Space Marines Codex; Black Reach models; 4e Modern RPG update

Been awhile since I last posted. Thanks to everyone who drops by and gives my little blog a read. I hope you find something worth your time.

I have a lot to cover today, so let’s get into it. For starters, the new Space Marine Codex for Warhammer 40k. How shall I say this, it’s great! This really gives the Space Marines the feel of a hard hitting strike force that shows up, kills everyone and everything in sight and moves on. The Space Marines have a lot of battles to fight, so they are equipped for lightning fast strikes in any theater of war, not long protracted engagements.

I’ve decided to shelve my Blood Angels and start a new Marine chapter. I’m going for a hard, balanced army that can take on anyone. However, I also want to play with some of the new toys in the codex. Without further ado, here’s my list for 1500 points.

HQ: Captain (Artificer Armor, Relic Blade, Bolter w/Hellfire ammo)

Elites: Terminators (Sgt. w/Power Weapon, Assault Cannon,) Dreadnought (multimelta, storm bolter)

Troops: Three 10-man squads of Tactical Marines (Sgt. w/Power Fist, Flamer, Missile Launcher,) one 5-man Scout Squad (Bolt Pistols, Combat Blades, Heavy Bolter w/Hellfire Ammo)

Dedicated Transports: 1 Drop Pod w/Locator Beacon, 1 Rhino (Extra Armor)

Fast Attack: 3 man Scout Bike Squad (3x Astartes Grenade Launchers, Cluster Mines)

Heavy Support: Thunderfire Cannon

I love how tactical squads are rock solid. 5E rules place a premium on troop choices and Space Marines have the most dependable, most versatile troops in the game. It fits their background and accepted role in the 40k universe. Taking advantage of the free flamer and missile launcher not only saved me some points, combined with a power first they provide my squads with weapons that can address almost any battlefield problem. They may not be the best way to answer a carnifex or a mob of orks, but at least every unit has an answer.

To build this army, I’m using the models from the Assault on Black Reach set. As someone with a limited amount of free time, these models are a godsend. They look great and push together in a snap. I literally spent minutes instead of hours modeling my captain, terminators, dreadnought and one squad of tactical marines. The tactical sergeant was easily converted to carry a power fist (the bit from the assault marines box fits perfectly.) Likewise I used a spare land speeder assault cannon to convert one of the terminators. A little glue, a little green stuff, no problem.

An extremely useful tip I received recently has paid off huge dividends for me. I used to finish painting a model before basing it. The problem was at that point I was so sick of the project the last thing I wanted to do was base it. Now I apply the basing material during assembly, so I paint it along with the rest of the model.  Seems like a no brainer, but it works.

As for my modern RPG based on 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons, it’s coming along. Handling the powers is turning out to be tricky, because most of them were designed for melee combat. However, the modern genre leans more heavily on ranged combat. Also, the availability of area-effect weapons like grenades and automatic weapons means there’s no need to create an analogue for the wizard class, which specializes in doing damage to multiple bad guys at once.

I haven’t read the Game System License from Wizards of the Coast too carefully, so maybe this is a moot exercise in terms of making it commercially available some day. Maybe it will just turn out to be something for my own gaming table. We’ll see.

In which I attempt to write an RPG…

I have to say I’m really enjoying 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons. The rules make it very easy for me to design adventures for my players without worrying about too much prep work. 

For many reason which we won’t discuss here, there has been a lot of uproar over 3rd party support for 4e. Well, this new edition of the game has finally got me to the point where I think I’m going to throw my hat in the ring. You see, I’ve always wanted to design and write my own role playing game. My first attempt was in 6th grade when I started writing up an underwater RPG, sort of like a Star Wars meets Atlantis kind of game. My thinking was, freeze rays would be awesome underwater. Anyway, it never got finished and I wish I had kept those notes from 25+ years ago.

