Had a 5,000 point Apocalypse game back on the 24th. My foe brought Necrons, but for the sake of story we called them Iron Hands, since they are in the Dornian Heresy universe. I came up with a few Iron Hand equivalents for the Necron units, so do try to follow along.
Sigismund's Force - Codex Chaos Marines
Sigismund (Abaddon) - Warlord
10 Terminator Champions - 2 Autocannons, 2 Pairs of Lightning Claws, 2 Combi-flamers, 2 Combi-meltas, 2 Lightning Claws, 2 Chainfists, 6 Power Claws, Icon Undivided
Doomhammer
Necronomicon (Doomsday Device) - this is the Forgeworld model that looks just like it
Imperial Fists Sorcerer - Plasma Pistol, Familiar, Doom Bolt, Warp Time
Imperial Fists Sorcerer - Doom Bolt
10 Imperial Fists Chaos Marines - Power Claw, Icon Undivided, 2 Meltaguns, Rhino - Havoc Launcher
5 Imperial Fists Havocs - Missile Launcher, Lascannon
Dark Angels Sorcerer - Bike, Familiar, Icon, Doom Bolt, Warp Time
Dark Angels Sorcerer - Terminator Armor, Familiar, Icon, Doom Bolt, Warp Time
Dark Angels Sorcerer - Doom Bolt
4 Deathwing Terminators - 2 Chainfists, Power Claw
Deathwing Land Raider
10 Dark Angels - Power Claw, 2 Plasma Guns, Rhino
9 Dark Angels - Power Claw, Plasma Gun, Icon Undivided, Rhino
Maelstrom of Gore
-Ragnar (Kharn) the Betrayer
-20 Space Wolf Berserkers - Power Claw
-10 Space Wolf Berserkers - Power Claw, Rhino
-10 Space Wolf Berserkers - Power Claw, Rhino
I traded all my psychic powers for random draws, but due to the number of psykers and the fact I wanted to sample the powers, my opponent agreed that no power could be duplicated, including Primaris ones. This way I just pulled out the three Primaris powers for the Disciplines I had shuffled, and then dealt to a psyker swapping a Primaris if I wanted and continuing on until every psyker had their own set of cards. It was a nice way to ensure I got to try out a variety of powers without any real bookkeeping for who has which power.
Iron Hands - Codex Necrons
Imotekh (1st Company Captain)
Royal Court - Cryptek of Destruction - Solar Pulse, Lord - Resurrection Orb (Techmarine, Company Champion, respectively)
Overlord - Warlord, Warscythe, Phase Shifter, Mindshackle Scarabs, Catacomb Command Barge (Commanding Captain on Landspeeder)
Royal Court - Cryptek of Destruction - Solar Pulse (Techmarine)
Destroyer Lord - Mindshackle Scarabs (Captain on bike)
C'Tan (Unknown creature)
Triarch Stalker (Dreadnought)
5 Deathmarks (Scouts)
5 Lychguard (Veterans)
15 Warriors (Tactical Marines)
10 Warriors (Tactical Marines)
10 Warriors (Tactical Marines)
10 Warriors (Tactical Marines)
10 Warriors (Tactical Marines)
10 Warriors (Tactical Marines)
10 Warriors (Tactical Marines)
10 Immortals - Tesla Carbine (Honor Guard)
5 Immortals (Command Squad)
5 Tomb Blades - Nebloscopes, Gauss Blasters (Jetbikers)
5 Destroyers - 2 Heavy Destroyers (Bikers)
6 Wraiths - Whip Coils (Assault Marines)
10 Scarabs (Unidentified Swarm)
10 Scarabs (Unidentified Swarm)
Monolith (Land Raider)
Monolith (Land Raider)
Doomsday Ark (Vindicator)
Doom Scythe (Unidentified Aircraft)
Tomb Stalker (Unidentified Monstrosity)
5 units of 1 Canoptek Spyder - Gloom Prism, Claw Array (Unidentified Machine)
Mission
Similar to the standard Apocalypse mission, except six placed objectives were worth 3 VP and secondary objectives (per main rules) were worth 1 VP. A few Assets were modified, but the only one that mattered for this game was Hold at All Costs, which made all non-vehicles in a single FOC section scoring or made just the vehicles in a single FOC section scoring or made one super-heavy scoring. While we didn't announce our Assets prior, I chose Indiscriminate Bombardment and Hold at all Costs (Non-vehicle Elites) while my foe took Subvert Machine and Hold at all Costs (Non-vehicle Fast Attack). As per our agreement, I set up the table since I got there first and marked off the deployment zones and then my foe then got choice of side and first turn, although seizing the initiative was still allowed to be attempted. Obviously I failed to do so despite my best efforts to convince my die a 6 was what it wanted to roll. We also stated that outflanking would be from one of the three short table edges with a roll of a 4 on a D4 being choice. No one outflanked anything so it was a non-issue. There was one house rule for the Doomsday Device and that was that my foe could prevent it from being activated that turn if he gave into my demand. Finally for table edges, his was clear, but for mine we flipped a coin, heads it was the long 8' edge near the factory ruin, tails the other side. He flipped and got tails.
