Vitritian Interregnum: Game 4

Ankor Thrume processed the rotting, particle-laden air through the grille of his augmetic filtration units and gazed at the burning skyline of Grestian Bay, the Heretic forces had broken through the noble Skitarii's initial attempts at containing them in the Outlands. They had tracked the Chaos forces movements across the dried ocean floors of the planet and waited as they set up a base of operations in Grestian Bay, confirming the blessed Magi's hypothesis that the next clue to the Omnissiahs artifact was buried somewhere within the vast sprawl of once majestic trading concourses and coastal palaces. It was his duty to ensure that they did not escape again, the vast campaign of orbital bombardment and Precision Airstrikes had been in service to this end, crippling the lesser forces of the unaugmented human infantry that stood in his Maniples direct line of advance, and ensuring that all avenues available to other traitor armored groups or fast reaction infantry were mired in chemical fire, rubble, and debris.

His true target was finally revealing itself, clad in ceramite and gripping chainswords, backlit by the white glow of centuries dead city. Thrume would have grinned if he still had a mouth; he pulsed deployment orders to his Maniple across the noosphere. The Battle was nigh

 

Centurions of Innocence 5th Company [Chaos Space Marines]

Points: 753

Legion: World Eaters

HQ

[Warlord] "The Lamb"  Chaos Lord 

        - Trait: Violent Urgency

        - Mark of Khorne, Plasma Pistol, Ul'o'cca the Black Axe

Daemon Prince

        -Hellforged Sword, Mark of Khorne, Talisman of Burning Blood, Wings

Exalted Champion

        -Mark of Khorne, Gorefather, Plasma Pistol.

Troops

Chaos Cultists

        -9 Cultists W/ Autogun, 1 Cult Champion, Mark of Khorne

Khorne Berzerkers

        -3 Berzerkers with Bolt Pistol and Chainsword, 

        -1 Berzerkers with Plasma Pistol and Chainsword

        -1 Berzerker Champion with Plasma Pistol and Power Fist

Khorne Berzerkers

        -3 Berzerkers with Bolt Pistol and Chainsword, 

        -1 Berzerkers with Plasma Pistol and Chainsword

        -1 Berzerker Champion with Plasma Pistol and Power Fist

Elites

Helbrute

        -Mark of Khorne, Power Scourge, and Reaper Autocannon

Possessed 

        -5 Possessed, Mark of Khorne.

Skitarii of Forge World Metallica [Adeptus Mechanicus]

Points: 744

Forge World:  Metallica

HQ

[Warlord] "Ankor Thrume Uh-8"  Techpriest Enginseer

        - Trait: Learnings of the Genetor (PA)

        - The Omniscient Mask

Techpriest Manipulus 

        -Trait: Divinations of the Magos

        -Magnarail Lance, Mechanicus Locum 

Troops

Skitarii Vanguards

        -4 Vanguard with Radium Carbines

        -1 Vanguard Alpha with Radium Carbine

Skitarii Vanguards

        -4 Vanguard with Radium Carbines

        -1 Vanguard Alpha with Radium Carbine

Skitarii Vanguards

        -4 Vanguard with Radium Carbines

        -1 Vanguard Alpha with Radium Carbine

Elites

Secutarii Hoplites

        -9 Secutarii Hoplites with Arc Lances, and Mag-Inverter Shield

        -1 Hoplite Alpha with Arc Lance, and Mag-Inverter Shield

Secutarii Hoplites

        -9 Secutarii Hoplites with Arc Lances, and Mag-Inverter Shield

        -1 Hoplite Alpha with Arc Lance, and Mag-Inverter Shield

Sicarian Ruststalkers

        -5 Sicarian Ruststalkers with Chordclaws and Transonic Razor

        -1 Ruststalker Princeps with Transonic Blades

Fast Attack

Sydonian Dragoons

        -3 Sydonian Dragoons with Phosphor Serpenta and Taser Lance

Dedicated Transport

Skorpius Dunerider

        -2 Cognis Heavy Stubbers, Twin Cognis Heavy Stubber

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So, myself and Chris are back at it again, with our Chaos versus Adeptus Mechanicus narrative slow-grow campaign. This time, the mission was a pure and simple Kill Points game, with deployment along long table edges, as it was likely to be the last game we played in 8th Edition, it felt appropriate to use the "classic" game setup.

The Mechanicus Set up, along the town's outskirts, with the Dunerider on their far-right and filled with Sicarian Infiltrators, the core of the battleline comprised of Vanguard and Hoplites is a vicious prospect to attack, and the Sydonian Dragoons are a punishing unit that, if you allow them to survive will absolutely tear a hole in your forces.  Chris' Mechanicus force is very interesting, as its highly aggressive and close combat-focused, with aura debuffs from vanguard and truly intimidating damage output from their specialist units.

My Chaos forces set up within the heart of the town, I was attempting to get as far forward as I could, and overlap my Character's aura abilities onto my Berzerkers, which would be pivotal if I was going to overcome the Vanguard-Hoplite wall

I lose a Berzerker squad to the entire armies worth of Mechanicus fire, and move up my troops, using the cultists to screen my left from the transport mounted Ruststalkers, and positioning the rest in preparation for a charge

Both forces move forward aggressively, I think I made a critical error in this turn, with my placement of the Daemon Prince, I chose to go after the core of the Mechanicus forces, which hampered my placement of models and likely led to their encirclement and destruction in the coming turn. I was considering going after the Dunerider and its occupants with the prince, which may have been a better choice as it would have forced some of the Mechanicus' infantry to either commit to helping the Infiltrators, or at the very least would have slowed the Ruststalkers down

I committed the majority of forces into destroying the Sydonian Dragoons, (which are an excellent "distraction carnifex" im finding), this led to me killing that target, and damaging some Vanguard, but opening up the majority of my force to be counter charged by Hoplites. My hope was that I would have enough of my forces left after the counter attack, to be able to break out and continue my attack, this proved to be wishful thinking.

