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2014/01/02 23:18:01
Subject: 3000 pts Black Legion vs Emperor's Children "Kill Them All"
Abaddon, the imposing warmaster of the Black Legion, strode to the top of the hill. Far below, in a valley wreathed in foul coloured smoke, the gantries and silos of a ruined industrial complex could just be seen. Abaddon frowned and turned to the figure standing beside him, a tall masked sorcerer whose armour bore the many scratched runes of Tzeentch.
‘Are you sure he is there?’ The Warmaster asked.
‘Tzeentch has revealed the fool’s location to me. We must strike now before he makes his escape.’
Abaddon paused and looked back at the half-hidden complex. Fabius Bile had been trying to clone the once greatest of the Black Legion, Horus. Abaddon’s forces had soon quashed such and insolent and insulting idea, stomping it out with blood and steel. Now the final punishment remained, to crush the over-confident scientist’s throat in his armoured grip.
‘Very well. Call the advance.’
Engines roared as vehicles rumbled over the rise and began the descent to the valley. All around rose the warcry of the Black Legion. Vengence had come to this place.
+++
In the lull between Christmas and New Year, MarsNZ and I decided to try out the Black Legion supplement, as he has always been a firm devotee of the legion. I have played Slaaneshi descendants of the Emperor’s Children since the mid-ninties, so we decide to make it an historical battle, representing the conflict over the attempted cloning of Horus.
To show this, he took Abaddon and I took Fabius Bile. We agreed that the use of such lofty characters required a large force, so we took 3,000 points each. We rolled for a Black Legion mission, figuring each mission was potentially appropriate for the re-enactment we had in mind. We ended up rolling Kill Them All, a mission that requires the enemy to deploy in a small circle in the centre of the board, and the Black Legion to deploy 12" away anywhere around the board. If a Black Legion unit is wiped out, it goes into Ongoing Reserves, and can use ANY board edge to come in from. Clearly, Abaddon had decided to make an example of Fabius Bile, punishing him for daring to clone Horus.
ARMY LISTS
Spoiler:
Emperor’s Children:
Fabius Bile – Warlord (Soul Blaze)
Chaos Lord – Marked by Slaanesh, Powersword, Sigil of Corruption, Gift of Mutation (+1 S on gun)
Chaos Lord – Marked by Slaanesh, Terminator Armour with Poweraxe, Gift of Mutation (Adamantium Will)
1 Allied Herald of Slaanesh – Locus of Beguilement, Lesser Gift (Etherblade), Greater Gift (Hellfire Gaze)
10 Chaos Marines – CCWs, Marked by Slaanesh, 1 Plasma Pistol, Icon of Excess, Champ with Powersword, Rhino, Enhanced by Bile
9 Chaos Marines – CCWs, Marked by Slaanesh, Flamer, Rhino
12 Chaos Marines – Bolters, 2 Plasmaguns
14 Noisemarines – Bolters, 6 Sonicblasters, 2 Blastmasters, Icon of Excess, Champ with Doomsiren
20 Allied Daemonettes – Alluress, Rapturous Standard
8 Chosen – CCWs, 2 Poweraxes, 1 Powerfist, 1 Plasma Pistol, Rhino
Helbrute – Plasma Cannon, Powerscourge
5 Terminators – 2 Poweraxes, 2 Powermauls, 1 Reaper Cannon and Poweraxe
3 Obliterators
12 Havocs – Bolters, Marked by Slaanesh, 3 Missile Launchers with Flakk Missiles, 1 Lascannon, Champ with Combibolter, Icon of Excess
Allied Soulgrinder – Daemon of Slaanesh, Phlegm Bombardment
Black Legion:
Abaddon the Despoiler – Warlord
Level 3 Sorceror – Marked by Tzeentch, Veteran of the Long War, Sigil of Corruption, Spell Familiar, Last Memory, Staff of Someone (Tzeentch’s Firestorm, Invisibility, Puppet Master, Last Memory)
20 Chaos Marines – Veterans of the Long War, 2 Meltaguns, Icon of Vengence, Meltabombs
20 Cultists – 2 Flamers
20 Cultists – 2 Flamers
10 Chosen – Veterans of the Long War , 4 Plasmaguns, Icon of Vengence, Champ with Gift of Mutation (Icy Aura), Rhino with Dirgecaster
20 Berserkers - Veterans of the Long War, Icon of Wrath, Champ with Gift of Mutation (Shred)
4 Terminators - Veterans of the Long War, Marked by Khorne, 1 Chainfist, 2 Combimeltas, Heavy Flamer, Landraider with Dirgecaster
Heldrake with Baleflamer
3 Obliterators - Veterans of the Long War, Marked by Nurgle
Vindicator – Seige Shield, Havoc Launcher, Combibolter, Possessed
Defiler – Heavy Bolters
+++
DEPLOYMENT
Spoiler:
The Emperor’s Children deployed in the centre of the table first, trying to aim every way and hoping for the best. The Black Legion deployed pretty much at either end of the board. It was fairly clear that the only chance of survival was to get away from one part of the Black Legion and engage the other, hopefully without completely destroying a squad and allowing it to return to the board.
Black Legion attempt to seize but fail.
