Get Morty!

The Seer Council, following a probability thread through the skeins of fate, determined the future of an Exodite world is in extreme peril. Bother Mortis ("Morty", to his friends) of the Emperor's Brethren Chapter will one day rise to prominence and eventually perpetuate a genocide against the exodites. The Seers have divined this Marine's moment of peak vulnerability is at hand. 

A Battle Host was summoned to slip through the web ways and set up an ambush to intercept a marine strike force that includes Brother Mortis. The Marines had just engaged a large force of Orks on Xoxigar Primus and return to their Thunderhawk gunships, secured in a nearby landing zone, fatigued and low on power, fuel, and ammunition. They will not be in a position to engage in a protracted battle. 

SCENARIO

We played the Ambush Scenario straight out of the Core Rulebook - except on a much smaller table. As the table was smaller, we shortened the scenario by one turn. Essentially the defending Marines had 4-6 turns to get 1/3 of their units out of the Kill Zone (off the table).

FORCES



Battle Host Thymiltelyir
Battalion Detachment – (as Biel-Tan) - +5CP (=8 Command Points)

HQ
Farseer Thymiltelyir– Warlord Trait: Natural Leader (Biel-Tan)
Powers: Smite, Guide and Executioner
- Shuriken Pistol, Witchblade, Spirit Stone of Anath’lan (Power Level 6, 110 points)
Warlock Bro'wyn– Powers: Smite and Enhance/Drain
-Shuriken Pistol and Witchblade (Power Level 2, 55 points)
Warlock Adrellewi– Powers: Smite and Empower/Enervate
-Shuriken Pistol and Witchblade (Power Level 2, 55 points)

Troops
Dire Avengers (5)
-4 with Avenger Suriken Catapult and Plasma Grenades
–Exarch with Shuriken pistol, Plasma Grenade, and Diresword (Power Level 3, 56 points)
Dire Avengers (5)
-4 with Avenger Suriken Catapult and Plasma Grenades
–Exarch with Shuriken pistol, Plasma Grenade, and Diresword (Power Level 3,56 points)
Rangers (5)
-Shuriken Pistol and Ranger Long Rifle (Power Level 3, 60 points)
Rangers (5)
-Shuriken Pistol and Ranger Long Rifle (Power Level 3, 60 points)

Elites 
Howling Banshees (6)
-Shuriken Pistol and Power Sword (Power Level 6, 78 points)

Fast Attack
Warp Spiders (9)
-8 with Death Spinner
-Exarch with 2 Death Spinners and Power Blades (Power Level 9, 154 points)

Heavy Support
Wraithlord
-Shuriken Catapult, Flamer, Wraithbone Fists, Bright Lance (Power Level 8, 111 points)
Wraithlord
-Shuriken Catapult, Flamer, Wraithbone Fists, Aeldari Missile Launcher (Power Level 8, 111 points)
Wraithlord
-2x Shuriken Catapult, Wraithbone Fists, Scatter Laser (Power Level 8, 92 points)

61 Power Level
998 Points


Strike Force - Emperor's Brethren Space Marine Chapter
Battalion Detachment – (as Ultramarines) (+5CP )

HQ
Captain/Chapter Master on bike
Sergeant Chronos

Troops
Tactical Squad (5)

Tactical Squad (5)
Tactical Squad (5)

Elites
Terminator Squad (5)

Heavy Support
Devastator Squad
Thunderfire Cannon and Tech Marine
Whirlwind

Outrider Detachment (+1 Command Point)
HQ
Lieutenant

Fast Attack
Attack Bike

Attack Bike
Attack Bike

Command Points: 9


THE GAME



Auspex scanners of the lead squad was giving some strange returns. It kept sensing life forms ahead, but then they would disappear off the screen, only to reappear off to the flank. The Chapter Master had the Terminators and three other teams (two tactical and one devastator) take cover in a ruined building in their path, and the rest huddled in behind the building.



And there they stood, in silence, waiting... There were no friendlies operating in the area, but there'd been no other reports of Xenos in this area... More scans were made.



A third tactical team took up the rear, watching for anyone who would attack them from behind...



Then all hell broke loose.



Three Wraithlords poured fire down on the Marines position, pinning them down, momentarily, with the weight of their fire.



The Marines returned fire with brutal efficiency. Bolter shells slammed into the Eldar lines and the Whirlwind and Thunderfire cannon hammered the Eldar right flank, knocking out one of the squads of Dire Avengers and half the squad of Howling Banshees.



As the Whirlwind started to rumble forward a squad of Aeldari Rangers open fire from concealed positions on the Marines left...



While over on their right a second group of rangers opened fire on the Chapter Master and a swarm of  Warp Spider popped into reality and shredded an attack bike with their monofilament Death Spinners.



