This week, as the forces of the Imperium reeled from defeat on the battlefield and treachery amongst the population, the invaders prepared to seize one of the key bases supporting the loyalist war effort: Medicae Primus. Constructed 500 years ago as a Biologis hospital and research facility, Medicae Primus has trained the bulk of the planet's medical professionals, as well as acting as a secondary production site for advanced bio-mechanical components. Through the efforts of its Adepts, thousands of Imperial troops have been restored to frontline duty, and many more have never even required medical attention thanks to the physical enhancements it has liberally provided. Although the sprawling facility was well-garrisoned at the outset of the war, the facility itself was not fortified, and as the forces of Chaos advanced across the planet, many of its defenders were stripped away, leaving only an uneasy coalition of Tau, Cadians, and Blood Angels to defend the site.
Knowing that the Imperium would respond with overwhelming force to any threat to Medicae Primus, the forces of Chaos set a trap for the defenders...
Acting as a reconnaissance force at the perimeter, the mercenary Tau, having finally linked up with their Sept world brethren, detected a massive warband of Orks along the perimeter. Calling for backup from nearby forces, the Tau moved into a defensive position and began to mow down their foes despite being massively outnumbered. By the time they began receiving distress calls from their allies and realized no support was inbound, it was too late to withdraw. Nearly the entire Tau line was engulfed by Ork boyz, despite their heroic efforts to stem the green tide with courage and blazing pulse rifles alone.
The initial perimeter alert given by the Tau did not go entirely unanswered. Although the Cadians and 2nd Tau force remained in position at Medicae Primus, the Blood Angels immediately mobilized to support their allies, rushing to the battle in an armored spearhead. They never arrived; a rumbling swarm of Ork vehicles intercepted the Sons of Sanguinius en route, critically delaying the Marines. The battle was a nightmare demolition derby. Looted Wagons and Battlewagons dueled with Predators and Vindicators, while Trukkboyz madly traded fire with Rhino and Razorback transports. The Blood Angels ultimately claimed victory, reducing the Ork vehicles to scrap and halting their advance. Unfortunately their own force was in little better shape; as they prepared to move out with what troops and weaponry they had left, their comms were overwhelmed with a howl of distress signals...
On the outskirts of Medicae Primus, the true attack finally appeared as two forces of Daemons burst from the Warp onto Feorla's surface.
The Cadians, already drawn up in defensive formations in the event of an Orkish breakthrough, initially held despite the appearance of Horrors in the middle of their lines; it seemed the troops of Daemons were leaderless and disorganized. That changed rapidly, as Skarbrand the Exiled, flanked by a pair of Daemon Princes, materialized on the battlefield and began laying waste to everything within reach. The Imperial line crumbled as the fallen Bloodthirster's rage infected the combatants, driving them to acts of suicidal aggression. The famed Cadian discipline collapsed as the entire command squad, supported by a Sentinel and support troopers, rushed one of the Daemon Princes, hammering it with rifle butts and point blank lasfire. Against such a foe there could be only one result, and as their commander fell, so did the Cadians.
The Tau had also formed up defensively, but they too had miscalculated. Expecting a head on charge, they detached their Broadsides and Pathfinders to the edges of their kill zones, and waited to receive a frontal assault. Unfortunately the attack was not head on; the first warning the Tau had was the screams of their Pathfinders dying to bursts of Warp energy. The battle was short but vicious. Pulse- and Missile fire devastated the first wave of Slaaneshi daemons, while Kroot mercenaries held the line against the survivors. It could not be held, however. The last Kroot died futilely writhing in the jaws of a Fiend, while an advancing Greater Daemon simply waded through the volley after volley of fire, buying time for multiple Daemon Princes and Heralds to get into position. Bereft of an escape route and unable to focus fire without Pathfinder support, the Tau's hope, determination, and dying agony were all harvested for the Dark Prince.
Aware of their allies' defeat but too battered to provide assistance, the surviving Blood Angels began the long retreat to friendly territory, vowing revenge on the invaders...