Anyway, my idea is to create a modern RPG. Now a universal, any-genre-you-want kind of game. This would be for contemporary adventures based in the modern world. Think Bond, Jack Bauer, heck, even the A-Team. 

I’ve got a lot of notes down on paper and will post periodic updates as I make progress. To this point, my biggest stumbling block is the powers system used in 4e. Not the system itself, but the fact that most of the powers are designed for melee combat. However, combat in the modern world mostly takes place at range with firearms and cover. 

I’m drawing a lot of inspiration from WoTC’s two latest games, 4e D&D and Star Wars Saga Edition. I thought about just running Saga Edition as a modern game, just leave out the Jedi and the Force. But I really think 4e D&D’s approach is much more fresh and different than anything else. Saga Edition, as great as it is, still feels a lot of 3rd edition and d20 Modern. Also, I prefer the action budget in 4e over Saga Edition.

Hopefully this will come together at a steady pace and I will actually finish one of these kinds of projects after all. Maybe I won’t be able to sell it due to licensing concerns, but at least I will have completed something that started a very long time ago.

40k Battle Report – Imperial Guard vs. Inquisition

Mission: Capture and Control

Deployment: Dawn of War

Points per side: 3000

40k rules, no Apocalypse rules

**************************************

The only thing that worried him was the smell.

            Darkness still draped across the landscape, concealing the squads of Cadian troops positioned across low hills and clumps of trees. Dawn would soon break, lifting their shroud of concealment. For now, the long barrels of autocannons and the wide maws of missile launchers remained cloaked by the night.

            Discipline held firm. The troops hardly moved, and those that did made not a sound. If their intelligence was right, the Cadians held the advantage of surprise and were poised to press their advantage.

            But there was that smell, the odor of gun oil and stale, unwashed soldiers that seemed to cling to the Imperial Guard wherever it went. Even the faintest of breezes would carry that smell, serving notice to the enemy that the Cadian 8^th was somewhere nearby.

            So far, the wind was in their favor, thought the Cadian commander. It wouldn’t be a problem as soon as the dawn broke, but for now he waited knowing he had those traitors right where he wanted them.

*           *           *

            “They sure are patient, I’ll give them that,” the veteran Battle Sister said, pulling away from the viewfinder.

            The odor of gun oil carried on the shifting winds had told them where to look. Now, the screen in the Rhino APC displayed the nearest Cadian position, an infantry team deployed out in the open. The barest of outlines was visible, the only sign that men with guns were hiding out there in the dark. Doubtless the squad would advance quickly toward the cover of trees in order to bring its heavy weapons to bear.

            Veteran Sister Rook knew Canoness Miriya had honored her by ordering her to take point on the attack. They were outnumbered and outgunned. Someone had fed the Cadians faulty intelligence and now the Guard had declared war on their order.

Faith had been rewarded with the timely arrival of Grand Master Takehiro and his Grey Knights, evening the odds somewhat. But the Sisters still faced a daunting task this day, and Rook knew she would either serve as a harbinger of victory or signal the end to a very quick defeat.

            “Let them come,” she muttered, “We’ll show them what it means to face true servants of the Emperor.”

*           *           *

            Muzzle flashes flared as the first rays of dawn broke through the trees. All along the Cadian gun line, lascannons and missile launchers roared to life. The Guardsmen quickly realized they had only one target, a lone Rhino parked behind the broken ruins of a small chapel.

            The Cadian officers were expecting a massive row of transports to emerge from the darkness, but quickly adapted and ordered their gunners to concentrate fire on the Rhino. Shot after shot rang out, bombarding the chapel with blasts of laser fire. Missile after missile streaked toward the transport, rocking the Rhino with explosions from krak rounds.

            The sound of roaring engines cut through the gunfire as monstrous metal behemoths tore through the rear line of trees. Inputting targeting data from the forward troops, the Cadian tanks opened fire. Battle cannons and artillery rounds rained down on the chapel, blasting apart the ancient structure, sending showers of steel and stone flying through the air.

