I played a game of Battlefleet Gothic last weekend, the last in the campaign we've been running for about 6 months now. Even for a bunch of guys who all live within half an hour of each other and play at least once a month we only just finished due to IRL stuffs (like jobs.....).
Anyways, it was an interesting battle. Here's a quick battle report on it. No pics again, due to dead camera. Silly thing, its only 5 years old! Should be perfectly fine.... *mumbles and grumbles*
-The Second Battle of Crux Hyperion-
Preamble
After the Chaos fleet smashed into the planet and did some serious damage to the defending Black Templars strike fleet using the orbital facilities there, the stage was set. With the planet able to be taken over at Chaos' lesiure, they decided to put in at the extensive orbital docks for repair. This would not stand. A lone Black Templars ship escaped, the Eternal Crusader which met up with my battered Imperial Navy Battlegroup just to the galatic south of the system's star. To my name I had an Avenger Class Grand Cruiser with moderate damage, two Dictator class Cruisers, a Gothic Class with her bridge smashed and in need of a new captain, a brave little Dauntless Light Cruiser and 3 Firestorm Class Frigates that were milling around on a useless patrol just outside the system. The battlegroup had lost an Avenger class, a gothic class and the four Firestorm Frigates that were our small escort squadron in ambushes by Orks around the Hive world Boonhaven and then by Chaos straight after the disorganized retreat. We lost Admiral Bundaberg when he fought a desperate rearguard action with Spirit of Fire so we could escape. Our long range scanners detected a Tau fleet in-system heading for Boonhaven, and we decided to hit them after they had hit the Orks, but the battlegroup was scattered.
After hearing the call for reinforcements, we made haste to the system's star and found the Eternal Crusader awaiting us, patching holes in her hull. It did not take long for the battlegroup to reassemble, the Captains making good time despite having no higher guidance.
The Forces
IMPERIAL
Battlegroup Sapphiri
Pillar of Autumn Avenger Class Grand Cruiser
Indiana Jones Dictator Class Carrier Cruiser
Jack Sparrow Dictator Class Carrier Cruiser
Duke Nukem Gothic Class Cruiser
In Amber Clad Dauntless Class Light Cruiser
214 Squadron, 3 Firestorm Frigates
Black Templars Crusade Fleet
Eternal Crusade Battlebarge
CHAOS
Despoiler Class Battleship
Murder Class Cruiser
Devestation Class Carrier Cruiser
3 x Iconoclast Destroyers
3 x Idolater Frigates
The Battle
We took the element of surprise and caught the Chaos fleet lounging in orbit, probably preparing to land forces on the planet. Most of their major systems were down, and Flag Lieutenant Creepy ordered All Ahead Full across the Battlegroup. Our Black Templar brothers did so as well, launching Thunderhawk Annihilators to support our bombers. A torpedo salvo was launched from the 2 Dictators and Gothic, aimed dead on for the sleeping traitors.
However, the Chaos fleet readied itself in near record time, responding by firing all engines and turning to escape, outnumbered and outgunned. They launched an impressive strikecraft screen, 8 squadrons of bombers guarded by 6 squadrons of fighters. A few long range lance shots lowered the shields on the Pillar of Autumn but no other shots hit.
With the traitorous scum in plain view, caught with their tails between their legs as they ran, Flag Lt Creepy gave the order to engage. The enemy ordnance was taunting us and the Flag Lt did not like that at all. With accurate marshalling, the battlegroup blasted all three waves of enemy strikecraft into tiny little pieces. The way clear, we launched our own bombers on a clear path to the enemy ships. Torpedoes were reloaded and prepared for an alpha strike with the bombers to overload the enemy turret defences.
The enemy fleet kept turning and running, presenting their rear to us. Battle comms chatter from the enemy informed us of problems with their launch bays on the Despoiler and that they were unable to refit and relaunch any strike craft or commit any other orders until the problem was sorted. Though this was good for us, their guns still worked. In Amber Clad was our lead ship, and she suffered greatly at the hands of foul Chaos. Crippled by enemy fire, a lucky shot from an Idolater delivered the killing blow, hulking the ship and setting her adrift, her engines lifeless and comms silent. Interestingly, the enemy Murder class Cruiser had fired a full broadside but failed to hit at all.
Enraged at the loss of the brave ship and crew who had led a glorious charge to save the day at the Battle of Glorium not a week prior the Battlegroup sped onwards. Crossing the T behind the enemy fleet, we were mostly safe from their guns and free to pound them hard with our own. Pillar of Autumn and Duke Nukem put accurate fire upon the enemy battleship, stripping its shields and doing a decent amount of damage to the large ship. The rest of the battlegroup split their fire between the enemy Murder and Devestation, dropping the shields on both Cruisers and crippling the Murder. Another torpedo volley fired at the enemy fleet, and all but one of the enemy escorts exploded in balls of plasma and twisted steel, and a few more holes were punched in the Despoiler Battleship, though it was not yet crippled. The bombers from the carrier were sent against the Murder as Thunderhawks from the Eternal Crusader made a run on the Despoiler, succeeding in crippling the battleship. The Murder averted her turrets, giving our bombers a clean run over the ship and bombing her to a drifting hulk. Why, we do not know.
As we came around to give the enemy the final blow, they pushed their engines to the limit and disengaged into a plasma storm, phenomina Flag Lt Creepy dared not take the fleet into. having dealt the Chaos fleet a substantial blow for a small loss on our behalf victory was declared. Duke Nukem moved in to conduct rescue operations and tow the hulked In Amber Clad to Crux Hyperion's Orbital Docks for rebuild and refit. The two Dictator Carrier's moved towards the drifting Murder, identifying it as a old reserve ship that had disappeared from the Constantus sector two system's over. Nameless and rusting, the poor ship had been captured by Chaos forces in a raid and her reservist crew enslaved by the vile traitors. Most of the reservists had died in what appears to be an open revolt against the Chaos Captain in what was the poor ship's first fight for Chaos. Even the spirit of the ship had fought back, venting airlocks with Chaos forces and shutting down life support to Chaos held portions of the ship even as boarding parties from the battlegroup began to clear the ship.
Placed under tow, most of the ship was still intact and she was bought into drydock at the Orbital Docks, for a full repair and refit to fighting status. The surviving Reservist crewmembers have all volunteered to man the ship and train new shipmates to take the fight to Chaos, their desire for revenge and to deliver to Chaos the Emperor's Judgement clear. Flag Lt Creepy has been promoted to Captain and given command of the Murder Class, and the ship's new Sanctioned Psyker Choir revealed her name. Deditus Anima, Devoted Soul when translated into Low Gothic. (Fitting, my mates all said, as it never hit any IN ships ever.)
I thought it was a great touch to the campaign that I was able to refit my hulked light cruiser, she fought hard in her first battle, literally saving the day and a pair of AdMech Cruisers from obliteration at the hands of a Chaos Marine Strike Cruiser that had their rear's in its gunsights. Even better was when I was offered the Murder Class both in campaign and real life. To be fair they said, Murder's were old IN ships, and the Orbital Docks are right there. I have now been given a Murder Class I have to paint up, the model had only been used this campaign and is only undercoated. I'm thinking of painting it to match my Vengenance Grand Cruisers in their striking Red and Gold scheme, due to it being an older ship as well.
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I will be looking forward to the results of your work on her once your cameras working too, I don't see nearly enough of the old cruisers repersented in IN fleets.