Already the facilities of Medicae Primus are being put to use by their new masters. The transfer of medical treatment and cybernetic enhancement to the invaders is the least of the Imperium's worries. With a captive staff, the corrupting power of Chaos, advanced biotechnology, and thousands of fresh prisoners to experiment upon, there is no telling what horrors will emerge from the desecrated operating rooms and manufactorums...
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Betrayal on St. Feorla's World
Despite the best efforts of its defenders, the fate of St. Feorla's World now hangs in the balance. With time bought by the heroic efforts of its front line forces, the Imperial war machine had prepared a massive counterattack and was set to unleash it upon the hapless invaders ... but just as the hammer blow was about to land, disaster struck! Pushed to the brink of endurance by wartime measures, whole districts have risen up in revolt against Imperial rule, wrecking supply depots and inducing entire PDF regiments to lay down their arms. Initial reports by the Adeptus Arbites in the affected areas indicated only disorganized mobs, but their bastions have now gone ominously silent. Scouting forces to the insurgent areas have uncovered evidence of organized cult activity and genetic debasement; it seems the presence of Slaanehi daemons and Tyranids is not coincidental as coincidental as was hoped...
The Tau were the first to feel the brunt of the population's treachery. As they were advancing through pacified territory, intent on spearheading an attack, their column was set upon by a horde of Tyranids. Unable to disengage, the Tau were forced to stand and fight. Although they were able to defeat wave upon wave of assault beasts with minimal losses, the Tau advance has slowed to a crawl as they perform seek and destroy missions against a seemingly endless number of hidden nests and try to reestablish their supply lines.
The Grey Knights encountered a familiar adversary on St. Feorla: Orks. Spoiling for a fight, the Deff Skullz set upon the daemon hunters as they responded to reports of a cult uprising in an outlying town. It is unclear how the Orks reached an area so far from the fighting without being detected, but the Grey Knights were able to meet their unexpected foes on the battlefield and overcome them with sheer righteous fury. The Orks fought with characteristic ferocity and kunning, but few survived to vie for the title of new Warboss. The Knights continued on to their initial objective, and purged the corrupted town.
Forces of the Imperial Guard, advancing in what was supposed to have been the counterattack's vanguard, were encircled and destroyed by a combined force of Orks and Tau. Although it remains unclear how or why these two forces were working together, they were able to overwhelm the hapless Guardsmen. Although the Guard spearhead fought bravely, they were pinned in place and held out for reinforcements that never arrived. The armored advance quickly became a route for the Imperial troops. Reports indicate the missing relief forces were local PDF troops who are currently AWOL; execution writs have been issued for the officers responsible.
The Black Templar once again met with infuriating defeat, as they sought to destroy a Necron command center. Although they were able to breach the Necron perimeter with ease, the Templar found themselves surrounded by undying warriors. The Marshal and Emperor's Champion were cut down in a hail of gauss fire, while the supporting Crusader squads were unable break from of harassing Scarabs and Warriors. The Necrontyr defended their newly taken ground with brutal efficiency.
The Blood Angels once again found themselves ambushed by the forces of Chaos; although prepared for the appearance of daemons in their midst, the heavy casualities inflicted upon the Marines in prior battles hamstrung their ability to fight. With only a few understrength squads and quickly repaired armor, they were unable to halt the minions of Slaanesh, and took severe losses while disengaging.
Within a span of days the Imperium's position on Feorla has been upended. Previously secure territories have been overrun, the impending counterattack is in shambles, and multiple strategic sites are open to attack...
The Tau were the first to feel the brunt of the population's treachery. As they were advancing through pacified territory, intent on spearheading an attack, their column was set upon by a horde of Tyranids. Unable to disengage, the Tau were forced to stand and fight. Although they were able to defeat wave upon wave of assault beasts with minimal losses, the Tau advance has slowed to a crawl as they perform seek and destroy missions against a seemingly endless number of hidden nests and try to reestablish their supply lines.