I provided four objective markers, two 60mm bases with a scene on each (a Dark Angel fighting a Fallen and a Possessed walking his Bloodletter), a 25mm based computer terminal, and a 40mm based skull icon thing. My foe had a matched pair of Resurrection Ark Necrons on medium Privateer Press bases. I handed him the terminal for his third to deploy. We alternated placing them and it ended up where the terminal was in the factory ruin, the Possessed and pet Bloodletter next to the toll bridge, the Dark Angel and Fallen in the fortified corner, the skull icon next to the tower on the hill, a Necron in the heart of the crashed Aquila Lander, and the other Necron in the small ruin near the road intersection. I joked that models needed to pay with exact change to pass through the toll booth and anyone attempting to jump the toll would need a dangerous terrain check.
Deployment
To make the deployment workout so no part of the table was really off limits, I curved the central line of no-man's land using a row of dice and with the larger size made the deployment zones go 12" off either side of that line. Seeing that I could only squeeze a little into the corner on the table that was predominately his, he focused much of his deployment on heading the long ways down the other table, but to be safe left a flank guard. Wraiths with a Destroyer Lord, Deathmarks, Destroyers, and a Doom Scythe of his were held in reserve.
I decided that I would throw the Maelstrom of Gore and Dark Angels at the heart of his force but mount Sigismund, his ten Terminators, and both Imperial Fists Sorcerers in the Doomhammer with the Imperial Fists in their Rhino acting in support. Just in case, I left the Dark Angels Sorcerer on the bike in reserve.
The Battle
In the dark of night, Sigismund lead a flanking force of Dark Angels and Space Wolves towards the loyalist lines while his Legion fought the deluded followers of the false Emperor head on. Suddenly, skeletal machines appeared in force barring his progress. In the gloom a scattered series of reports confirmed the heraldry of the Iron Hands. What they had done to their Legion was appalling; had they no pride in who they were? Of course not, they had forsaken the Arch-betrayer on Terra and now their pursuit of their own goals interfered with his Black Crusade. There would be a reckoning this night.
Commanding that the Necronomicon be prepared, the unholy book would soon be tested against his machines in preparation for the real battle to come. The very act of laying out the alter turned the river into a blazing torrent of blood as swarms of small mechanical spiders crossed followed by larger ones that seemed to be producing yet more of the smaller ones. The Space Wolves howled at the blessing of their god and expected none to emerge. Indeed the burning river of blood immolated a number of smaller creatures and even visibly scarred one of the larger, but no appreciable harm was done as the swarm relentlessly advanced. Rushing over the fortifications, Ragnar lead his Wolves headlong off the bridge and into the blaze in a blind frenzy. As they splashed into the flow of burning blood Khorne's great blessing claimed two of his own as the seals of gray power armor burned away and the flaming blood drowned then immolated the Berserkers furiously wading to reach the strange constructs.
The darkness did not remain unbroken long after as green beams of energy crossed the distance flaying trees and rubble and harmlessly impacting upon ceramite protected by the Ruinous Powers. Imperial Fists disembarking from their Rhino gunned down three of the Iron Hand jetbikes, although two somehow repaired the grievous damage and resumed the fight. The magma cannon of the Doomhammer blasted apart a number of the Iron Hands Tactical Marines, if the squad markings were any indication of what they once were, and Sigismund and his Terminators gunned down the survivors from the firing platform aboard the mighty 312 ton vehicle.
A bolt of lightning, seemingly summoned from the Iron Hands' First Company Captain blasted a Dark Angels Rhino, skewing it to a halt as the crew was stunned by the power of the blow. Not to be outdone, Sigismund commanded that one of his cruisers, he cared not which, lay down a bombardment of the area. Knowing better than to ask for clarification, a Strike Cruiser opened fire upon the general location of the flanking force. As the naval bombardment rained down upon near the bridge, the Dreadnought and the swarms around were blasted to pieces, the Iron Hands Honor Guard and their Techmarine vanished while the First Company Captain took only minor damage, the Iron Hands Land Raider took a telling hit, and a pair of Space Wolves were blown apart. Yet through whatever means they possessed the Techmarine rebuilt himself. Through the entire conflict, this was to be common; Iron Hands repairing as if through sorcery, yet the Warp was never tapped.
As the dust settled the Berserkers rushed a strange being that seemed to defy all natural laws, hovering just atop the blaze while Khorne claimed yet more of his own, yet it was no daemon. Ragnar refused to allow any other to battle this foe and the two clashed, yet after several exchanges the Betrayer fell. By then the vast swarm had reached the Wolves and battle was eagerly joined as the Deathwing Terminators stepped through the Immaterium nearby, ready to aid their comrades in battle thanks to the foul sorceries of the one leading them.