In the end, the Mechanicus' Counter-attack, consisting of both HQ characters, debuffing Vanguard, and the very hard hitting Hoplites did a lot more damage to my main forces than I was really hoping they would, and the Ruststalkers tore into my rearguard and really shut down the game. It was a textbook encirclement by Chris, and I do really need to be more careful with how I commit to different targets in Melee. I think that target prioritization really cost me the game here, but regardless it was a ton of fun to play, and i'm looking forward to locking blades again with Chris soon in 9th Edition.

Thanks so much for reading and I hope you all stay safe!

The Vitritan Interregnum: Game 1

Vitritus is a former Imperial Manufacturium planet on the extreme eastern borders of the Urient Sub-Sector. It was rendered a dead world by Capital class weapons 450 years ago, by the expansionist Xenos Empire of the Septimanians. That perfidious alien race was rendered all but extinct by the might of Imperial retribution forces, but internal divisions about resettlement rights, and a century-long disagreement between the Sub-Sector Administratum and the Mechanicus over the proper composition, resourcing requirements and leadership of a recolonization and exploration fleet to rebuild those worlds devastated by the Xenos attacks allowed the planet to slip into the ever-growing sphere of influence of the so-called "Skinner Worlds" a clutch of Ork infested systems. With the sub-sector Navy not willing to kick the proverbial hornet's nest, without a significant build-up of military force to take on the likely tidal wave of Ork's responding to an incursion, Vitritus was left to rust away on the peripheries of Imperial space, until resources could eventually be sourced to return. 

When the War for Jornath erupted, threatening the Sub-Sector's primary trading conduits, the Imperium and the Orks of the Skinner Worlds poured resources into the fight, leaving the peripheries of their respective territories, empty of patrols. Opening these regions to predators of a far darker kind, the myriad forces of Chaos, led by the Renegade Chapter the Centurions of Innocence, wormed their way into the poorly guarded zones. In their reaving they learned of a small Mechanicus mission to the ruins of Vitritus, to revive a supposed piece of immensely potent archeotech to turn the tide of the war against the Greenskins.  It was no time before the 2nd Company of the Centurions of Innocence, and a strike cruiser packed with scum and traitors the sector over found itself in the sensor shadow of the Vitritan Sun...

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I wanted to take a bit of a break from the Orks, and work on a smaller more elite force to play around with. My immediate thought was to make one that was more ranged oriented, but alas the viscera of close combat took hold and I've made a choppy Chaos Space Marine force, around the World Eaters faction trait. 

My opponent for this slow grow league/campaign/narrative thing is my arch-nemesis Chris and his fearsome Metallica Adeptus Mechanicus forces. 

My Centurions of Innocence Strike Force.

Daemon Prince [Dark Mechanicum Bio Assault Drone]  with Wings, Warp Bolter, and Talisman of Burning Blood.

Chaos Lord with Black Axe of Ul'Occa,

2x Khorne Berzerker Squads,  Champion with Power Fist and Plasma Pistol,  Marine with Plasma Pistol, and an Icon of Wrath for each squad.

10x Cultists.

Chris' Adeptus Mechanicus of Metallica 

Techpriest Engineseer

Techpriest Manipulus (represented by an Infiltrator Alpha figure)

Sicarian Infiltrators 

3x Skitarii Vanguard Squads

Sydonian Dragoons Squadron.

The Ruins, of the Vitritan Capitol Fabricatorum Complex. 

We are using the Cities of Death rules from Chapter Approved 2018 for this game, and we rolled the "Decapitation" Mission from the same book which is a combined deployment map and objective overview. It felt appropriate, as it seemed reasonable that the Marine's first goal on the planet would be capturing/killing a Mechanicus ground commander to ascertain their progress in finding the archeotech, or just to cause havoc while the renegades begin their own search.

The Cult Mechanicus set up in the center field, I deploy the forces of Chaos in cover and close together to benefit from the Lord of Chaos aura ability while my berzerkers close in.

My Daemon Prince swiftly crashes into the Sydonian Dragoons, killing two of the clanking machines and wounding one. All other Chaos units advance towards the enemy.

The Mechanicus respond by surrounding the Daemon Prince with Vanguard, and the Manipulus lowering his toughness (a Vanguard special ability) and placing a character threat into the mix. The Sicarian Infiltrators and the Vanguard gun down the Cultists and move into the street.

The Last Sydonian Dragoon deals considerable damage to the Daemon Prince which is quickly finished off by Rifle Butts and Iron Mechadendrites. The Khorne Berzerkers hit the Vanguard and Manipulus and quickly exact a bloody revenge. The Chaos Lord engages the Sicarian Infiltrators in close combat and gains the upper hand thanks to the mortal wounds from his daemon weapon.

With Power Armored Madmen closing in, the Enginseer blurts out an Error-Abort Code onto the Skitarii Cohorts Noospheric Network. Chris Concedes at this point and Game 1 goes to Chaos.

-Your Favorite Madman-