I have not played Warhammer
40000 in… oh… 25 years? Last time I played it said “Rogue Trader” on the cover
(and I will forever kick myself for selling my copy when I decided I’d had
enough with Games Workshop and walked away).
My kids (and some of their
friends) have shown an interst in playing so I dug out some Imperial guard I’ve
been collecting up over the years for various purposes (Assorted skirmish games
and role-playing games – and more recently for the Only
War and Rogue Trader role-playing games from FFG that I’ve
been wanting to try out. I set the kids up with a few figures I had from the
forces they were interested in playing (Orks for The Boy, Eldar for The Girl)
and picked up a few other things to fill out the beginnings of a force and
we’ve all been working away on our respective forces.
The Boy and I have had enough
stuff ready for a while but a combination of being busy and flagging interest
have kept us from getting the toys on the table. I’m not sure what got us on
this again… Probably because a friend expressed an interest in playing Rogue Trader a few weeks back and that got me reading
the fluff again… and I’m sure Millsy’s
Mad Mega-post of the Astra Militarum’s Military Might had at least a
little to do with it (got me painting this guys again and thinking about it….).
SITUATION
The situation on Kleeglass has
been dire. A highly populated planet with considerable resources (promethium
and archeotech being the most prominent) has recently (in the past decade) seen
invasion forces of numerous species of Xenos – Orks, primarily, but there has
been rumours of a Tyranid hiveship landing, and even Eldar craft have been
sighted flitting about the system. The Imperial Administratum have finally
wakened to the situation and started sending Guard their way. One of the first
regiments to arrive was the newly raised 222nd Guaiacan Commando
Regiment. This would be their baptism of fire.
The regiment made a fairly quiet
and easy planetfall and has established a base on the main continent of
Bralwarn near where most of the fighting has been taking place between the Orks
and the Planetary Defence Forces. In the past weeks they have been expanding
their operational area into a heavily forested area where one of the Ork
Warhosts have been operating. Recconaisance patrols have been sent out to make
contact with the enemy.
SCENARIO
We played a pretty bog-standard
Purge the Xeno Scenario – with a minimum of special rules and such – just to
try out the system.
We played with forces that were
about 300 points each.
FORCES
5 Troop, #1 Commando, 222nd
Guaiacan Commando Regiment
Troop Headquarters (30 Points)
Lieutenant Proxnaz (Powerfist
and Bolt Gun +17 points)
Sergeant Rozchance (Sniper rifle
+5 points)
Corporal Bitterind (Heavy Flamer
+20 points)
Troopers Malwax and Conway
(Autocannon + 10)
First Section (50 Points)
Sergeant Fury (Bolt Pistol and
Chainsword +2 points)
Trooper Rentworth (Flamer +5
points)
Troopers Thorn and Volnair
(Missile Launcher +15)
6 Troopers with Lasgun
Second Section (50 Points)
Sergeant Squath (Laspistol and
Chainsword)
Trooper Festunal (Grenade
launcher +5 points)
Troopers Morgan and Baird (Missile
Launcher +15)
6 Troopers with Lasgun
Third Section (50 Points)
Sergeant Narduar (Bolt Pistol
and Chainsword +2 points)
Trooper Withnail (Grenade
launcher +5 points)
Troopers Bogstrop and Fairweather (Missile
Launcher +15)
6 Troopers with Lasgun
Dossgoff’s Clawz
Warboss Dossgoff (Powerclaw,
Shoota, ‘eavy Armour, Stickbomz) 90 points
4 Lootas (Deffgun) 60 points
Lootamek (Kustom Megabalsta,
Meks toolz) 15
Ork Nob (Slugga, Powerklaw) 41
points
12 Orkboyz (Slugga and Choppa)
72 points
Orkboy (Big Shoota and Choppa)
11 points
THE GAME
The Boy wanted to play his Orks
all on his own, so Amanda and The Girl joined my side, each taking one section
of Imperial Guardsmen.
(Remember: click on the pictures
for a bigger version)
We set things up and then the
Guard went first…
TURN ONE
The Boy and his Boyz
All the Guard moved up through
the cover of small stands of trees, consolidated their positions, and had a
look out for the enemy.
Sergeant Squath’s Second Section
(played by Amanda). I’m not sure why everyone but the Missile Launcher team was
deployed in the woods… Maybe they figured it might be a better firing position
out in the open…?
Squath’s Section, on the right
flank, spotted some heavily armed Xenos to their front and lit them up!
A stream of deadly lasgun fire
and a couple of dead-on shot from the Grenadier took out three of the Lootas
and sent the remaining two fleeing off the table and out of the area of
operations.
