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-

Jornath [The Woodcutters Due 2] : A Night on the Farm

Previous Part 'Raid on Fendricks Atelier' Here

In the aftermath of the 56th Lumberman's Guildmusters' 2nd Companies failed raid on Fendricks Altelier they withdrew in good order a few kilometers south to the estate of Assex dans le bois, an agricultural complex with multiple residencies set amidst open pastures, which should be easy to hold if the Orks force a major action to try and catch the Regiment on the backfoot.  As 2nd Companies command worked with Regimental Headquarters on a new approach to advance to Breznasobor, the infantry dug in to spend a night on the farm.

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This is the 2nd Scenario in a Solo Play Campaign, in the ongoing narrative setting of Jornath. These games were played with a live AAR in Facebook Messanger, the contents of that AAR are posted here for posterity.  In this scenario, things have been stepped up scale-wise, with a heroic Space Marine of the Mortifactors joining a full squad of 56th Guildmuster troopers in defending a farmhouse against waves of randomized Ork Boyz.


Overview:. The imperials have withdrawn in good order to a drawn out line southeast of the Atelier. The orks do not immediately follow, but it's only a matter of time before they realize the weaker position of the humans. Sure enough the Jornathii are awakened in the early morning hours by the sound of gunfire. Red flares and the flash of tracers pierce the darkness as the 56th realize that the Xenos are all around them. They must fight against the envelopement or be dead by morning

End turn 1: imperial troops deploy around the farmyard and hunker in behind the fences. The orks roll phenomenal for their deployment rolls and all of the aliens arrive at once and evenly dispersed across the table. Their opening shooting proves just as stellar as the first slugga shot fired, hits, dakka dakka dakkas, wounds and then slays a poor PDF trooper outright

End Turn 2: The Imperial reprisal is fierce, putting down a torrent of bolt and Las, slaying 2 aliens, stunning one and knocking down one. The aliens close quickly getting into grips with speed, but unfortunately roll a truely baffling number of 1s and 2s to hit in combat (shameful), and succeed in stunning three guardsmen, but little else

End of Turn 3: The Imperials desperately attempt to hold back the tide of aliens, slaying one more and counter charging those engaged in close combat to attempt to gain breathing room. The aliens storm in slaying 2, bringing up the death toll on the imperial side to a grisly 5 down

Turns 4-7: the brutal melee swings wildly back and forth. With the Imperials counter assaulting ferociously, and killing many of the orks, but the survivors descend upon the humans with vigor and slay all but Brother Klethos. Who duels the final beast standing in the blood soaked mire of the farmyard. Smashing a blood soaked gauntlet through the beasts skull just as the rising sun begins to signal dawns arrival.

Minor Imperial Victory

Hobby: Deciduous Tree Stands

Having moved house and started in earnest on working on a board for my own nefarious purposes, I obviously needed something to put on my burgeoning tablescape. I want the majority of things to be as versatile as possible for the moment, usable in a variety of scales and genres, which of course means revisiting the classics trees, hills, roads and streams.  To be fair the last time I even attempted some of these basics I was still in Middle and High School, so maybe I can put nearly a decade of accumulated knowledge to good use and create some woods that look at least partially like woodland.

Thanks for reading!

-Your Favorite Madman-