The Signal - Scenario Three - Getting Down

The 1FO-R-6ET checked his schematics again. Much had changed... but much more than expected had stayed the same. A cargo elevator that should be able to take them down to the level where the source of psychic signal emanated lay just ahead. 

"There should be a way down this way" the Techpriest announced to the rest of the team.

Captain Rhogen started barking orders; "First team, take the lead! Second Team, you're at the rear! You! Guard! You are not to engage unless absolutely necessary! your duty is to protect the Astropath and Techpreist - at all costs! Let's MOVE!"

The group continued to shuffle forwards along the Techpriests suggested line of advance. 

"CONTACT!" 

No one was surprised. They couldn't possibly have expected to get all the way there without running into more Cultists... 

In this third scenario in The Signal Campaign - our small scale narrative campaign to try out Warhammer 40000 (9th Edition) - the Imperial Strike team must make their way to an elevator descend deep, DEEP into the bowls of the underhive....

For some background on the campaign:

The Signal - a Short Narrative Campaign for Warhammer 40K

The Signal - Scenario One - A Chance Encounter

The Signal - Scenario Two - Breaking In

Scenario

The Imperial forces must make it to the elevator to get down to the level from which the Psychic Signal is emanating. Only those that fit into the elevator will be allowed to continue in the campaign - those left behind or taken out of action during the scenario are out of the campaign - regardless of recovery rolls. The Tech priest is required to operate the Elevator.

The Genestealer Cult starts with ONE Troops unit and one HQ unit on the table. Another unit arrives at the end of each movement phase and a Second may be diced for - rolling a d6 - if the result is equal to or less than the round number a second unit arrives. Newly arrived units must be set up within unit coherency and wholly within 6" of one of the four hatches (reinforcements locations set up before the game)

Forces

Imperial Strike Team - Vanguard Detachment (CP Cost: 3)

HQ
1x Space Marine Captain - PR5
1x Astra Militarum (Counts As) Company Commander - PR2

Troops
1x Veteran Space Marine Scouts (9) - PR15

Elite
1x Astra Militarum Veteran Squad (6) - PR5
1x Astra Militarum Commissar - PR2
1x Astropath - PR1
1x Techpriest Enginseer - PR2

Power Level: 32


Genestealer Cult Battalion Detachment (CP Cost: 3)
Command Benefit (+3 Command Points)

HQ options
1x Primus
1x Magos

Troop Options
2x Neophyte
2x Hybrid Acolytes

Elites Options
Sanctus


The Game



Finnegan setting up his deployment hatches around the edge of the table



One starting Troops unit with a Primus.


ROUND ONE



Imperial Force set of at a quick, but cautious, pace towards the anticipated location of the elevator down (Advancing, but unable to roll higher than 2...).



The scouts split into two teams to advance down two parallel corridors to keep an eye out for cultists that may ambush them from the side of their line of advance.



The Guard and their charges were pushing up close behind, urging the scouts to move more quickly - perhaps feeling a little less cautious - or a bit MORE anxious - THEY kept rolling 5s and 6s to advance!



Spotting the movement in the corridors ahead, the Cultists guarding the elevator advanced to cover!



And MORE Cultists started spilling forth from their hidyholes.



and MORE!



Dispositions at the end of the first Round!


ROUND TWO



The Scouts moved up even slower and began firing upon the approaching Cultists! Two were taken out of action

(By the Light of the Emperor that kid can roll a LOT of 5s and 6s for saving throws!?)



Captain Rhogen rushed around the flank to try and head off a large reading on his Auspes - before the path to the elevator was entirely cut off!



The Marines pour more fire down on the Cultists that have taken up position at the end of the corridor, in preparation for an assault... that failed to materialize.



The assault team element of the Scout Squad also failed to charge... the initiative was lost...

The return fire from the Cultists was withering. Brother Kalz was the first to fall.



A Magos joins the newly arrived Neophytes.



MORE Hybrid Acolytes pour forth from the hatch!


ROUND THREE



The Assault team finally makes their move and charges the cultists position, but rather than overrun their position, one Neophyte holds them back and further holds up their progress. Brother Thrun is also lost in this assault.

Down the other corridor the fire support element also rushed the Cultists positions.... only Brother Teraq made it through!



Captain Rhogan snaps off a couple shots from his Bolt Pistol and takes down a Hybrid Cultist, that was preparing to join the fray with his scouts.



The Neophyte finally fled the melee as the Hybrids moved up behind into an assault position.



More Hybrids swarming into the room!



While al this action was taking place a Sanctus - a Cult Assassin - quietly slipped into an adjoining room and set up a firing lane... just waiting for the Imperials to walk by...



Things are looking bad for the Imperials - the scouts have lost half their number and not one of them has made it to the elevator and more and more cultists just keep pouring into the scene!



The situation goes from bad to dire...



The Hybrids attack!



Brothers Fornel and Teraq and taken down in the assault.


ROUND FOUR



Captain Rhogen moves to single-handedly take on and entire squad of Neophytes. He throws a grenade, but it goes wide and explodes down a side passage with no effect.



The Imperial Guard detail and their charges move up - a vicious, desperate combat playing out before them! Will the Scouts breakthrough and clear a route for them to get to the elevator?

They rush past the last two scouts holding back the Hybrids, only to discover a Primus hiding in a side corridor.



Rhogan Charges. He cleaves one in two as they rush to meet him, but there are just too many!



MORE Neophyte Cultists arrive!