            Aboard the APC, Rook gripped her bolter and looked toward her crew, calling for damage reports.

            “All systems functioning,” came the reply, “Just a few scratches. Looks like our cover held.”

            Rook bared her teeth in a predatory smile, keying her vox.

            “Skull One to all units, targets unmasked,” she reported in calm, measured tones. ”Send in the Exorcists.”

*           *           *

            The Cadian Commander threw his field glasses in disgust. One target, one target and all of his guns couldn’t kill it!

            Training and discipline took over as he fought down his frustration. The Rhino was on the move, advancing toward his lead infantry element, which was taking cover in a forest. Not that it would help them against the heavy flamer he was sure was about to deploy out of that damn transport.

            But where were the rest of the enemy’s forces? By all reports, Canoness Miriya liked to take risks in combat, so he was expecting to see a line of transports and those twice-damned missile launching Exorcists.

            “Colonel, we have visual on enemy reinforcements.”

            The report snapped the Commander back into the moment. He reached for the field glasses, thankfully undamaged. There they were, a line of box-like tanks. True to form, Miriya rolled her Exorcists out of cover, risking retaliation for the sake of a clean shot at his armor. No matter, those traitors would see that it would take more than a few missiles to break a Leman Russ.

            He swept the glasses across the enemy formation and abruptly stopped. There was something he had not expected.

            “All units, stand by for new targeting priorities,” he spoke into his vox. “Grey Knights Land Raider on the ridge.”

 

*           *           *

            “Burn them, Sisters!”

            Rook led the charge out of the Rhino, her squad deploying quickly out of the Rhino’s open door. They closed the open ground to the tree line in just a few steps, forming up to unleash the Emperor’s light with their weapons.

            Fiery promethium lashed out, incinerating nearly half the Guardsmen trying to take cover in the trees. Bolters spat out a rapid fire barrage of death, cutting down nearly all of the remaining troops. Rook gathered her sisters, readying them for a final assault to cut down what was left of the enemy unit.

            Streaking missiles swarmed overhead, rocketing toward the line of Cadian tanks. Exorcists could unleash a nearly overwhelming amount of firepower, but it was not enough to breach the front armor of the Guard tanks. Only the Macharius seemed to take some damage, but it still lumbered forward, the barrels of its Vulcan mega-bolter whining and spinning to life.

The Cadian counterattack was devastating.  A squad of Inquisitoral Storm Troopers vanished in a red mist as artillery rounds landed directly in their midst.

Vanquisher gunners loaded armor-piercing rounds and took careful aim. One Exorcist was left smoking in a heap of burning steel. The massive guns then easily tore through the thin armor of a Repressor, forcing a squad of Battle Sisters to flee the burning hulk of their transport.

            Another shot cracked through the thick armor of the Land Raider. Six Grey Knights in power armor sprinted down the assault ramp, knowing they were completely exposed to the enemy’s gun line. Undaunted, they hefted storm bolters and psycannons and prepared to charge.

            On the western flank, a team of assassins made their way out from behind a small mound, sprinting toward a Cadian infantry squad. One Death Cult Assassin screamed in agony as she was cut down, but the other danced away only to rejoin the Eversor in his assault against the troops.

            Power weapons slashed and stabbed with inhuman speed, cutting down nearly the entire squad before the Cadians had a chance to react. One veteran sergeant tried to fight back but fled as terror overrode his last shreds of discipline.

            In the center of the battle, Rook clasped the hand of her nearest Battle Sister, eyes closed as she whispered the words of a quick prayer. Then she sprang to her feet, clutching her bolter, glaring up at the incoming artillery rounds, shouting in defiance.

            “The Emperor protects!”

            The ground around her exploded as the shells hit, shrapnel and fire erupting in a volcanic fury. Blast after blast struck home, directly in the midst of the Battle Sisters. Still, Rook stood, feeling the light of the Emperor filling her body, making her feel invulnerable to any harm.

