Yesterday afternoon, Finnegan and I played out the second scenario in our narrative 40K campaign. You can read the background to the campaign here:
The Signal - a Short Narrative Campaign for Warhammer 40K
You can read how the first scenario went down here:
The Signal - Scenario Two - A Chance Encounter
Scenario
The Imperial forces are approaching the outer layer of the Hive and must break in and work their way deeper into the hive itself - exiting off the far end of the table.
The Doors are all locked. Doors can be opened in the Command Phase if a model is within 1" of a door. Genestealer cultists may automatically open all doors. The Techpriest will open doors a 3+. Marines can try to force the doors with their superhuman strength - a single marine can do it on a 6+ (and gains +1 for each other Marine in contact with the door).
The Guard...? I guess they could try and blast their way through...? They are T8 and have 6 wounds...
Genestealer Cult can deploy a squad of Neophyte cultists as Sentries - as per the rules in Warhammer 40000 (8th Edition) Core Rulebook (because the free PDF rules we have for 9th that we have don't define such things...) with the following exceptions; four may be deployed outside the hive, four a may be deployed inside the hive, two are deployed in the prepared position in the middle of the table and will not move from there (don't roll for them when sentries are normally moved)
Once the alarm has been raised The Genestealer Cult may roll for reinforcements - but the hive is a big place and reinforcements aren't necessarily that close - of they will only arrive on a 6 the first turn after the alarm has been raise, a 5+ on the turn after the alarm has been raised, and on a 4+ on all other subsequent turns. Reinforcements are deployed within 2" of the side table edges (not the exit edge) within the hive.
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 (10) - PR15
Elite
1x Astra Militarum Command Squad (4) - PR2
1x Astra Militarum Veteran Squad (10) - PR5
1x Astra Militarum Commissar - PR2
1x Astropath - PR1
1x Techpriest Enginseer - PR2
Power Level: 34
Genestealer Cult Battalion Detachment (CP Cost: 3)
Command Benefit (+3 Command Points)
HQ
1x Primus PR4
1x Magos PR4
Troops
2x Neophyte (10) @PR4=8
2x Hybrid Acolytes (5) @PR3=3
Sentries: 6x Neophytes, 2x Hybrid Acolytes
Power Level: 19 (not including Sentries)
Total Power Level: 45
Yes, "the Ebony Viper" he wasn't, in fact killed in the previous adventure - when the Marines assaulted him he slunk under the tractor and found a hole to crawl down into and hide. The Marines tossed a grenade in after him, but he somehow survived the blast and remained hidden until they had passed...
The Game
The map The Imperial Strike Force sets up within 6" of the western edge and need to exit the table off the east edge - delving deeper into the hive! The West half of the board represented the ash wastes at the edge of the hive. The Eastern Half of the board was inside the hive. There were three possible entrances.
The Strike force approaching the outer wall of Hive Secondus - trying to stay under cover and sneak up on the sentries.
Scout Team Two deployed to take out one of the other sentries.
Genestealer Cult sentry wandering the abandoned corridors of the Hive.
Acolyte Hybrid Sentry - messing around with the Thermic Plasma Conduit again... even though he's be told NOT to... MANY TIMES!!!
Two sentries at the main entrance. The crates contain beer... and... ammo...
ROUND ONE
Scout Team Two stealthily approaches a sentry who is standing back to them gazing at the hive. He is thinking how boring the architecture is and how he really should have followed his dreams to become an architect, such structures he would have designed - they would have been breathtaking!
Scout Team One started deployment within charge range of the sentry they were to take out. Lt Naismith lead his Command Squad a little closer to the Sentry they were tasked with taking out.
A quick, silent rush and they were there - Scout Team One takes out their sentry is the silent, efficient manner they were trained to....
Scout Team Two... not-so-much... Five Veteran Scouts with TEN attacks between them (3+ to hit... 3+ to wound... 5+ save) failed to take out the lone sentry... and thus the alarm was raise on the very first round...
Naismith and his Veteran Command Squad ALSO failed to take out the Sentry they were tasked with silencing... But they're just Guard... they're pretty much expected to FAIL!? Should have sent in Captain Rhogen to do it. Of course THESE guys will be blamed for the the alarm being raised - no one will ever speak of Scout Team Two's failure...
So the Genestealer Cult immediately got their turn... and NO ONE showed up and reinforcements!?
and THEN the Sentries died in their second round of combat.