The last two Scouts are finished off by the Hybrid Cultists, who then charge the Guard that were trying to sneak past them, but ended up waylaid by the Primus.



The Sanctus waits... biding his time... Watching things all play out in front of him.



The second squad of Hybrids joins the fight against Captain Rhogan.

Tehy score SIX wounds - at -2AP.... Yeah... like I can roll six 5+ saves...



Oh, apparently I can!?



The Guard are overwhelmed by the savage assault of the Hybrid Cultists coming to the aid of their Primus!



Though the Scouts and Imperial Guard Troopers were all down, and they could hear hordes of the Cultists closing in from all directions, to the Guard Command and Specialists, only two Hybrids seemed to be blocking the way to the Elevator Door.



Moving up, the Astropath dropped one of the Hybrids with a blast of psychic energy, Commissar Biafra dropped the other with a blast of hot plasma! Captain Rhogan seemed to be holding two whole squads of them at bay! Could this be their chance!?



Lieutenant Naismith told them to go for it while he covered the flank - charging the Primus lurking around the corner.



The commissar stalled (failing charge roll) but the Techpriest saw his chance and leaped from cover and charged across the open area before them.



Swinging his great Omnisian Axe, the Techpriest cleaved one of the Hybrid Cultists attacking Captain Rhogan as the Techpriest ran past on the way to the elevator door.



The Cultists finished off Captain Rhogan, though, and swarmed the Techpriest before he could get past and open the door for the others.



Genestealer Cultists closing in! The path is blocked!



Having dropped the Primus Naismith and the Astropath found themselves facing the Sanctus - a Cult Assassin - a shot from it's long, deadly sniper rifle rang out from the dark shadows... and MISSED!

(BS2+... rolled a one... used a Command Point for a re-roll... another one... just wasn't meant to happen!)



Hybrid Cultists take down the Techpriest!



At this point, with only the Commissar, Naismith and the Astropath surviving and Hordes of the Genestealer Cult closing in... All hope of success seemed utterly lost and we called it a game...


Post Game

Naismith, Biafra and the Astropath fled, but it was clear they would not all get away. Naismith told Biafra to get the Psyker out and warn Command that they had failed. He would attempt to hold them off as long as he could to give them a bit of a lead. With a laspistol, a chainsword and a refractor field... Naismith could not hold them long...

As the hordes closed in on the remaining pair, Biafra ordered the Astropath to scream - a Psychic Scream - as loud as she could to try and let the Command know the situation... Biafra was preparing to overcharge his plasma pistol and kill the both of them (and maybe take a few of the Genestealer Cultists with them).

She screamed.

The Psychic scream melted Commissar Biafra's brain. Blood and other liquified tissues poured from his eyes and nose and ears as he dropped to the floor like a sack of corpse starch. It killed a few of the Genestealer Cultists in the immediate vicinity as well... but not nearly enough...

The Scream had left even the Astropath stunned and bordering on unconsciousness. She stumbled to the corpse of the Commissar and retrieved his plasma pistol. She finished the job of overcharging it and pulling the trigger. The Psyker, the bodies of the Commissar and Lieutenant Naismith, and scores of Cultists that were closing in on her from all directions flashed out of existence as they were vaporized in a giant ball of hot plasma - like that of a miniature star. The blast caused a massive hive-quake - large enough that it was registered by the Imperial forces on the wall surrounding Hive Secondus.

For a brief moment those that had seen the collapse hoped it signalled success for the mission. but when they noticed that nothing had changed for the Psykers and Astropaths, they knew the mission had likely been a failure.

The Astropaths Scream was not registered on Necromunda, it was entirely drowned out by The Signal.

It WAS registered by the Astropath aboard the Light of Vengeance, as it translated out of the Warp at the edge of the system. With some distance from Necromunda, and not inconsiderable skill, the Astropath was able to separate the scream from the background noise of The Signal.

The ship was bringing Lord Inquisitor Dianna Kyros and her elite strike team of the Death Watch, commanded by Watch Captain Gremos Vantarias, to Necromunda.

The Lord Inquisitor looked to Captain Vantarias and said; "It seems the Imperial Fists were unsuccessful in their attempt. It is good we are here. This signal is indeed a beacon for the Hive Fleets and must be extinguished with as much of the cult as possible. Ready your men, Captain."

I didn't bother with survival rolls at this point... we just made up some stuff - for the narrative.

To make this a BIT more playable I probably should have said no reinforcements on the firs Round and one each turn thereafter and rolling for a second if the roll is LESS than the turn number (i.e. need a 1 on Round Two, need a 2 on Round Three, etc...)

Sometime in August we will return to The Signal campaign - with Finnegan playing the Death Watch and me playing the Genestealer Cultists! Hopefully the experts of the Death Watch will have a little more success against this Xenos infestation!


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog: 

Later this week we'll be playing another game in the Other narrative Campaign - Rise Up! - and another game the last week of July.

In August, in addition to returning to The Signal campaign, Amanda and I will (maybe) be getting back to playing Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress and I'll be running a new Narrative 40K campaign - with the FULL 9th edition rules - set on a Daemonworld in the Eye of Terror.

Lots of stuff on the workbench I'm trying to finish up - some Imperial Wall of Martyrs terrain for the next Rise Up! Scenario, the Death Watch for the next arc of The Signal Campaign (and... other things...), hordes of Daemons for the Daemonworld Campaign, Cultists and explorers for Blackstone Fortress, and so much other stuff!