Update

Have no fear. I have not forgotten or abandoned you guys. Work and real life have kept me fairly busy. I am working on two recent battle reports which I hope to have up in a couple of days.

Worlds of the Narrative: Leviticus 426

Planet: Leviticus 426.
Segmentum: Tempestus.
Sector: Daedalus.
System: Leviticus.
Surveyed: M41.
Planets:
Leviticus 426 - Dead World.
Leviticus 426B - Dead World.

Summery:
Leviticus is a system on the far edge of the Eastern Fringes beyond even the Tau Empire. The Astronomicon is extremely weak here. It is a barren planet with a barely breathable atmosphere and no resources to speak off. A hundred million years ago this world was part of a new extinct Necron dynasty which fell due to infighting. The remnants of it's technologies still lie deep below the surface.

Size: Equatorial distance - 1,200 miles.
Gravity: 0.8 G.
Satellites: One moon.
Population: None.
Orbit: 17 million miles from it's star. Leviticus 426 takes 31 days to complete one orbit.
Climate: Mean surface temperature of -20 degrees centigrade.

A Deathwatch station sits on the edge of the Tau Empire constantly on the alert for xenos activity. When strange garbled communications are faintly detected coming from what was thought to be a dead world, a Deathwatch team are dispatched to investigate. Deathwatch command aware of the former Necron occupation fear that the modern dynasties could be looking to loot the remains. What the team find upon arrival is a sizable force of Death Guard with eyes on several Tau worlds. Deathwatch command cannot risk the region being destabilized and so order the team to attack and destroy the traitor forces below.

Notes: Leviticus 426 (I'm sure you get the reference) is the world for games against the Deathwatch.

Tide of Battle:
Deathwatch. victories: 0.
Death Guard victories: 0.
Draws: 0

Blockade the Hive - Abraxes

Planet: Abraxes.
Region: Ceres Sector.

Death Guard vs Tyranids - Kraken.
1500 points
Mission: Targets of Opportunity.
Deployment: Spearhead Assault.

Following the recent losses against the Hive Mind, the Death Guard leadership decided that the legion should engage in a blockading action. Form an immense line in a vital location, and weather the storm as the xenos beasts threw themselves against the might of the legion.

This weeks club match was against young mister Charlie. I wasn't sure what he was bringing to the game. At one point it was Harlequins and then that changed, and what I ended up facing off against was a rather nasty Tyranid list. We had already decided on the Targets of Opportunity mission and we rolled Spearhead Assault on the night.

After picking our sides, we set up and I completed mine first. I was quite dismayed to see the sheer number of genestealers arrayed against me. I hoped it would take them a fair while to get to me but then I was introduced to the Kraken faction ability. This was going to be tough. Even with the +1 Charlie got the roll and I decided not to seize the initiative. He had no long range shooting so I thought it would be easier to let him run at me and I'd have a bit better time of it.

To start with the cards did me well. I started on two of the objectives I needed so I held those rhinos and their occupants. As usual only my hellforged contemptor walked forwards. I figured no point getting into a position where the genestealers could assault me easily. I wasn;t doing their job for them. On their turn I learned what the kraken ability was much to be horror. The whole mass shifted and swarmed up one side of the table clearing so much ground that next turn they would be in assault position no matter where I put my options. Charlie's winged hive tyrant manged to get into combat with my contemptor. He knocked two wounds off I think and in return I did nothing.

My second turn revolved around staying out as the cards didn't want me going forwards and I knew I was going to be overrun fairly quickly. I held my ground and tried to go down as many as I could. As I should come to expect my dice were terrible early on and I barely made a dent in them. On the hived tyrant was smacked down to it's last couple wounds and did nothing to my contemptor. Come my opponent's turn and one rhino was surrounded by genestealers and torn apart. I lose the squad inside. The winged hive tyrant jumped from combat to smite my plaguecaster, who passed his disgustingly resilient rolls, and promptly exploded his own head with a perils of the warp. The hive tyrant fell having been utterly useless.