            She cast a glance around and saw that nearly half her squad lay dead. By all rights, it should have been all of them. Rook whispered a prayer of thanks and motioned for the rest of her team to follow. If they didn’t keep moving, they were all dead.

*           *           *

            “Teleport field detected, sir.”

            The Cadian gripped his pistol and targeted the open ground in front of his command post. He heard the satisfying sound of lasguns snapping into firing positions all around him. Still, he had the sinking feeling that they weren’t going to be enough.

            Six glittering armored figures materialized directly ahead. Purity seals and banners streamed from their hulking forms. All six Grey Knight terminators hefted their weapons and took aim, obliterating two missile teams in hail of storm bolter and psycannon fire.

            Then, Grand Master Takehiro turned his attention to the Cadian command bunker. He strode confidently toward the enemy, his retinue of bodyguards marching in step with their leader, nemesis force weapons gleaming in the early light.

            Takehiro pushed his way through a gap in the bunker, using the terminator armor’s enhanced strength to break down the weathered stone. His terminators followed as the Cadians surged forward to meet them, striking before the Grey Knights could clear the wall.

            The Cadians might as well have fallen back. The terminator armor turned away their desperate thrusts and stabs. Takehiro lashed out, feeling his psychic energies surging through his force weapon. Four Cadians died instantly as his hand. The rest fell, cut down by he bodyguards.

            Another team of terminators teleported in and stormed a second breach in the bunker, nemesis force weapons and thunder hammers killing every single enemy with short, precise strokes.

            Takehiro positioned his Grey Knights, hoping to take advantage of the cover before charging the Cadian tanks parked just outside the bunker.

            He cringed as a demolisher cannon fired into the second squad of terminators at point blank range. Takehiro unconsciously shifted his stance, ready to spring forward and avenge the deaths of his Knights.

            Miraculously, the squad remained standing, The explosion destroyed what remained of the bunker around them but somehow they escaped the brunt of the blast. With a nod to the squad’s Justicar, Takehiro turned to his own bodyguards and motioned toward their original target, the Macharius.       

            The two squads of terminators struck simultaneously. The Cadian tank drivers had opted to remain stationary. The tactic maximized their firepower, but left them completely vulnerable to the Grey Knights’ attack. The Leman Russ exploded in a ball of flame, while the Macharius simply ground to a halt, completely inoperable after its rear quarter was smashed in by repeated blows from nemesis force weapons.

            One by one, the Cadian units started to fall back. Something was clearly wrong. Their opponents did not look like chaos-crazed traitors. They wore only the grim, determined expressions of Imperial servants. There were no chaos icons or imagery visible at all, only the fleur-de-lys of the Battle Sisters and shining armor of the Grey Knights.

            Rook ordered her few remaining sisters to halt as they watched the retreating Cadians. The Guardsmen did not look like they were beaten. There were no frightened troops scrambling for cover. Only confused looks and wary eyes, backing away with guns held at the ready.

            The veteran sister let out deep sigh, shaking her head at the waste of Imperial lives. Somehow, someone had disseminated false intelligence to set up this battle. But who? Who possessed the knowledge, the skill, the technical superiority to penetrate and decrypt Imperial communications nets?

            That was a question for the Canoness, Rook thought, retracing her steps back to the fallen bodies of her Sisters.

*           *           *

            A shimmering field of energy winked once, twice and then blinked away, revealing a slim armored figure lying across a hill overlooking the battle. It stood, pale white armor gleaming in the early light. Silently, two hovering discs floated up to greet the warrior, stopping an arms length away.

            Commander Shadowsun cracked open the seal of her helmet and watched as the two opposing forces backed away from each other. Now she knew the new comm-array worked. It would do well in the service of the Tau Empire and the Greater Good.

