Harlequins vs Orks

The Girl has been asking to play 40K for some time now – especially since she finished up the Troupe Master, Shadowseer, and Death Jester for her Harlequin Troupe – she’s desperately wanted to get them on the table and mess stuff up!!

Brind’s World – 4.081.018.M42

SITUATION

Deep in the equatorial jungle, the Orks have been collecting up forbidden Archaeotech. Stuff so nasty that it has attracted the attention of the Aeldari – who have in turn decided it is too dangerous to let fall into the hands of the Orks. A crack team of Harlequins were dispatched to Brind’s World to destroy the Cache of Archaeotech.

SCENARIO

We played the Sabotage scenario – straight out of the 40K 8^th Edition Core Rulebook.

The Orks had a cache of stuff within 12” of the center of the table and started with 10 Sentries guarding said cache. The rest of the force started in Reseve.

The Harlequins had to get units within 3” of the cache to plant bombs on them. A command point could give a unit a second bomb, which they could stick around and plant on a subsequent turn. At the end of the game at the Harlequins would  roll a d6 and add one for each bomb thrown on the cache 7+ meant the cache was destroyed and they win a major victory, otherwise they suffer a major defeat.

If the Orks, however, have units within 3” of the cache at the end of the and command points remaining they can modify that roll by -1 for each command point spent…

FORCES

Blitzagg’s Mob

Warboss Blitzagg – Headquarters – Power Level 4

-Warlord: Trait Might is Right

20 Boyz - Troops – Power Level 9

5 Lootas – Heavy Support – Power Level 8

Patrol Detachment – 3 Command Points

+10 bonus Boyz for sentries.

Harlequins

Troupe Master Foxx – Headquarters – Power Level 4

-Warlord Trait – Luck of the Laughing God

Shadowseer Tibia – Headquarters – Power Level 7

-Psychic Abilities: Fog of Dreams, Mirror of Minds

Troupe – Troops – Power Level 7

Death Jester Corgoph – Heavy Support – Power Level 4

THE GAME

All set up and ready to go. Pile of Archaeotech in those crates just 12” from the center. 10 hard Boyz keeping their eyes peeled for any pesky looters that might make off with their treasures…

Finnegan surveying his deployed troops… planning the downfall of the invading Elves…

Or, just waiting patiently while his sister finished writing up her stats on little cards for reference.

That’s a pretty big pile of treasure they’ve got – no wonder the elves are planning to blow it up rather than carry it off!

ROUND ONE – Harlequin’s Turn

Because the table was too small for the scenario – the attackers deployment zone was to be beyond 24” from the center of the table – as the EDGE was 24” from the center, we just had her move on from the edge on the first turn.

The Harlequins weren’t messing around – they charged straight into combat with a couple of the sentries hoping to take them out all quiet like…

Meanwhile, the Death Jester slipped into the rear of the Orks deployment zone via a Webway Assault (special Harlequin Stratagem, costing 1 Command Point).

ROUND ONE – Orks Turn

Checking for Sentry movement, the very first one marched up to the Shadowseer and said “ROIGHT! WHATCHOO DOIN THAR!” and raised the alarm – He was not long for this world, but he’d done his job…

Finnegan checked to see which of his reserves could deploy this turn… and The Boyz made their entrance. The Warboss and Lootas were having an argument of some sort…?

I feel like they rounded out their turn with some ineffectual dakka and an ork sentry charged into combat with the Harlequin Shadowseer and died and terrifying and pointless death…

ROUND TWO – Harlequin’s Turn

All the Harlequins rush forward, the Death Jester sneaking through the jungle to a location within 3” of the objective and thus where he could plant his first bomb.

The Death Jester then shot up the unit of Boyz with his Shrieker Cannon taking two out of action.

Elsewhere the Troupe shot up and killed two more sentries.

The Troupe Master and the Shadowseer both charged and killed a pair of sentries near the Archaeotech cache – bringing them onto the objective as well.

So the Troupe Master, Shadowseer, and Death Jester were all able to place bombs/sabotage markers on the cache.

At this point I believe The Girl also spent a Command Point on one of the scenario Stratagems “More Explosives” it allows a unit that has already placed a sabotage marker on the objective to place a second one later in the game. (that went to the Death Jester – hence the bonus green marker sitting next to him).

ROUND TWO – Ork’s Turn

Situation at the beginning of the Orks second turn.

Mob of Orks eyeing up all them fancy-pants Elfy-gits.

The Orks surge forward and Warboss Blitzagg and the Lootas followed them onto the table.

GRrrrrraaaaAAAAARRRR!

There was a lotta Dakka and it didn’t do nuffin…

A pair of likely yobs charged the Troupe Master and Shadoweer for a lark…

The were quickly returned to the compost from whence they came. (But not before they got some lucky blows in on the Troupe Master – wounding her THREE TIMES!)

ROUND THREE – Harlequin’s Turn

The rest of the Troupe moved up to the objective to plant their sabotage markers.

The Girl tried to have her Shadowseer manifest a particularly nasty Psychic Ability…. I think it was called Mirror of Minds…? She successfully manifested itself and so she and Finnegan were to dice off, if her die were equal to or higher than his, one the Boyz suffere a mortal wound and they dice again, and keep going like that until the unit is wiped out or Finnegan rolled higher than her… The Girls’ first roll: 1… Finnegan rolled a 3 and that was the end of it…

At the end of their turn the Troupe dropped their sabotage marker and the Death Jester Dropped his second…

Well now what to do for the rest of the game…?