The Squad of Marines in the building swung left and prepared to charge into the ambushing Rangers.



Marines in the building pushed out to attack the flanking units while continuing to bring heavy weapon fire down on the Wraithlords. One of them was rendered inoperable by this fire.



The two remaining Warithlords charged the Marines position. They utterly wiped out one Marine tactical team



Farseer Thymiltelyir's escorting Wraithlord out-paced his own advance and left him unprotected in the open when the Whilwind came roaring around the corner!



The Chapter Master charged directly into the squad of Rangers on his bike, scattering them.







Warlock Bro'wyn, who had been escorting the Howling Banshees, was also outpaced by his companions and caught in the open by the Marines. Their withering fire injured him severely and made him flee for cover.



Farseer Thymiltelyir took some serious fire from the Whirlwindand other marines, and was obliged to withdraw.



Another of the Wraithlords was damaged, while the remaining one continued to pummel Marines in melee.



the target having been eliminated, the remaining Eldar fled the scene.



The remaining marines gathered their wounded and dead and pushed on to the waiting Thunderhawks before more Xenos could show up and finish them off.



The last Wraithlord covered the retreat of the Battlehost...

The cost was grave; many of the Aspect Warriors were killed or severely injured. Even the Warlocks and Farseer were unable to escape without injury. The target was slain, and many of his battle brothers with him, but with the clipping of this thread how many new possibilities would it create as the lose yarn frayed and unravelled....


END GAME

The game ended after Turn Four and the Marines lost - having not exited a single unit off the table. I've played this scenario (on larger tables, mostly) and the defender really needs to start moving on Turn One. Other Tim kept his marines sitting still for the first turn or two and tried to destroy Eldar - but, unlike a lot of other scenarios, there isn't much to gain in doing so - no victory points for first blood or killing the enemy warlord or taking out enemy units. The ONLY path to victory is getting stuff off the table. Eyes on the prize! Kill only what you need out of your way or might otherwise prevent you from succeeding in your objective!

All the Marines had left on the table at the end of the game was a single Terminator, one full team of five Marines, two more with three and one marine remaining, an Attack Bike and the Whirlwind. All I had left on the table was a single Wraithlord that was down to 6 wounds. I'm not sure he even had enough stuff close enough to the edge of the table to GET 1/3 of his power level off the table even if it had gone another two turns...

I do like these narrative scenarios better. Clear, sensible objectives - rather than ones that shift ever single turn!?


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog: 

No games planned and lots of stuff on the workbench... So I imagine it will be a painting update... but I have no idea what it might be... Lots of Grey Knights nearing completion... but there is a lot of other stuff crowding the painting table as well - Necromunda Gangers (Ratskins and Cawdor), Chaos and Eldar Stuff... and then there's all the stuff I've been THINKING about lately... so scattered.

Gangers, Preachers, Wizards, and Slugs

Taking a break from the Eldar to finish off a few things that have been lingering a little too long on the periphery of my painting desk...



The Lot of them.



Additional Cawdor and Delaque Gangers for the gangs I've already painted...



The complete Delaque Gang.

I'm not bothering with a picture of all the Cawdor Gangers so far, as I have another batch of them still to finish up...



Necromunda Esher Gangers. Actually only four of them are Esher Gangers (three of which I recently picked up from Airborne Grove)- the one I'm using as a leader is actually Mad Donna - a hired gun, and the one in Purple and Green (second from the right) is an old Judge Dredd Perp that I've had forever (and recently stripped and repainted).



Preachers and Missionaries from the Adeptus Ministorum. I'm not sure why I based Uriah Jacobus on the rounded plastic base....? I was probably thinking he'd be a "leader" of this lot and needed something bigger... but didn't have a bigger washer...? Or perhaps when I picked him up I was thinking he could be part of Amanda's Battle Sisters - until she said "No way! Only chicks in this army!"



Here they are with the other two preacher/misionaries I have.

Ah... as I type this up and look at the pictures I suddenly realized I didn't paint anything on Uriah Jacobus' banner! I was thinking of the "I" and skill motif of the Adeptus Ministorum...



Giant Slug-like critters from the Kill Team: Rogue Trader box... slowly getting through a few of these...



Dwarf Wizard and Apprentice. The Wizard is from Lead Adventure Miniatures, and, I think, the apprentice is from Black Tree Design. My friend John got talking about playing Frostgrave again and I was looking my Dwarves... I also painted up a couple of torchbearers a few weeks back - to use as thugs or thieves... I should probably figure out what I'd use in the party and figure out what others I'd need. I have a BUNCH of these Lead Adventure minis still to paint - which would all be so fun to use in a Frostgrave adventure party.



Young lad with a big-ass wrench from Lead Adventure Miniatures.


