Welcome to game 36 of our campaign, now entering its final phase after many years of grinding battle.
Previous games in this campaign can be found here:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Gordy2000%27s_Battle_Reports
Following the breakthrough of the outer defence ring by the Krieg 681st Assault Regiment, the imperial forces now have increased scope to manoeuvre
as they enter the open country surrounding Hive Erd. Whilst still some distance away from the hive proper, outlying facilities, supply points and strategic junctions are now within striking distance.
To this end, Imperial forces now seek to degrade the infrastructure on the approaches to Hive Erd, both to limit enemy resources and to bring the followers of the Ruinous Powers to battle.
The Salamanders have identified a promethium pumping station in an isolated location that feeds Hive Erd– perfect for the kind of rapid strike the adeptus astartes excel in.
Their plan is to quickly eliminate any opposition and destroy the facility, depriving the enemy of another source of fuel.
But the Great Enemy has not sat idle, and the scions of Nurgle are now on the field and eager to test themselves against the new upstarts who claim the title astartes.
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Gulgus, Infestor Champion and beloved of Nurgle, watched with fascination as the grass beneath his armoured form turned brown and sloughed into slime.
Pallid fungus sprang up almost immediately, swelling obscenely before rupturing with a buzzing drone as swarms of flies arose from the writhing muck.
Kneeling inside the treeline a short distance from the pumping station he was tasked to defend, Gulgus chuckled to himself. Bountiful indeed were the blessings of his patron.
A dull chime sounded in what had once been his ear, and the rasping voice of his attendant Blight Bringer hissed across the vox.
“The aether ripples Infestor. The slaves of the False Emperor draw close, just as predicted”.
Gulgus reluctantly looked away from the riot of rot and explosive growth beneath his boots and rose with a grating of armour plates.
“Rouse the Brotherhood – we have a tally of souls to count for the Great Father”
With grinding servos, Gulgus turned and began to stomp back towards his position, each heavy tread throwing up a splash of corruption and clouds of fat black flies.
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The field of battle, showing the pump control rooms, comms hab and the pump station itself
Objective 2 – the Comms Hab
Objective 3 – The Control Room
Having moved into position at first light, the Salamanders advance – a veteran assault and tactical squad move up
The Captain, Devastators and Intercessors appear from the woods
Aggressors advance
Plague Marines hold the pumping station
More Deathguard move up to reinforce the position, along with a Blight Drone
Feral cultists join them
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The Blight Bringer herds his Poxwalker charges forwards
The opposing forces engage
Reivers drop in and start thinning out the cultists
The Salamander advance quickly envelops the outer buildings
The pumping station comes under attack
A Salamander officer accompanies the Aggressors as they fire on the Deathguard and Blight Drone
Gulgus emerges from the forest to find his force under attack
Deathguard Terminators appear within the pumping station
Poxwalkers soak up fire with little effect
Another tactical squad appears in front of the Poxwalkers
The Aggressors and Reivers cut down cultists and Deathguard, but take casualties in return
The Terminators await the Salamander assault on the pump station
Inceptors deep strike behind the Deathguard
Eat 18 heavy bolter shots in the back traitors!
The Vanguard Veterans move in
The assault is a vicious close-range brawl which sees 4 vanguard and one terminator cut down
The Vanguard sergeant is quickly surrounded
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Gulgus surprises the Devastators, quickly cutting them down
He then moves on to the nearby Intercessors
The Deathguard sorcerer reaches out with pestilent energies
And strikes down another Aggressor
The Reivers finish the cultists
The surviving tactical and intercessors in the centre advance
The second tactical squad engages the Poxwalkers
The Lieutenant assaults the Blight Drone alone as the last Aggressor falls
The Poxwalkers and Blight Bringer shamble into the tactical squad
The Inceptors cut down the Deathguard at the pump station except for one lone survivor
But the Terminators move in to secure the site
The tactical squad is swamped by the Poxwalkers
The Lieutenant falls to the combined might of the Plague Marine champion and the Blight Drone (first game with it – they’re pretty nasty!)
Gulgus closes in on the Salamander Captain and the surviving Intercessors, but is wounded by bolt fire
He easily cuts down the intercessors and then goes toe to toe with the Captain
The tactical squad slowly cuts down the pox walkers, but they are far from their objective
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The Captain fights bravely, but is no match for the inhuman resilience of Gulgus. Despite wounding the Nurgle Champion again, he falls to the wicked scythe
With the Salamanders scattered or dead and their leader slain, the battle is over.
Chaos victory!
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A bloody battle – the Salamanders force was pretty chewed up by the end and the Deathguard too had lost most of the models.
The poxwalkers were stupidly tough, soaking up a lot of damage and tying down a tactical squad.
The Blight Drone was an absolute monster – I ran it with the blight launcher and it did a lot of damage. Handy in close combat too.
Death Guard MVP was Gulgus though – he chewed through a devastator squad, the better part of two intercessor squads and the
Salamander captain, basically turning that entire flank by himself. I’m sure Grandfather Nurgle will be showering him with all new blessings for his worthy actions.
The vanguard/terminator fight looked pretty good, but some unfortunate wound rolls for the Salamanders meant the terminators got to fight back with a lot of attacks.
It didn’t end well for the vanguard. That said, those inceptors pack a punch – wiped out 90% of a Deathguard squad in a single round of shooting.
Next game – the Eldar return to the fray…