Turn 3 and I was just about keeping it together with the tactical objective cards. A lot of what I was drawing was kill units and a well drawn assassinate the warlord (even if he's already dead). But it wasn't helping long term. The genestealers tore down another rhino and my land raider. The broodlord, I think it was, tore through my cultists. I was left with my lord of contagion and his deathshrouds. Turn 4 and all four succumbed to the wall of teeth and claws. I was tabled down to a man.

---

After match thoughts...

I had played the same list that have been trying of late. I want to use it as a base line for what I field and in this match it didn't do well. Had my plague marines actually been able to get out of the the rhinos before they went down, I might have been able to gun down a few more genestealers. This was the first time I ever played against a list that surrounded vehicles and locked down any attempt to escape. Not something we see at the club really so it took me a little by surprise.

A good fun game. Had I managed to get to the end of turn 5 I could have won on victory points as I was ahead by two I think when I was tabled. Maybe next time.

---

++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Chaos - Death Guard) [87 PL, 1466pts] ++

+ HQ +

Lord of Contagion [7 PL, 117pts]: 3. Tainted Regeneration, Manreaper, The Suppurating Plate, Warlord

Malignant Plaguecaster [6 PL, 110pts]: 1. Miasma of Pestilence, 6. Curse of the Leper

+ Troops +

Chaos Cultists [6 PL, 48pts]
. 9x Chaos Cultist w/ autopistol and brutal assault weapon
. Chaos Cultist w/ special weapon: Heavy stubber
. Cultist Champion: Shotgun

Plague Marines [10 PL, 155pts]: Icon of Despair
. Plague Champion
. . Codex: Plasmagun, Plague knife
. 4x Plague Marine w/ boltgun
. Plague Marine w/ Special Weapon: Plasma gun
. Plague Marine w/ Special Weapon: Plasma gun

Plague Marines [10 PL, 156pts]: Icon of Despair
. Plague Champion
. . Codex: Plasmagun, Plague knife
. 4x Plague Marine w/ boltgun
. Plague Marine w/ Special Weapon: Meltagun
. Plague Marine w/ Special Weapon: Blight launcher

+ Elites +

Deathshroud Terminators [11 PL, 180pts]
. Deathshroud Champion: Manreaper, Plaguespurt gauntlets
. 2x Deathshroud Terminator: 2x Manreaper, 2x Plaguespurt gauntlets

Hellforged Contemptor Dreadnought [10 PL, 196pts]: Havoc launcher
. Left Arm: Hellflamer, Hellforged deathclaw
. Right Arm: Kheres assault cannon

+ Heavy Support +

Chaos Land Raider [19 PL, 356pts]: Twin heavy bolter, 2x Twin lascannon

+ Dedicated Transport +

Chaos Rhino [4 PL, 74pts]: Combi-bolter, Combi-bolter

Chaos Rhino [4 PL, 74pts]: Combi-bolter, Combi-bolter

++ Total: [87 PL, 1466pts] ++

The giant beasts advance at the head of the xenos force

How many genestealers????

Cultists guarding the objective that the tactical cards loved.

Our battlefield and deployment.

Missions - Narrative Play

After Apocalypse, which I shall come to at a later date, Narrative Play is oddly, one of my least favourite gaming formats. I really like the missions but not how they are supposed to be played. Unlike Match Play, Narrative missions aren't designed for equal play. One army is quite often put into a much more difficult position than the opponent rather than both being set up fairly and then getting on with the game. What this means is, that unlike regular missions both players usually have to plan for these games rather than just turn up to a club on an evening and playing as with more standard missions.

Part of the reason for this is the added complexity. Narrative games use additional rules to represent elements of the battlefield from hidden deployment to artillery fire from off table support. For a game which isn't overly complex by itself, I find that these can bog the game down a little, stretch out the length of the game and add to the one-sidedness.


Historical wargames are more what I think of when I consider narrative games. The games played are often recreations of actual historical battles which are normally also one sided and the players try to test their ability to alter the flow of events and see how they could have done given the situation. The following video is a good example of this.