            A distant movement caught her eye. An Immolator suddenly stopped and pivoted back toward the battlefield, almost facing her exact position. After a moment, the tank’s treads churned, turning it back to rejoin the rest of its forces.

            Shadowsun allowed herself a sly smile.

            “Someday soon, Miriya, we shall have our reckoning,” she said softly. “Someday very soon.”

Apocalypse Tactica – Fun with Strategic Assets

First, I want to thank Emporer’s Champion Gustave for his comment about Thunderhawks claiming objectives while in hover mode. Awesome idea, makes me want a thunderhawk even more.

Second, I want to apologize because in my last post I indicated I would be working on a new apocalypse battle report. Well, I did play a pretty big game the other night (5000 points per side.) However, as I sat down to write up the report I realized that my heart wasn’t in it. The reason: the game turned out to be so one-sided I just didn’t feel good about writing the report. 

We played a two-on-one game. My two gaming friends ganged up and brought their Kroot, Dark Eldar and Witch Hunters to face my combined Imperial force of Witch Hunters, Blood Angels and Daemonhunters. The reason the game turned out to be such a lopsided victory for me was my strategic assets had a much larger impact then theirs did.

For my two assets, I chose scheduled bombardment and anti-plant barrage. My reasoning behind this was simple: I suspected they would have a lot of shapers with eviscerators and other nasty kroot units hiding out in the forests, waiting to pounce on my tanks and transports. I also figured that I needed to be able to focus my firepower against those nasty Dark Eldar, so the scheduled bombardments would help ensure other enemy units would not go unmolested. 

Both worked so well that they swung the balance of the game in my favor. The anti-plant barrage left whole units of kroot suddenly exposed without any cover whatsoever, ready to be easily gunned down. The bombardments went off like clockwork, allowing me to focus my attention on other units that required a lot of firepower to put down.

On the other hand, the opposition’s strategic assets did not work out so well. Hoping to capitalize on the weapons of the Dark Eldar, they flank marched in turn two, in almost perfect firing positions. However, instead of focusing fire on certain units, like my superheavy tanks, they spread out trying to eliminate a large number of tanks and transports all at once. The dice, however, were unkind and my armor emerged almost entirely unscratched. 

I love flank march as much as the next gamer, but this particular game exposed the weakness of this asset. You can come in and pick your targets, but you will likewise be extremely vulnerable in the following turn. That’s what happened, my reserves simply walked in and blasted the enemy into oblivion. In this case, flank march turned out to be an all or nothing gamble. One Dark Eldar Raider died from a single incinerator shot from my Grey Knights because I had a clear shot at the skimmer’s thin rear armor. 

They also dropped a vortex grenade on the table, but the only thing it did was eliminate the jetbike archon who hurled it before it winked out of existence, back to the warp. 

Vortex grenades are extremely nasty, but a bit too random for my tastes. I think they are best used in areas with tightly packed units. If the units are spread too far apart, it will require a lot of luck for the vortex marker to land on anything. 

So the moral of the story is, choose your strategic assets to complement your strategy, but don’t let your overall strategy be dictated by your strategic assets.

Dungeons & Dragons 4E campaign continued

Been awhile since my last post. Today I want to discuss my ideas about ending a role playing game session. But first up, I want to thank Captain Thark for this comment on my 4th Edition campaign:

“Heh, that’s cool. I decided I’d try just running 4e as standard medieval/pulp fantasy for my first campaign,but I’m certainly going all magitech on my next one. I’m thinking it’ll either be with Eberron or with a hybrid of Spelljammer, Planescape, and the new D&D cosmology.”

The campaign has been going pretty well. That’s easy to say since we’ve only had two sessions, but it seems like the players are enjoying it.

During the first session they had a running battle aboard a magically powered train. It was great fun to have the players leaping from train car to train car, knocking kobolds off the roof and fighting in dimly lit dining cars.

The session ended with the party realizing they’d been betrayed by an NPC, who happened to be their commanding officer. Each of the players said they couldn’t wait to track this guy down.

