Preamble
Due to the whole situation revolving around Covid, I have spent an inordinate amount of time stuck in my flat with not a whole lot to do. At the start of the year, I devoted that free-time to creative writing, yet as the pandemic continued to evolve and increase in severity, my motivation and overall mental well-being waned somewhat. Eventually, this led me back to the one hobby I can never truly quit: Warhammer 40,000. So, for the last few months, I have been working on my old Angels Of Vengeance Codex as well as my Dark Mechanicum Codex while my partner has been deciding on what new army to get herself. This led to us playing rather a few games as we both playtested rules and proxied armies for her to get a feel for which one she wanted to commit to. Of those, I made notes for a fair few of them, just in case I wanted to use them as an excuse to do some creative writing again (which, with the new year, is exactly what I am doing).
Also, as the thread title states, this is a 7th Edition battle report. This is due to the group I used to play with (when leaving your house/flat/apartment/bungalow was still a thing people could do) never really enjoying the core changes made from 7th to 8th. It just didn't feel like 40K to us anymore. And to clarify: apart from the unique mission and my Angels Of Vengeance units, we are using no additional house rules or modifications to the core 7th Edition Warhammer 40,000 rules whatsoever. Though I'm sure there will be some rules mistakes here and there (it was the first game we'd both played in almost eight months or so).
With that out the way, I do hope you enjoy the battle report and the narrative sections intertwined here. I imagine I might do more across the coming months, depending on how things go here in the UK. This game was the first and probably one of the more one-sided ones, though, to say anything more would be entering spoiler territory!
THE MISSION:
The Carmine Axes Chapter of the Word Bearer's Traitor Legion have descended on Palemoor intent on conducting a blasphemous ritual to usher in an invasion of the planet by the servants of their Dark Gods. Only a small contingent of Astra Millitarum and a strike force deployed by the Angels of Vengeance Space Marine Chapter stand between the heretics and their goals. The Imperial forces must stop the ritual at all costs, or banish whatever foul daemons it spawns should the ritual be completed.
THE ARMIES:
Chaos Space Marines
The Carmine Axe Chapter Of The Word Bearers Legion
Chaos Lord Gal Berosus
Chaos Lord with Terminator Armour, Power Maul, Power Fist, Sigil of Corruption, Gift of Mutation, and Veterans of the Long War special rule.
Dark Apostle Sor Gaga
Dark Apostle with Plasma Pistol, Gift of Mutation, and Veterans of the Long War special rule.
The Ashen Prophets
10x Chaos Space Marines, 2x Plasma Guns, Veterans of the Long War special rule, Aspiring Champion Duzi with Power Axe and Gift of Mutation.
The Crimson Oracles
10x Chaos Space Marines, 2x Plasma Guns, Veterans of the Long War special rule, Aspiring Champion Etana with Power Axe and Gift of Mutation.
The Thralls Of The Void
30x Chaos Cultists.
The Blasphemous Choir
30x Chaos Cultists.
The Brazen Heralds
5x Chaos Terminators, 2x Power Axes, 1x Power Fist, 1x Chainfist, 3x Combi-Plasmas, 1x Reaper Autocannon, Veterans of the Long War special rule, Terminator Champion Buvalu with Power Axe, Combi-Plasma and Gift of Mutation.
The Hellforged Brotherhood
5x Possessed, Icon of Vengeance, Possessed Champion Bel with 2x Gifts of Mutation.
The Mortis Brethren
5x Havocs, 4x Autocannons, Veterans of the Long War special rule, Aspiring Champion Namtar with Gift of Mutation.
The Iron Pyre
5x Havocs, 4x Autocannons, Veterans of the Long War special rule, Aspiring Champion Ramman with Gift of Mutation.
The Beast of Paramar V
Deflier with Havoc Launcher and Twin-linked Lascannon.
Armies Of The Imperium
The 72nd Cadian Mechanised Infantry
Command Squad Silveline
Company Command Squad, Vox Caster, 3x Plasma Guns, Carapace Armour, Chimera, Captain Cynthia with The Blade of Conquest, Carapace Armour and Krak Grenades.
Karskin Squad Ilan
10x Veterans, Vox Caster, 3x Plasma Guns, Grenadiers, Chimera with Heavy Flamer.
Karskin Squad Kahane
10x Veterans, Vox Caster, 3x Meltaguns, Grenadiers, Chimera with Heavy Flamer.
The Emperor's Annihilators
3x Armoured Sentinels, 3x Lascannon.
Strike Force Gabriel
Order Paladin Michael Gabriel
Michael Gabriel with Sword Bearers Terach and Lavi
Chevalier Squad Chanowk
10x Chevaliers, 1x Grav-gun, 1x Heavy Bolter with Molecular Acid Shells, Drop Pod, Veteran Sergeant Chanowk.