Finnegan pointed out that if he had a unit within 3” of the objective at the end of the game and command points he could spend them to remove sabotage markers (I believe the Strategem was called “Cutting the Wires” – or something like that) – So the Girl decided to stick around and try and make sure they DIDN’T get anywhere NEAR the objective for the next three to five turns…

ROUND THREE – Orks’s Turn

‘Ere we go!

The Mob of Boyz surged forward in a sneaky-flanking-like maneuver around the wall that could give them cover, and the Lootas shuffled over to where they could get a better shot at all the fancypants. Then they did a whole lotta Dakka! (and a whole lot of missing!)

Mob of Boys advance under cover of the furious covering fire of the Lootas!

Then the Boyz decided to charge the fancy-pants Harlequins!

One was lost to overwatch fire.

Then they went in!

It was quite the mess and Orks are abaoloutely SAVAGE in Melee!!

The Troupe Master was wounded again, reducing her to ONE WOUND, the Shadowseer also took two wounds (she had three left) and the Troupe was utterly wiped out.

The Girl explained that they didn’t all die. The Harlequins have a very clever Web Way Casevac system that extricates any downed Harlequins and quickly removes them from the battle and gets them whatever immediate medical treatment they need…

The Troupe Master and Shadowseer then fought back – taking down 5 of the Ork Boyz.

Still, things were looking… kind of DIRE for the Harelquins at this point!

ROUND FOUR – Harlequin’s Turn

BOOF! The Troupe Master, Shadowseer and Death Jester all fled from the melee…

The Death Jester then shot up the Boyz – taking out two more.

And then they charged right back in… because apparently that’s the sort of cheaty thing you can do when you’re harlequins…!?

And they thinned the herd considerably in a whirlwind of slaughter…. Though in the process the Death Jester Suffered two wounds from being crushed in a Power Klaw.

ROUND FOUR – Orks’ Turn

The Lootas started trundling forward again – not being able to shoot at much, they thought they’d try and go defuse the elfies bombs – or at least see if they could add them to their bizarre weaponry…?

Warboss Blitzagg charged the Shadowseer. He couldn’t seem to pin down exactly where she was at any given moment and ended up shredding foliage and rock with his giant Power Klaw… but not much else… One of the Boyz got a lucky shot in while she was dodging the Bosses blows and she lost another wound.

The three Harelwuins finished off the Boys… and then turned their sights on the Warboss…

ROUND FIVE - Harlequin’s Turn

The Shadowseer tried to manifest powers against the Warboss, but failed. The Death Jester also unleashed his Shrieker Cannon on the Lootas, but failed to cause any wounds…

Then they all charged in… Together the three of them scored six wounds on the Warboss – but he saved two of them and remained in the fight! Fighting back he scored a wound on the Troupe Master – luckily she saved as it was her last wound!

ROUND FIVE – Orks’ Turn

The Lootas made it to the Cache and the Warboss continued his fight with the Harlequins!

I think this may be the very first game that Finnegan's Lootas have done something useful. It's been a running joke since the first two games we tried in 7th Edition - in both games they were the first shot at, lost one or two, and then ran away! 

Blitzagg scored two hits on the Troupe Master but failed to wound… then he scored a wound on the Shadowseer, but she saved…

And then the Harlequins finished him off…

At the end of the round they rolled for game end and that was it.

GAME END

So Finnegan spend his three Command Points to removed three of the Sabotage markers.

The Girl rolled a 4 – not enough to destroy the cache with only two sabotage marker remaining.

Luckily The Girl had ALSO saved a Command Point for just this purpose and spent if for a re-roll. This time she rolled a six and the whole cache went up with a blinding flash and a deafening BOOM!

The Harlequin’s won!

Fun game – I like playing at this Power Level – the games are quick-ish and there is little downtime or waiting. I think we will keep upping the Power Level, bit by bit, as the kids keep adding stuff to their collections.

The Girl has been working on some Swooping Hawks for her Craftworlder force, along with an Exarch for her Howling Banshees and a model of Jain Zar – Eldar Phoenix Lord that started the Howling Banshees. She was reading the novel about her too, but seems to have been distracted by other some other novels in the meantime…

Finnnegan’s been busy assembling new things to add to his hoard – another pile of Boyz, some Orks on bikes and a Gorkonaut…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I did finish up the Tallarn Roughrider Squad the other night. I should have some pics of those up here shortly…  after that…? Not sure…? Another Kill Team for Shadow War: Armageddon? Some Minis for the rogue Trader campaign…?

Actually, THAT is what I’ll be spending my hobby time on for the remainder of the week – preparing for our first proper gaming session… and I have MUCH to prepare – I’ve decided to redo the system we’re going to use to play the game – streamlining it a LOT – discarding the percentile system in favour of good ol’ d6 dice pools and combat will be worked out using 40K 8th or Shadow War: Armageddon or some bastardization of the two…

I’d like to track down some Battlefleet Gothic ships to use in the campaign – but they seem to be selling for just CrAzY prices on ebay!? Anyone out there got an old copy of the game gathering dust in their basement storage room they’d like to get rid of?!