The Grey Knights encountered a familiar adversary on St. Feorla: Orks. Spoiling for a fight, the Deff Skullz set upon the daemon hunters as they responded to reports of a cult uprising in an outlying town. It is unclear how the Orks reached an area so far from the fighting without being detected, but the Grey Knights were able to meet their unexpected foes on the battlefield and overcome them with sheer righteous fury. The Orks fought with characteristic ferocity and kunning, but few survived to vie for the title of new Warboss. The Knights continued on to their initial objective, and purged the corrupted town.
Forces of the Imperial Guard, advancing in what was supposed to have been the counterattack's vanguard, were encircled and destroyed by a combined force of Orks and Tau. Although it remains unclear how or why these two forces were working together, they were able to overwhelm the hapless Guardsmen. Although the Guard spearhead fought bravely, they were pinned in place and held out for reinforcements that never arrived. The armored advance quickly became a route for the Imperial troops. Reports indicate the missing relief forces were local PDF troops who are currently AWOL; execution writs have been issued for the officers responsible.
The Black Templar once again met with infuriating defeat, as they sought to destroy a Necron command center. Although they were able to breach the Necron perimeter with ease, the Templar found themselves surrounded by undying warriors. The Marshal and Emperor's Champion were cut down in a hail of gauss fire, while the supporting Crusader squads were unable break from of harassing Scarabs and Warriors. The Necrontyr defended their newly taken ground with brutal efficiency.
The Blood Angels once again found themselves ambushed by the forces of Chaos; although prepared for the appearance of daemons in their midst, the heavy casualities inflicted upon the Marines in prior battles hamstrung their ability to fight. With only a few understrength squads and quickly repaired armor, they were unable to halt the minions of Slaanesh, and took severe losses while disengaging.
Within a span of days the Imperium's position on Feorla has been upended. Previously secure territories have been overrun, the impending counterattack is in shambles, and multiple strategic sites are open to attack...
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Quick Update
Meant to post this last night, but ended up just going to bed. I took my 1500 Daemon list down to Arkham Games this Saturday for my friend Aaron's inaugural tournament. For those of who haven't seen it, check out his blog over at http://rarkthorshold.blogspot.com/. The Daemons did well, placing 4th overall, but couldn't come back to place from a Round 1 powerklawing. More detailed report to follow.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
All Is Dust Mark II
With Arkham's tournament only a week away, I'm still unsure about lists. The Tyranid swarm I put up a few weeks ago is a strong possibility, as is the Daemon host I took out last time ... but with the Thousand Sons/Space Marines almost assembled, I now have a third option. Something like this is pretty tempting :
HQ: Librarian w/ Null Zone and Avenger
Elites:
Dreadnought w/ dccw & TL autocannon
Dreadnought w/dccw & TL autocannon
6 Sternguard w/ combimeltas, Rhino
Troops:
Tactical Squad: Sgt. w/ combiflamer, flamer, Missile launcher, Rhino
Tactical Squad: Sgt. w/ combimelta, meltagun, Missile launcher, Rhino
Tactical Squad: Sgt. w/ bolt pistol and ccw, meltagun, Missile launcher, Razorback w/ lascannon & TL plasmagun
Heavy Support:
Thunderfire Cannon & Techmarine
Predator w/ autocannon, heavy bolter sponsons
Predator w/ autocannon, heavy bolter sponsons
I'd like the Sternguard squad to be larger, but the points for them just aren't to be had. It's tempting to drop one for a powerfist, but realistically they're not going to do well in assault against anything worth assaulting. I'm hoping I'll be able to use the dreads to open up transports at range and deter outflankers/ close combat troops, but they'll need some luck to pull that off.
Thoughts?
HQ: Librarian w/ Null Zone and Avenger
Elites:
Dreadnought w/ dccw & TL autocannon
Dreadnought w/dccw & TL autocannon
6 Sternguard w/ combimeltas, Rhino
Troops:
Tactical Squad: Sgt. w/ combiflamer, flamer, Missile launcher, Rhino
Tactical Squad: Sgt. w/ combimelta, meltagun, Missile launcher, Rhino
Tactical Squad: Sgt. w/ bolt pistol and ccw, meltagun, Missile launcher, Razorback w/ lascannon & TL plasmagun
Heavy Support:
Thunderfire Cannon & Techmarine
Predator w/ autocannon, heavy bolter sponsons
Predator w/ autocannon, heavy bolter sponsons
I'd like the Sternguard squad to be larger, but the points for them just aren't to be had. It's tempting to drop one for a powerfist, but realistically they're not going to do well in assault against anything worth assaulting. I'm hoping I'll be able to use the dreads to open up transports at range and deter outflankers/ close combat troops, but they'll need some luck to pull that off.