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I actually played a game of 40K last Wednesday with Other Tim and have a half written game report I should probably finish up...

Lots of Necromunda Gangers (Cawdor and Ratskins... mostly...) and Grey Knights and some Chaos stuff and odd and assorted other bits flooding the painting desk at the moment.

Battleforce Recon 2019

Sunday I was over at the Dragon's Den participating in Battleforce Recon. Last year the event was held at Mana Bar, but Mana Bar has since closed... So they held it at the Den...



It was pretty crowed back there... and this is before the War Wars: X-Wing guys showed up!



I think there were around 24 players....?

After the first round there was a break for lunch and everyone put out their armies on display. Last year I was the only one that brought a display board - this year, a lot of others had them! So many great armies!



This was one of my favourites: Chad Jordan's Death Guard!



Chaos Space Marines



More Chaos Space Marines



STILL More Chaos Space Marines



Sone of STILL More Chaos Space Marines



I think these were Tom's Khorne Daemon Horde

There was at least one more Chaos player - they fellow with the Death Guard I played in Round One. Some just didn't put their stuff out on display....

SO maybe 7 chaos...? about a third of the forces...?



Ultramarines! I think there was at least one other Ultramarines player - or maybe Crimson Fists...?



Beau's Dark Angles.



Robyn's Grey Nights (which I fought last Monday)



This is a terrible picture - I took three and they all ended up super out-of-focus - but I had to include it because it was an amazing force of Grey Knights with a fantastic display board!



Adeptus Mechanicus - Mark's...? Maybe...?



More Ad Mech... that look like maybe they've been adapting Necron tech...?



There were two guard forces. This one I took a picture of still out on the table.



Same force on it's display board.



Roughriders and cool heavy weapon teams.

There was another fantastic Guard force  - that, for some reason, I didn't get a picture of on it's display board...!? Luckily I got to play against him in Round Two - so you can see some of his force there.

So about 9 or 10 forces were Imperial... a little less than half...




Necrons



More Necrons



Cody's Orks - they won for best painted.



Zack's Drukhari - the only other Aeldari player... This was one of my favourites.

Realized I totally forgot to take a picture of mine... Ah well, you've seen it Here...


ROUND ONE

My first game was against Death Guard, played by a fellow named Oren.

This was Mission #1 that I'd played with Other Tim a few weeks back.



Oren setting up his Death Guard.



A good chunk of my force holding back and holding an objective - and denying the enemy space to deep strike into with their Terminators.  Ahead of them were Banshees and Rangers, supported by another Wraithlord, preparing to move forward to contest one of the Enemies objectives. Off to the right was another group of Rangers and Dire Avengers and a Warlock that were going to move forward to secure another objective.



Pox Walkers and Nurglings... Oh, the stench...



Chaos Rhino moved up - the death Guard within were forced to debuss when fire from two of the Wraithlords blew up their ride! Taking a couple with them!



Banshees move out charge the Pox Walkers and Warp Spiders arrive in the back corner of the table hoping to seize the objective held by the Nurglings.



The Banshees charge out from cover - preparing to charge the Pox Walkers, they spray them down with their Shuriken Pistols.



In they charged hacking and slicing the fowl, wretched creatures.



Death Guard blow away an exposed Warlock who, because he was hiding behind a building, forgot to charge out with the Banshees.... whoops... Some awful stratagem allowed them all to throw grenades at the Rangers on the second floor - and then some other ability or Stratagem made them worst and all the rangers were taken out... and then the Warlock...



Despite the grace and skill and brutally sharp power-swords of the Howling Banshees, the pox walkers were tough and there were just too many of them!



The Warp Spiders very nearly wiped out the Nurglings, on their next turn they'd move up and seize that objective... and then the Nurgly Terminators show up out of the Teleportatium... or... the Warp... or... Nurgle's butthole, or wherever they come from...



The Deathguard took out one of my Wriathlords, but the other took down his Blight-something-something... (a character of some sort)



My Warp Spiders did move up and shred the Nurglings and Seize the objective.... and then the game was called on time. We'd very nearly finished the third turn. has we finished The Terminators might have taken their objective back... as it was the game was a draw - both of us scoring 8 victory points.


ROUND TWO

After a bit of a lunch break we were back at it.

I got to play Alex, he was one of the Imperial Guard players that came up from Regina (270km). He had a really fun army - though he was using the rules for Imperial Guard, there was a whole mess of converting going on and the fluff was that it was a Rogue Trader and his retinue! There were two "Company Commanders" - I think they were both "Arch-Militants" - commanders of the Rogue Traders personal forces (The Rogue Trader was, I'm guessing, still aboard his or her ship). There were a few Veteran Squads that were listed as "mercenaries". So fun! I LOVE armies with fluffy backstories!