Unfortunately Warhammer 40K cannot do this very well. Partly it is because of the scale. Warhammer is 28mm which makes it perfect for skirmish games but not larger engagements. True historical games are more like 6mm (what we once had as Epic 40K - space marine and adeptus titanicus) which means you can cover a lot more of the actual conflict. At 28mm Warhammer 40K is all about those few minutes (probably less) in a certain spot where the final outcome was decided. The rest of the battle is taking place off the side of the table out of sight.

For myself I would much prefer to play the Narrative missions as regular Eternal War missions. Drop the Narrative mission rules additions and just play. They are good fun if you are having a mate over for a sunday afternoon's gaming and you've both put a lot of effort into fine tuning your lists but not so good for pick up games.

Worlds of the Narrative - Bastion

Imperial Fists / Adeptus Custodes

Planet: Bastion.
Segmentum: Solar.
Sector: Solarum.
System: Bastion.
Surveyed: Pre-Imperium.
Planets:
Bastion I - Dead World.
Bastion 2 - Death World.
Bastion 3 - Fortress World.
Bastion 4 - Dead World.
Bastion 5 - Gas Giant.
Bastion 6 - Gas Giant.
Bastion 7 - Gas Giant.
Bastion 8 - Ice Planet.

Summery:
Bastion was one of the first worlds terraformed by humanity not long after they achieved warp flight. It began as a military training facility that swiftly grew into a sizable colony. When the early Imperium relocated the planet it was determined that it's position was perfect to as a shield world absorbing potential incoming attacks. The planet was given over to the governorship of Rogal Dorn who established an Imperial Fist contingent alongside elements of the Imperial Guard.
Since then, Bastion has survived with very little conflict but the garrison remains ready and able to blunt any invading force headed for Holy Terra.

Size: Equatorial distance - 10,500 miles.
Gravity: 1.2 G.
Satellites: One moon.
Population: 15 billion.
Orbit: 162 million miles from it's star. Bastion takes 340 days to complete one orbit.
Climate: Mean surface temperature of 27 degrees centigrade.

With the fall of Cadia, Abaddon's crimson path has not faltered. He has taken the time to consolidate his position on the worlds surrounding before pushing forwards. Now, nearly one hundred and fifty years later, he calls upon his allies to continue the push towards the Imperial seat of power. As before, the Death Guard lead the assault but first they must overcome the forces station on Bastion.

Notes: This world is for battles against Imperial Fists, Sisters of Silence and Adeptus Custodes mainly.

Tide of Battle:
Imperial Fist victories: 0.
Adeptus Custodes victories: 0
Sisters of Silence victories: 0
Death Guard victories: 1.
Draws: 0

1. First Strike.

First Strike - Bastion

Planet: Bastion.
Region: Solarum Sector.

Death Guard vs Imperial Fists.
1500 points
Mission: Roving Patrol.
Deployment: Hammer & Anvil.

Streaking out of the Warp the great plague fleet comes on it's route towards Holy Terra. Only the fortress world of Bastion stands it's way. The Death Guard ships blast aside the orbiting defence platforms before deploying huge ground forces to the surface.
The initial battle took the defenders by surprise and by the time the Imperial Fists could take to the battlefield, the Death Guard had already seized a number of vital strategic locations.

This game was long in coming. I have for a while wanted a match against my friend Gary and his Imperial Fists. I am not sure but I think this may be my first game against them since the drop of Codex: Space Marines.

We rolled randomly on the night for the mission and we got Roving Patrol with us deploying length ways down the table. We each had an objective in our deployment zones to hold and would need to march forward to clash over the third one sitting in a ruin at the center of the table. My starting force was a rhino with plague marines inside and the hellforged contemptor. I kept the rhino behind cover close enough to my objective that when the time was right I could leap out and claim it. The contemptor I wanted to move forward, clear some of gary's marines from their objective and basically draw fire. We could both tell though that the turns would be short and it was going to take a while to get to the middle.