As the Wolves smashed hundreds of tiny spiders and were in turn smashed by the unknown creature, a strange crescent shaped fighter of the Iron Hand strafed the Doomhammer, doing no damage to the powerful vehicle. At that same moment, a unit of five heavily armed Iron Hands marked as bikers simply appeared right in front of Sigismund's transport and managed to stun the driver with a shot from one of their heavier guns. Irritated by this, Sigismund, his Sorcerers, and some of his retinue removed all trace that the bikers had ever been there in a hail of fire nothing could have hoped to survive.
Iron Hands Tactical Marines and a Land Raider killed both Imperial Fists bearing meltaguns, but were avenged by the magma cannon vaporizing four times that number of the offenders. Yet for al their firepower, nothing more could the Iron Hands achieve; their floating Vindicator scored a direct hit upon the hull of a Dark Angels' Rhino, yet the incredible energies of the enhanced vehicle did little more than mar the paint upon it. Even the powerful ordnance employed by the Iron Hands' Land Raider bounced from the steep angled shot off the other Dark Angels Rhino. Truly the dark gods smiled upon their servants this dawn. With war cries to Chaos, the Imperial Fists inflicted more damage upon the Iron Hands, damaging the large spider machines, gunning down jetbikes even as the arose from ruin, and felling yet more Iron Hands Marines.
In a voice that carried across the entire field of war, Sigismund demanded that the Iron Hands' Vindicator, or whatever it was that was marked as such, be handed over to him or doom would fall upon the Iron Hands the likes of which they could not imagine. Such an offer was met with silence and thus the words "klaatu barada nikto" were spoken and the Necronomicon opened. Reality was ripped apart for but an instant and the full terror and unbridled horror of the Sea of Souls was unleashed upon the Iron Hands. The Land Speeder and a large squad of Tactical Marines were torn to shreds as they were pulled into the Warp alive, feeling pain and terror for the first time since their internment in their new bodies. The Captain who had rode upon the Landspeeder only survived as he has disembarked moments prior to challenge the Deathwing as more of the swarm of large and small spiders.
The Ravenwing Sorcerer made a desperate attempt to thwart the slithering monstrosity that stalked towards the heart of battle. Rushing under the segmented bulk of the mechanical nightmare, the warp empowered blade he bore struck true against leg and underbelly many a time, but not once did it penetrate. As he weaved and jinxed out from under the full length of the centipede like machine, a single blow skewered him and plucked him off his bike, sending the heavy vehicle careening of of control into the building nearby. Drawing his pistol and firing into the "face" of the thing, the bolt rounds had little effect before the creature tore the Sorcerer asunder and slithered into the nearby woods, disturbing a Razorwing flock.
With many of the Iron Hands pinned by Chaos firepower, the pair of their Land Raiders pulled their forces back from imminent destruction through unheralded technological prowess. The minor amount of return fire upon the Imperial Fists saw the yellow Rhino blasted, the shrapnel felling one of its former occupants as the Iron Hands fighter soared towards the tower where the Havocs were taking aim upon it. The only other effective firing was the destruction of the Rhino previously vacated by the Dark Angels who took station in the upper floors of the factory ruins. Yet the arrival of the Iron Hands Scouts near the First Company Captain and the appearance snakelike machines marked as an Assault Squad far behind Chaos lines gave the impression that the Iron Hands had not yet fully committed to this battle.
A large mechanical spider clashed with Deathwing Terminators, but was cut down even as it ripped open one armed with a power sword. The Deathwing Sorcerer finished off the last of his foes, finding that only one of his Terminators survived only to repeat his earlier trick and step through the Warp again even as the remaining Space Wolf Berserkers charged into the swarm and unnatural monster nearby. Their screams of rage matched only by the fury of being denied the chance to clash with the being who felled Ragnar the Betrayer as that strange entity drifted across the river with his Veterans following loyally after slaying the last of the Sons of Russ who had accompanied Ragnar.
The blood lust of the Space Wolves was not limited to the Berserkers as their Rhino drove right through the enemy. One of the large spider machines tried to smash aside a blood coated transport but was crushed beneath the tank's treads as the claw glanced from off the hull. An Iron Hands Marine behind him fired a shot at the rampaging Rhino, but failed to do any damage and was likewise smashed to ruin. The wrath of the vehicle came to an end when the stalking centipede machine managed a glancing hit that finally put the battered machine out of action only inches away from crushing it. Even that Rhino weaved through the street between the factory and an hab block, the other one smashed through an Iron Hands Marine, sending parts under the treads and over the top of the hull even as bolter and plasma shots rained down around them from the Dark Angels in the factory, felling yet more as the Deathwing returned to reality below them. Still, the near complete damage was not enough and the Iron Hands rose again, seeking ever more punishment.
Again, the three words were spoke and again the Warp was brought forth upon the Iron Hands. More of the skeletal forms, including the Scouts, were torn from reality as was a portion of one of their strange floating Land Raiders, leaving the devastating and terrible machine a gutted wreck. Even as his transport ground ever forward, mounted guns and embarked troops smiting those before it, Sigismund was pleased with this new weapon, it would make for a devastating surprise when the real battle against the loyalist scum as joined.
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