile silos of the Manticore, and the other unit destroyed the turret of one of the Leman while shaking the crew of the other. The rest of the Wolves got into position as they approached the objectives. But some tragic irony, the Wolves-in-Exile were not willing to destroy a icon of their wolf father. Upon the Guard second turn, his outflanking vendetta, platoon came in but the Executioner and the sentinels stayed behind. The Vendetta churned 24 inches towards my Long Fangs using a towering ruin as a base of firing while Al’Raheim Platoon divided his firepower between the Wolf Scouts and the Grey Hunters on my right flank. A lot of the scouts died by kept on the fight, quickly with the manticore out of commission, they changed their target to the newly arrived chimera and its squad, while the other who survived kept on beating on the Leman Russes. On my turn, the Long Fangs took down the vendetta and the other unit fired a deadly salvo of Frag Missiles which left 1 Guardsman alive. The Grey Hunters on the Right Flank had taken a large number of Casualty but return fire destroyed 1 Chimera and the resulting explosion killed more of its occupants. The Grey Hunters in the middle of the line headed out to reinforce the Right flank as Kell’s Grey Hunters were securing the middle objective and bringing an Assault Cannon and Living Lightning upon the last Leman Russ. The Scouts blew up the freshly arrived chimera in close combat and it looked grim for the guardsmen as their superior firepower was being subdued and silenced. At a deadly price however to the Wolves as their Right flank was being dismantle with each turn of fire. On turn 3 the Scouts and the Executioner arrived to keep pounding the right flank and the 34 Marines who had to held this flank were slowly being killed off one by one by plasma, melta and lasgun fire. The Rune Priest attempted to seize this dark moment for the Wolves and turning it around as he summoned the Jaws upon the Company Command squad taking the life of their precious commanding officer and a few veterans with it. This threw off the Guard command structure and their middle line began to fall apart and Kell seized this opportunity to do some tank hunting personally. The battle subsided with the Wolves gaining 2 of the 3 objectives but losing their entire right flank while the Guard had lost their entire middle line.
Kell’s return to his renegade battle barge was met with howls of victory but he couldn’t but feel grief at the loss of his fine brothers in this campaign. Nothing a barrel of ale couldn’t cure as Russ would have intended.