ROUND TWO
Imperial forces pushed on towards the outer hive wall. The jig was up - the alarm raised. There was nothing for it now, but to get in there and past all the other guards as fast as they could!
The Scout teams rushed the sentries positions at the main entrance, guns blazing. The two sentries went down in a hail of bolt gun fire - no sense in being subtle about it now!
On the GEnestealer Cult turn the Primus and Acolyte Hybrids showed up from one direction.
... and a Magos with some Neophyte Hybrids showed up from the other direction.
The other sentries inside the hive rushed to the main entrance - conveniently opening the door for the Marines!
ROUND THREE
All imperial forces started heading towards that main entrance
The Marines prepared to assault (I specifically DIDNT shoot - as I was within charge range and if I shot I'd have definitely take out the sentry and then wouldn't have been able to advance into the hive with a charge move!
Scout Team Two breaches the Hive and quickly overrun the first sentry they encountered within!
They press on finishing another further down the corridor.
On the Genestealer Cult turn the land Acolyte Hybrid Sentry just hid behind the beer coolers and blasted away at the marines rushing down the corridor - no sense in doing their job for them by suicide charing into their midst...
The squad of Acolyte Hybrids, led by the Primus, charged out of the hive, in an attempt to flank the Imperial forces!
The Neophytes on the opposite side of the table caustiously skulked about in the darkness, moving into a position to block the Marines entering the Hive.
The acolyte Hybrids charaged Lt. Naismith and his Command Squad!
(totally forgot I could have done a Heroic Intervention with Captain Rhogen there....)
They took out three of the Command squad, but Lt. Naismith avenged his fallen soldiers - singlehandedly taking down three of the Acolyte Hybrids!
The remaining member of the Command Squad failed morale and fled the table... we said she was actually just gathering up her fallen comrades and dragging them to relative safety where she could apply first aid!
ROUND FOUR
Scout Team Two blew away the Acolyte Hybrid Sentry and rushed the last remaining Neophyte Sentry...
Scout Team One moved into the Hive, trying to keep up with the furious advance of Team Two - who were probably overdoing it a bit to make up for their earlier blunder...
Team Two took out the sentry and rounded the corner to find...
Uh, oh...
Outside, Lt. Naismith and Captain Rhogen finished off the Acolyte Hybrids and then moved on the door Acolytes had conveniently left open.
The Veteran Guard of 3rd Squad, was already ahead of them, though, and charged in through that open door - only to find Genestealer Cult Primus lurking there in the Shadows. In a short, but violent, exchange of blows, the Primus was wounded, but he took out a few of the Veteran Guard!
On the Genestealer Cult turn, the Neophytes quickly fanned out and formed something akin to a firing line and shot Scout Team Two to pieces....
When they were done with their preparatory fire, only Brother Moran was standing... bloody, but crying out in defiance "Come on you BASTARDS!"
And on they came... and Brother Moran went down as well...
The Primus fell back from the onslaught of the Veteran Guard - letting the Neophytes that had arrived behind him the previous turn blast away at them and then rush the remains of the squad...
Like the Marines before them, the Genestealer Cultists rounded the corner, after finishing off Brother Moran, to find MORE Scout waiting for them. And they looked ANGRY!
ROUND FIVE
The Commanders of the team rushed the entrance through which they could heard the horrifying sounds of slaughter - and from which a few of the surviving wounded staggered.
After they all fired or threw grenades into the dark portal, Lt Naismith, followed by Captain Rhogen Charged in!
Likewise, Scout Team One blasted away at the Cultists that had clearly just overran their battle brothers, and then charged into the mass!
The Cultists were taken aback by the ferocity of the assault!
Those that were not killed outright fled before the terrorizing visage of the Imperial Fists Veteran Scouts!
Naismith and Rhogen got into a rather protracted melee with these Cultists, slaughtering them as more poured into the gap.
Their numbers were overwhelming though and Lt. Naismith was wounded again and again!
Before the last of the Neophytes were cut down, the Magos projected raw warp energies directly into the fray, injuring one of the Marines.
ROUND SIX
But the Marines quickly finished off the Cultists, and the Magos found himself surrounded by them!
Lt Naismith eventually felt the hands of the GEnestealer Primus, who had re-entered the struggle. But Captain Rhogen stepped into the breach...
...and that was about the end of it...
End Game
It was a great game! So glad to be playing with this guy again!
(now if only I could get his sister interested again!)