For round two we played Mission #2 (which I had played last week against Robyn's Grey Knights) I set up first, which usually means I got first, unless the opponent can seize the initiative - by rollin a 6 on a d6 - which, when does THAT ever happen...? Like, never...

Well, this time it did... and I'd kind of set up stuff in the open assuming I'd be going first and would be able to surge forward to seize objectives..



Sentinel Walker advancing on my Dire Avengers on the left flank - hoping to move forward to cover and seize the objective...



In the middle, Rangers were set up to dash to good firing positions on the second floor of a ruined building.



Rogue Trader's troops deploy in Chieras - supported by a Hellhound.



Banshees feeling pretty exposed out there... Yikes!

He pumped everything into them and they were annihilated in the first turn. Not because they were a great threat - but because it was worth a victory point to destroy an enemy unit in the first turn - and they were the most vulnerable...



Rangers move into position, but don't find too many targets...



chimera and Hellhounds crash forward following the sentinel - all bringing down fire on Dire Avengers caught in the open (thinking they'd get to go first and get a chance to dash for cover!). A squad of troopers deploy into a ruined building.



Chimeras and Hellhound surge forward again. Troops debus from some of the Chimeras. Al Bring withering fire down on the Eldar. Mortars rain down fir on the Eldar too. The Chimera poking it's nose into a building caught one of the Warlocks unprotected and blew him away.

It was a slaughter. I think the game ended 16-8. But Alex was super fun to play against and his army was pretty rad. So it was really kind of a win in my books!


ROUND THREE 

Strangely I ended up at the same table for Round Three - though the mission and deployment zones were different. I played a kind fellow named Beau and his Dark Angel Space Marines.



Once again my largely infantry-based force was facing and armoured onslaught.



My Farseer started out in cover with one of the Dire Avenger Squads and two flanking Wraithlords who tried to pout fire down on the Marines armoured vehicles.

The yellow die is to mark how many turns the objective has been held - they were worth more each turn the longer you held them.



The rest of the force was on the right flank and surged forwards on the first turn to take up positions in a ruined building and secure a second objective. During the Marines first turn they'd nearly wiped out the Ranger squads. One had a single ranger remaining, the other had three.



Marines debus from a Rhino to secure an objective.



Wraithlords exchange fire with the Marine armour.



Eventually the Farseer lead the Wraithlords out  to advance on the objective held by the marines - one of the Wraithlords was destroyed, leaving the Farseer exposed. He took some fire, but survived.



Ranger squads reduced to a single member each by the time they got into position (Should have kept them 'in the shadows"... or... whatever their Deep Striking ability is called...). For the rest of the game they took pot shots at the Marine Snipers in the ruins across the way.

The Marine armour remained parked throughout the whole game as they got some bonus for doing so (re-roll 1s, I think?)



One Wraithlord charged the unit of Marines, another, along with the Farseer, a Warlock and the remaining Howling Banshees charged the Rhino. A Wraithlord was lost, and a Banshee or two, but the Rhino and Tactical squad were taken out of action.



I totally forgot to bring the Warp Spider on in the second turn... and then forgot again in the third, until after I'd started shooting, but Beau was kind enough. to let me bring them on. They did some damage to this armoured vehicle... and I think they took out a smaller Tactical Squad of five marines...? By the fourth turn they were on the furthest objective.

I think I actually squeaked a win out in this one. But more importantly, had fun - there was a lot of back and forth in this game.

All in all, a very good day - lots of fun was had - though it got pretty warm in there and my feet were super sore at the end of the day from all the standing around.

I probably should try and add a second heavy weapon to each of the Wraithlords. I should probably keep the Rangers off table in the future and just set them up somewhere on Turn Two where they can do something useful. All they did in the first two turns of these games was get shot trying to move into position. I need more Banshees - like a full squad of ten... and keep them out of harms way right until they can charge! I'd like to paint up and try out my striking scorpions at some point.


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:



I have a LOT of stuff on the workbench... Not sure which, exactly I'll finish up next. Probably some Grey Knights. I've decided to paint the two Rhinos I picked up as Grey Knight Rhinos. I had thought I's use them for my own marine chapter, but as I have ZERO miniatures painted for that force... I figured it made more sense that they be used for a force I could actually field. I had also thought of making them transport for a Rogue Trader... or an Inquisitor... (but a Grey Knight Rhino, technically, IS a vehicle for agents of the inquisition! so...)

I also have a pile of Necromunda minis skulking around on the workbench as well as bits of Kill Team: Rogue Trader minis and a few more Eldar... I feel a little scattered at the moment and without direction. So many things I WANT to be working on... so little time...

the next post will probably a few odd and sundry items that I've had finished for some time... the Grey Knights all completed... then...?