Over the first two turns I got all my reinforcements in and proceeded to move up the table. A second rhino with plague marines went up my left flank while a land raider with my lord of contagion and his deathshroud bodyguards tried to make for the middle. While a few wounds game off things, it was my contemptor that drew the fire over the first two turns and was ultimately gunned down by a mix of plasma and grav weaponry. A little disappointed it died but it's job was to soak fire so I can't complain.

Gary's army was very static to start with, as one should expect from Imperial Fists and I think that if he had been more forward in the early part of the game he may have done better. It meant though that I was able to get to the middle with little resistance and capable of putting a lot of firepower out that was slowly taking his marines down. Eventually as his primaris marines started up the table I began to take casualties. Both rhinos and the land raider went bang, although thankfully after their occupants had jumped out. Rather than use the plague marines to hold my objective I decided to push them forward and let the cultists from reserve clamber up to keep it.

The biggest threat on the table to me was the stormraven and I did have to assign a lot of firepower to finally bring it down. Once it was a burning wreck my life became a lot easier. Likewise I think Gary really wanted rid of my land raider.

Once Gary's marines got around the objective they gunned down all my plague marines and my deathshrouds, leaving my warlord to stand over it, plaguereaper in hand. The game turned into one of brutal combat where somehow my warlord smashed through marines and their captain with ease. His warlord trait keeping him alive to do so. The game went to turn 6 and victory was mine with just my lord of contagion, plaguecaster and cultists left standing. The Imperial Fists were down to a few men and not in a fit position to fight me further!

---

After thoughts...

This time I decided to change my list and go back to basics. I keep trying odd combinations lately and they haven't been working. I can't say with 100% certainty that it was my list that helped win that match but I do think a combination of that and the distance the space marines had to walk up the table. The deployment of Hammer & Anvil really meant that the first couple turns of the game were going to be rather quick. Thankfully taking rhinos for a change helped with that.

A very good fun game. The mission/deployment was interesting too although under a different deployment type it would have been a very different game.

---


++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Chaos - Death Guard) [87 PL, 1466pts] ++

+ HQ +

Lord of Contagion [7 PL, 117pts]: 3. Tainted Regeneration, Manreaper, The Suppurating Plate, Warlord

Malignant Plaguecaster [6 PL, 110pts]: 1. Miasma of Pestilence, 6. Curse of the Leper

+ Troops +

Chaos Cultists [6 PL, 48pts]
. 9x Chaos Cultist w/ autopistol and brutal assault weapon
. Chaos Cultist w/ special weapon: Heavy stubber
. Cultist Champion: Shotgun

Plague Marines [10 PL, 155pts]: Icon of Despair
. Plague Champion
. . Codex: Plasmagun, Plague knife
. 4x Plague Marine w/ boltgun
. Plague Marine w/ Special Weapon: Plasma gun
. Plague Marine w/ Special Weapon: Plasma gun

Plague Marines [10 PL, 156pts]: Icon of Despair
. Plague Champion
. . Codex: Plasmagun, Plague knife
. 4x Plague Marine w/ boltgun
. Plague Marine w/ Special Weapon: Meltagun
. Plague Marine w/ Special Weapon: Blight launcher

+ Elites +

Deathshroud Terminators [11 PL, 180pts]
. Deathshroud Champion: Manreaper, Plaguespurt gauntlets
. 2x Deathshroud Terminator: 2x Manreaper, 2x Plaguespurt gauntlets

Hellforged Contemptor Dreadnought [10 PL, 196pts]: Havoc launcher
. Left Arm: Hellflamer, Hellforged deathclaw
. Right Arm: Kheres assault cannon

+ Heavy Support +

Chaos Land Raider [19 PL, 356pts]: Twin heavy bolter, 2x Twin lascannon

+ Dedicated Transport +

Chaos Rhino [4 PL, 74pts]: Combi-bolter, Combi-bolter

Chaos Rhino [4 PL, 74pts]: Combi-bolter, Combi-bolter

++ Total: [87 PL, 1466pts] ++

---

Contemptor versus Stormtalon

Battle for Bastion.

Space Marines pretending to be Imperial Fists