I have to admit, when I was planning this scenario I was so worried it was totally going to be a cake walk - the marines would take out the sentries one-by-one and either never raise the alarm - or it would be raised so late that there would be nothing the Genestealer Cult would be able to do about it... and then I worried Finnegan might think I was going to make ALL the scenarios too easy and get bored and not want to continue on... Instead it ended up a REAL nail-biter!
Rather than being bored, Finnegan, gentle soul that he is, was actually pretty distraught part way through when it looked a little like he might just wipe out my force! He's totally bought into the narrative and is rooting for the Marines. I, on the other hand, was only too excited to see that I'd actually come up with a VERY dynamic and challenging scenario!
Afterwards we did some recovery rolls. Things were looking pretty bad with over half of the Scouts out of action along with both squads of guard!
Most of the marines superhuman, quick healing abilities kicked in and they all survived. Only one of the marines was so badly wounded he wouldn't be able to continue; Brother Moran lost his leg and part of his abdomen and would need some significant augmetic reconstruction before he'd be able to fight again...
Of the Guard, only two were killed in action (or bled out shortly thereafter) - one from the Command Squad and one from 3rd Squad. But two of the others in the Command Squad and three of the others in 3rd Squad were so seriously injured that they could not hope to carry on. Trooper Piece, the platoon's medic chose to stay with them and try to help them move back to the wall that surrounds Hive Secondus - or at least to a safe enough location that they could try to call in a dust off with Trooper Darad's Voxcaster.
So the Command Squad will not be continuing on and the Squad of veterans was reduced to six troopers.
Going forward, there would be no such hope of retreating to get help....
Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:
Thursday Da Boyz will be back for round two of the Rise Up! Campaign.
Friday, Finnegan and I had originally planned to do another game in THIS campaign... but I think that's going to be a bit much for one week - I still have a Wrath & Glory game to prepare for Saturday!
I think next week I'll limit it to one game for each campaign - and so both will play out into the beginning of August.
After that I'm planning a little Paths to Glory/Daemon World Campaign!
That was a cracking game! It really see-sawed back and forth. Some great photos of the action too!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It really was a bit of a nail-biter!
DeleteGreat looking monster of a game!!!
ReplyDeleteHa! I guess..? I always think of a "monster of a game" as being a REALLY BIG game - like a game of apocalypses with hundreds of guys on the table and tanks and titans... And this, by comparison, was very, very small! But I'll take it! Thanks!
DeleteThis was certainly a monster if a post with over forty photos! Sometimes I feel I go a little overboard taking blow-by-blow photos - but when it comes time to edit them... I felt like I needed ALL of these to really tell the story!?
All the time and effort you spent making the terrain and painting the figures really paid off in this AAR. It just looks fantastic and it sounds like you got a great game out of the scenario, which is the best.
ReplyDeleteWere you using Necromunda rules for this? Because it seems like whatever rules you were using really enhanced the game.
Thanks!
DeleteNo, this is actually just regular 40K - we used a mash-up of the new 9th edition rules (which the core rules have been released as a free PDF) and filling in the gaps with stuff from 8th edition - or just wholesale making stuff up as we go!
I has even LESS detail and granularity than Kill Team - but it works as a fast-playing game larger skirmish game.
Having played this and had some more time, I realized I probably over reacted to Kill Team - If it was all I was playing I'd probably love it. It's just I'd been playing Necromunda for games of that scale (dozen individual combatants on each side) and I really LOVE that system - so much more dynamic.
Neither Necromunda would have been able to handle this scale of action - it would have really bogged down. But this is working out just perfect for this series of scenarios I had in mind!
So would you say that 9th edition is more evolutionary than revolutionary?
DeleteAre there any big differences between the editions? Or is 9th more of general streamlining and refining? What is the biggest difference you noticed between the editions?
I would definitely say that 9th is more evolutionary than revolutionary.
DeleteTo be honest, when I first looked at it, I felt like it was a step backwards - considering the leaps that GW made with Necromunda and Apocalypse - stepping away from the you-go-I-go turn sequence with those games. This isn't even as game-changing as the difference between 7th and 8th. It's more of a tightening up and streamlining and incorporating all the FAQs and changes they made to 8th.
I'm going to pick up the core rules when they're released. AT least all the Codexes are still valid - and there will have to be MAJOR changes to stuff to make me want to replace any of those (because I have a LOT of different factions and a codex for each - at $50 a pop - has, admittedly, been... a bit much...