Excubitor Squad Eyal
10x Excubitors, 3x Plasma Repeaters, 2x Meltaguns, Drop Pod, Excubitor Praefectus Eyal.
Perditor Squad Affra
5x Perditors, 4x Plasma Burners, Drop Pod, Perditor Praefectus Affra with Plasma Incinerator
THE BATTLEFIELD:
The 6' by 4' table is set up into two distinct environments; the Imperial temple and its surrounding grounds, and the ruined city-scape beyond that with a road that cuts diagonally through the board from the short table edge furthest away from the temple to the opposite corner. The temple itself is formed of an 'L' she[ed Shrine of the Aquilla terrain piece that sits perpendicular to one of the long table edges and a Battle Sanctum terrain piece placed about 6" away from the Shrine of the Aquilla towards the middle line of the table. Just beyond the temple exist numerous craters, woods and Sector Imperialis Ruins terrain pieces. Beyond that, in the opposite corner of the board to the Imperial temple stands a Manufactorum Sub-cloister and Storage Fane terrain pieces, while closer to the temple, on the opposite side of the road, resides a Manufactorum Sanctum Administratus terrain piece.
As this was a narrative mission we designed specifically for this game, both the Imperial temple, Manufactorum Sanctum Administratus, and anywhere on the table within 6" of either of them was designated as the Chaos Space Marines' Deployment Zone. In contrast, anywhere that was over 24" away from any Chaos Space Marine units was designated as the Armies Of The Imperium's Deployment Zone.
FIRST TURN:
The Chaos Space Marine's Player has the first turn. Their Opponent cannot attempt to Seize The Initiative.
GAME LENGTH:
The mission uses Variable Game Length.
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
At the end of the game, the player who has scored the most Victory Points is the winner. If both players have the same number of Victory Points, the game is a draw.
Primary Objective
At the end of the game, depending on which of the following criteria have been fulfilled, the corresponding army's Player receives the stated number of Victory Points:
- The Ritual has been completed - 3 Victory Points (Chaos Space Marines)
- The Ritual has not been completed - 3 Victory Points (Armies Of The Imperium)
- The Greater Daemon summoned by the Ritual has been removed as a casualty - D3+3 Victory Points (Armies Of The Imperium)
The Ritual
At the start of each of the Chaos Space Marine's Psychic Phases, their controlling Player will roll a D6 for each surviving Cultist Sorcerer (the Chaos Space Marine's Player initially starts off with eight Cultist Sorcerers). For each roll of a 4+, a step of the Dark Apostle's ritual has been complete; the Chaos Space Marine Player needs seventeen steps to be complete before the Ritual itself to complete. Immediately upon the Ritual's completion, any and all remaining Cultist Sorcerers are immediately removed as casualties and are replaced by a single Greater Daemon of Chaos as if the Cultist Sorcerers were a unit with the Brotherhood of Psykers special rule that had just successfully manifested the Possession Psychic Power.
Cultist Sorcerers
Each Cultist Sorcerer has the following Profile:
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv Unit Type Unit Composition Sorcerer 2 2 3 3 2 3 1 8 - Infantry (Character) 1 Cultist Sorcerer
WARGEAR:
- Close combat weapon
SPECIAL RULES:
Cult Sorcerer: Cultist Sorcerers have a 5+ invulnerable save and the Fearless special rule.
Icon of Devotion: If a Wound is allocated to a Cultist Sorcerer and there is a friendly unit of Chaos Cultists within 6", he is allowed a Look Out, Sir attempt.
Master of the Ritual: Cultists Sorcerers may be selected as the target of a shooting attack in the Shooting phase, and in the Assault phase, an engaged Chaos Sorcerer model may fight back in close combat, but otherwise, the model itself cannot be moved and plays no part in the game.
Secondary Objectives
Slay the Warlord, First Blood
MISSION SPECIAL RULES:
Reserves.
WARLORD TRAITS:
Chaos Lord Gal Berosus: Lord of Terror
Captain Cynthia Silveline: Implacable Determination
GIFT OF MUTATION ROLLS:
Chaos Lord Gal Berosus: Warp Claws
Dark Apostle Sor Gaga: Cerebral Cogitator
Aspiring Champion Duzi: Multiple Boons - Temporal Distortion, Meteoric Charge, Bloated
Aspiring Champion Etana: Unworthy Offering
Terminator Champion Buvalu: Unworthy Offering
Possessed Champion Bel: Unholy Crusader, All Consuming Hatred
Aspiring Champion Namtar: Masochism
Aspiring Champion Ramman: Unworthy Offering
<
Reply With Quote