(As it turned out the Missile Team
could spot no targets from their position and were unable to fire…)
This was a good first contact
for the Guard. Things were looking up indeed!
Over on the other flank Sergeant
Narduar’s Third Section spotted a rather HUGE Xeno cresting a hill followed by
a horde of other angry looking beasties. The squad rained down fire upon them –
but despite some direct hits on the big one… the shots only seemed to make him
angrier.
Unchecked by the fire from the
Guard, the Orks storm over the hill and the Warboss and Big Shoota laid down
some withering fire at the run. Troopers Withnail, Bogstrop and Fairweather
(the Grenadier and Missile Launcher Team!) were wounded by the fire and taken
out of action.
Guard Troop Headquarters
commanded by Lieutenant Proxnaz held a position on a low rise and from there
directed the actions against the Xeno enemy.
Section One and Three shared a
position in a stand of jungle trees. (this is before Third Section took their
initial casualties)
TURN TWO
First and Second Sections move
out! First section advanced towards the cover of the woods to their front while
Second Section began a flanking maneuver – having determined the Xenos threat
to their immediate front had been neutralized.
Third section consolidated their
position in the woods and spread out to the area vacated by First Section’s
departure, and cleared their wounded comrades from their firing positions.
Third Section’s Missile Team got
a shot off and blew an Ork to bitz.
Third Section and the Ork Mob
exchanged wild ineffective shots. The Orks attempted an assault – but it failed
as they couldn’t close the distance.
TURN THREE
Amanda commanding Third Squad
pours fire down on the Orks before they disappear from view behind the woods.
First squad consolidates it’s
position in the woods, but doesn’t want to move to the front of the woods lest
they be assaulted. They stayed on at the back side of the woods hoping to pour
flanking fire on the Orks should they assault Third Section’s position.
The Troop Headquarters
Autocannon pumped a few shots into the mob, but failed take any down. And
Sergeant Rozchance… y’know, with the Sniper Rifle… turns out he’s a pretty
piss-poor shot… (he should probably leave the sniping to the abhuman Ratlings…)
Third Section ineffectively
fired on the Orks. The Orks returned fire and took down another two guardsmen.
And then the Orks assaulted
Third Section’s position… and wiped them out! The Guard were a little shaken by
this turn of events!
The Orks then consolidated their
position in the woods, hoping to turn around and assault their way through the
rest of the troop…
TURN FOUR
Five of the Orks died in a storm
of fire from the two remaining Sections and the HQ team… First Section’s flamer
doing most of the work, but a well placed missile from Third Section did it’s
fair share of the work…
The Orks returned fire and
prepared to assault First section – THREE MORE Orks were taken down in
Overwatch fire and then their assault FAILED (I think The Boy rolled snake-eyes
for their assault distance!)
TURN FIVE
The remaining Orks die in a
repeat of the previous turn’s fury of fire…
When the firing from the woods
the Orks occupied stopped Lieutenant Proxnaz called for his guardsmen to cease
firing. First section was ordered into the woods and they stormed into the
position – finishing off wounded Orks and checking for survivors among Third
Section - though there was no sign of the hulking mamoth of a Xeno that had been leading them. There was a blood trail... but no one seemed to anxious to go chasing off after it when there was wounded to deal with.
Third Section was gutted, four
were killed in action (including the grenadier loader for the missile launcher
team) Two others had to be evacuated to the hospital facilities in the rear and
will need extensive cybernetic replacement parts if they’re to fight again.
Sergeant Narduar and the three other survivors, though wounded, refused to be evacuated.
Instead they were patched up and finished the patrol. The Section, with it’s
heavy losses will likely be rotated out of the line and have to work up some
new replacements from the Reserve Commandos.
For the most part everyone
seemed to have fun. The rules are wildly different from the other miniature
systems we have played together as a family (Savage Worlds, Force on Force,
Ambush Z, all the “Song of…” games, Frostgrave, etc). Most are a bit more
dynamic – play going back and forth between players more quickly. Even in
Hordes of the Things/DBA – which is the most U-go-I-go-ish type game we’ve
played – there’s still an element of activation and the possibility of elements
NOT doing anything on any given turn. The idea that ALL units on one side move,
and then ALL those same units can fire, and then all those same units that are
close enough could do ANOTHER move and fight in a close assault seemed CrAzY to
these guys… But I think we’ll be playing it again – especially when their
friends get some of their forces together.
Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:
Last of the Jungle Fighter Infantry coming up… Then a couple
of Heavy Bolter teams and a Sentinel Walker and that force will be complete…