Turn One:
Spoiler:
The flamer CCW Marines with Bile and Bile’s Enhanced Marines both ride their Rhinos south, hoping to get around the terrain and engage the units of Cultists by the Defiler. The Chaos Lord with the Chosen goes charging for the Vindicator. All three blow smoke and send prayers to She Who Thirsts. The Obliterators lay waste to every single Cultist they are able to see, leaving only a few standing out of sight. The Helbrute attempts to join this fun but drops his plasma shot a pitiful distance in front of himself…
Due to the supremely close deployment for this mission, Abbadon’s Landraider races up and promptly drops Terminator armoured death right in front of the Noisemarines. On the East, everything moves closer. The Nurglitch Obliterators explode the Helbrute, and the resulting explosion knocks 1 wound from my own Obliterators. The Vindicator ratchets its gun skywards and launches a shell into the ruined tower occupied by my Havocs, killing the Lascannon and, critically, the Icon of Excess. Abaddon charges the Noisemarines and, despite a shockingly large amount of shots pouring out of them, he and his bodyguard take not a single wound from Overwatch! He challenges my Champion, slaughters him, and gains Hammer of Wrath. Then he wonders why he didn’t allow his Terminator Champion to make the Challenge and instead slaughter Noisemarines, because most of my unit is still standing at the end of this turn.
Turn Two:
Spoiler:
My Chosen jump out of their Rhino, keeping it between them and the Vindicator nearby. I try to use my Lord’s extra strength bolt pistol and the unit’s plasma pistol to damage the Vindicator but no luck. My daemons arrive and drop behind the Chosen and Cultists in the North East. My Obliterators fire Plasmacannons and the enemy Obliterators, which does nothing at all, so I throw caution to the winds and declare a charge. I kill one in combat, and he instagibs two. But we remain in combat, keeping his guns from use next turn. Abaddon gets attacked by Drachnyen in this round, and the Terminators whiff badly, keeping my Noisemarines hanging in for another turn. Bile and his unit unload on the Cultists in front of him, clearing them away thoroughly.
The Heldrake DOESN’T arrive, to my huge relief. The Defiler closes in on Bile’s unit. The Chosen and Cultists all fire at my Daemons, halving their numbers easily. The Landraider trundles forward and blasts a Lascannon into the rear of my Soulgrinder, blowing it up handily. Between the Vindicator and the Plasmagun wielding Chaos Marines, my Chosen squad and Lord are whittled down to jus the Lord with 1 wound, and no Rhino to shield him… In combat, both the Obliterators and Noisemarines keep on slugging away.
Turn Three:
Spoiler:
My Terminators arrive and Deep Strike into the centre of the board, hoping to reinforce one of the other squads, or possibly climb the three level ruins and protect the remaining Havocs. They scatter dangerously close to undeployable terrain, but just manage to fit. The Havocs blow up the Vindicator, one turn too late. The Daemonettes charge the Cultists and mulch them into a fine red mist. Took a Hull Point from the Defiler with the havocs. I think I took one Hull Point every turn only for him to regenerate it the next turn… Abaddon finished off the Noisemarines.
The Heldrake arrived, Vector Striking the Rhino carrying my Bile Enhanced troops and Baleflaming the top level of Havocs. Luckily, the Vector Strike isn’t enough. It takes the Landradier and both Terminator Combimeltas to blow it open. To my terror, the Vindicator and Cultists both come back, choosing to enter the board between my Plasmagun Marines and the Berserkers, who have been slowly closing on my for the last few turns. The Chosen unleash plasma hell on the Daemonettes, only to roll four 1s for Gets Hot, killing two! The Landraider’s Dirgecaster denied my OVerwatch on the charging Terminators, Abaddon rolled the full 6 extra attacks with Drachnyen and by the time the dust cleared my squad had been reduced from 10 to 2 men. But they were sticking around! The Berserkers attempted to charge my Plasma Marines, but failed an 8” charge by rolling two 2s and then two more 2s. We felt this was somehow a curse from Khorne himself.
Turn Four:
Spoiler:
My Terminator Lord, standing on his own after the Obliterators wiped out his bodyguard, charges them in turn. The ensuing combat finished off the Obliterators, but my Lord fell at the same time. The Defiler, having slowly whittled down Bile’s squad over the last few turns, finally killed Bile in combat and moved closer to the immobilised Rhino sitting nearby. We weren’t sure if it had to be completely destroyed or not, but MarsNZ decided he would try to rip it apart, just to be sure.
The Obliterators come back on, right next to the Berserkers. By now, there’s only two of my squads left and I have to make it through Turn Five and then roll to end the game while there’s still something on the board. I’m not feeling confident any more. Abaddon leads his Terminators up the ruins and kill the remaining Havocs. The Landraider blows up the immobilised Rhino. The Cultists and Obliterators shoot the last of my Marines.
Final Result:
Spoiler:
Black Legion Win.
+++
Abaddon growled as he threw chunks of concrete aside, searching through the ruins. Around him swarmed the robed figures of this world’s cult, individually beneath his notice. They gathered together like insects, dragging the armoured bodies of the Emperor’s Children that had fought so hard in these grubby alleys to a pyre in one of the courtyards. The heat and crackle of the bodies burning reached even to where Abaddon bent in the rubble. The Sorceror stood nearby.
‘Where is he?’ snarled Abaddon.
The Sorceror stepped forward and passed a hand over his mask. The third eye in his forehead opened, revealing a portal to a realm of colour and shifting hue. He turned his head slowly, then pointed at a piece of cracked pavement nearby.
Abaddon looked closely at the pavement, finally seeing drak traces of a thick liquid.
‘This is Bile’s ichor, the substance he uses to power his body now.’ The Sorceror’s voice was soft as a razor. ‘We could follow the trail of this foul liquid, but whether he was strong enough to escape or someone carried him away, they could be anywhere by now.’
Abaddon straightened and let the heat of the pyre wash over him. His armour glowed dully in the red light of the flames.
‘We will not follow him from here. But this is not over.’ He clenched his fist. ‘Not yet.’
2014/01/07 17:15:50
Subject: 3000 pts Black Legion vs Emperor's Children "Kill Them All"