Thoughts?
Thursday, October 6, 2011
See Them Driven Before You
The 4th round of Four Horsemen's campaign played out this evening, and the forces of somewhat good hit back hard. Tonight was the first custom scenario, with the Imperium trying to buy time to ready a major attack.
Further Imperial forces arrived on St. Feorla's World in the form of a company of Salamanders. Arriving at the edge of the battle zone, they were almost immediately set upon by a swarm of rampaging Tyranids. Cleansing flame and righteous fury sufficed to drive the monsters back, but the Salamanders did not escape unbloodied. Even more worrying, the Tyranid attack halted without warning, the leader beasts and their surviving minions withdrawing at some unseen signal of the Hive Mind. The swarms are only biding their time.
Unable to sustain their present rate of loss and with their means of transportation all but destroyed, the Grey Knights "requisitioned" elements of the local PDF to slaughter the Orks standing between them and the daemonic infestation they had initially set out to destroy The battle ended in a tactical draw. The bulk of the Orkish horde was unharmed, and managed to inflict heavy casualties on the hapless Imperial Guardsmen, but the Knights were able to form a spearhead and break through the xenos lines, freeing themselves to hunt the growing Slaaneshi menace.
The Red Harvest of the Necrons was halted by a combined strike force of Blood Angels and Tau. Setting aside their differences in the face of a relentless foe, the Tau brought their heretical technology to bear on the undead constructs while the Marines descended from the skies on jump packs. After suffering heavy losses, the Necrons vanished from the battlefield ... leaving behind strangely alluring and still functional wreckage. Eager for new captured technology, the freethinking Tau have worked the long, pulsing, Necron gauss weapons into their battle suit mount points. The Blood Angels, disgusted by the actions of their erstwhile allies, are already forming plans to turn on them and take the weaponry for ... additional study ... of their own.
Meanwhile the Space Wolves continued their advance deeper into the invaders' lines. Although faced with a mobile cadre of mercenary Tau, the Sons of Russ, led by the Great Wolf himself, brought their prey to ground and slew them mercilessly. Xenos weaponry felled many brave warriors, but Logan Grimnar never faltered, striding through the fire while his packs snapped and snarled at the flanks of the opposing Fire Warriors and Battlesuits. With no answer such canny savagery, the Tau survivors could only retreat from what they could not kill.
The Black Templar met with disaster as they sought to retake an area recently purged by Necrons. Treading through volcanic landscape, the Marines' armored column was set upon by the minions of the Lord of Excess. Unfazed by the appearance of such abominations in their midst, the Templar took defensive positions and prepared to unleash the wrath of the Emperor. Their confidence was misplaced; heedless of the killing heat, the daemons came through the flames for their quarry, shredding armor and shattering tank hulls. Unable to fell the Greater Daemon that tore apart their Land Raider, the Marshall and his attendant Crusaders retreated, with the wounded Emperor's Champion remaining behind to buy his brothers time to fight another day.
Overall a decisive victory for the defenders of St. Feorla's World. Next week will be Kill Teams, as the Imperial counterattack looms and the forces of Chaos get sneaky and vicious. Tune in.
Campaign Scenario: See Them Driven Before You
The defenders of St. Feorla’s World have been driven ever backwards by the invading onslaught. No more! Despite a string of defeats, the Imperial forces still retain the advantages of overwhelming resources, numbers, and positioning. Now is the time to begin using them.
Behind the front lines, Imperial commanders are gathering massive reserves of troops and material in preparation for a hammer blow against the invaders. All they require of the remaining frontline regiments is the time to organize and redeploy… time the forces of Chaos have no intention of giving them. The coming battle will be the first decisive engagement of the campaign!
You Shipped Our Ammo WHERE!?
No campaign bonuses or advantages may be used in this scenario. The defenders (Chaos) are too busy absorbing their conquests to utilize special resources, and the attackers (the Imperium) have been left isolated as their infrastructure struggles to coordinate the planned counterattack.
Only the Strong Survive
Anyone still alive on the Feorlan front lines has been to hell and back… and ensured that plenty of enemies only got to do the former. Between hard won experience, scavenged equipment, and sheer viciousness, the survivors are even more dangerous than usual. To represent this, each player may designate 2 units as veterans and give them any one of the Universal Special Rules listed on p.75-76 of the BRB.
Deployment: Dawn of War
Objectives: Capture and Control
All normal special rules are still in play: Seize the Initiative, Night Fight, Infiltrate, Etc.
To claim victory, the Imperium must surpass or tie the number of games the Chaos players win. All they must do is stall the invaders’ advance, and they can be pinned down by overwhelming force. If Chaos wins more games, then they will have broken through the Imperial lines and begun rampaging through undefended sectors, cementing their hold and wrecking plans for a decisive counterattack.
Further campaign bonuses will be included based on the outcome of these games.
The forces of the Imperium hit back hard, wresting positions back from the invaders and buying precious time for their allies to reinforce them.
Further Imperial forces arrived on St. Feorla's World in the form of a company of Salamanders. Arriving at the edge of the battle zone, they were almost immediately set upon by a swarm of rampaging Tyranids. Cleansing flame and righteous fury sufficed to drive the monsters back, but the Salamanders did not escape unbloodied. Even more worrying, the Tyranid attack halted without warning, the leader beasts and their surviving minions withdrawing at some unseen signal of the Hive Mind. The swarms are only biding their time.
Unable to sustain their present rate of loss and with their means of transportation all but destroyed, the Grey Knights "requisitioned" elements of the local PDF to slaughter the Orks standing between them and the daemonic infestation they had initially set out to destroy The battle ended in a tactical draw. The bulk of the Orkish horde was unharmed, and managed to inflict heavy casualties on the hapless Imperial Guardsmen, but the Knights were able to form a spearhead and break through the xenos lines, freeing themselves to hunt the growing Slaaneshi menace.
The Red Harvest of the Necrons was halted by a combined strike force of Blood Angels and Tau. Setting aside their differences in the face of a relentless foe, the Tau brought their heretical technology to bear on the undead constructs while the Marines descended from the skies on jump packs. After suffering heavy losses, the Necrons vanished from the battlefield ... leaving behind strangely alluring and still functional wreckage. Eager for new captured technology, the freethinking Tau have worked the long, pulsing, Necron gauss weapons into their battle suit mount points. The Blood Angels, disgusted by the actions of their erstwhile allies, are already forming plans to turn on them and take the weaponry for ... additional study ... of their own.
Meanwhile the Space Wolves continued their advance deeper into the invaders' lines. Although faced with a mobile cadre of mercenary Tau, the Sons of Russ, led by the Great Wolf himself, brought their prey to ground and slew them mercilessly. Xenos weaponry felled many brave warriors, but Logan Grimnar never faltered, striding through the fire while his packs snapped and snarled at the flanks of the opposing Fire Warriors and Battlesuits. With no answer such canny savagery, the Tau survivors could only retreat from what they could not kill.
The Black Templar met with disaster as they sought to retake an area recently purged by Necrons. Treading through volcanic landscape, the Marines' armored column was set upon by the minions of the Lord of Excess. Unfazed by the appearance of such abominations in their midst, the Templar took defensive positions and prepared to unleash the wrath of the Emperor. Their confidence was misplaced; heedless of the killing heat, the daemons came through the flames for their quarry, shredding armor and shattering tank hulls. Unable to fell the Greater Daemon that tore apart their Land Raider, the Marshall and his attendant Crusaders retreated, with the wounded Emperor's Champion remaining behind to buy his brothers time to fight another day.
Overall a decisive victory for the defenders of St. Feorla's World. Next week will be Kill Teams, as the Imperial counterattack looms and the forces of Chaos get sneaky and vicious. Tune in.
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