During the second session, they attempted to track down the village and headed to a village of war refugees. Of course, the refugees all happened to be goblins who were on the losing side of the war and were trying to learn how to live among the humans, dwarves and elves who conquered their land.

The session ended when the party confronted another NPC in the ruins of an ancient aqueduct and fought him to the death. A little bit of further exploration and they walked right into the lair of a dragon, who turned and gave them a big toothy grin and wondered if they knew what happened to the NPC. It didn’t help that one of the PC’s had cut off his head.

Now the party is freaked out. One moment they were ecstatic that they had leveled up. The next they were panicked as this massive beast was eyeing them up like sides of beef.

The bottom line is for me, I like cliffhanger endings. Especially since we’re only meeting once a month, I think it really helps to preserve the momentum of the game to leave the players with something to think about at the end of each session.

Anyway, I’d write more but one of my kids needs to be cleaned up. My next update will include my thoughts on the new edition of 40k and hopefully I’ll have a new apocalypse battle report in the next week.

Dungeons & Dragons: New 4E campaign

For the first time in years I’m running a D&D campaign. We started this past Monday night and plans are this will be a monthly game. Since I’m the DM, I suppose I can set the schedule. I’m just glad that I found some players willing to go along with it.

I have a very interesting group. Five players, all pretty experienced gamers who know have enough experience with RPGs that we were able to get up and running with the new rules. I’ve played 40k with two of the players. One is a friend of a friend. One responded to a forum post looking for players. The fifth was just kind of hanging around looking for a game when we started.

I wanted to have a lot of action in the first session, sort of get things going with a bang. So I dropped the players in the middle of an attack on a military supply train. Yes, that’s right. I said train. My campaign has some shades of Eberron’s “magic as technology” vibe to it.

Anyway, the PCs fought off the kobolds and managed to impress a military officer. He told them he wanted them to guard an important shipment on board the train, so off they went.  Naturally, the train gets attacked by more kobolds. At the end of the evening, the players realize they’ve been set up as the officer decoupled the engine car and made off with the secret cargo, leaving them to fight off his foot soldiers.

It seemed like things ran pretty smoothly and everyone had fun. It’s been a long time since I ran an RPG, so I could definitely feel myself shaking off the rust in some spots, especially when I had to improvise when the players did unexpected things. What I learned is this group likes to freelance, even if it means leaving their buddies to face the bad guys on their own.

I’m trying to decide how to incorporate this into my adventure design. If given the opportunity, certain players will let their characters wander in search of booze, money and anything that looks vaguely edible. It would be easier if they were all, say, in a dungeon corridor where they could only go left, right, or straight ahead. But that’s not fun for anyone.

Which means our next session could be trouble, because they’re headed for a town to look for a former associate of the officer who betrayed them. That’s okay, I have some plans in store for them.

My First Rogue Trader Tournament

I consider myself a friendly gamer. I like playing with friends where there’s no animosity, no “I must win at all costs” mentality going on.

So it was with some trepidation (my SAT word for the day right there) that I packed up my Witch Hunters for my first organized 40k tournament this past weekend. Was this going to be a cut-throat environment? Were the games going to disintigrate into ugly debates over rules?

In fact, it was a hell of a lot of fun. Everyone I played with was there simply to game, have a good time and have the chance to roll dice against players and armies they don’t usually face.

I really want to say thanks to my opponents. It felt like we were playing “together” as opposed to “against each other.” Special props to the Eldar player who cleaned my clock. He was immensely cool.

By strange coincidence, my next opponent was his wife, who runs Tyrannids. She had the worst luck with the dice I think I’ve ever seen, but was a really good sport.

So how did the games go? Well, my first two opponents opened deployment by saying “my entire army deep strikes.” Daemons and Drop Guard. Uhhgggghhh. In both games, I spent the first two turns moving around with nothing to shoot at, hoping they would scatter on their drops.

The Daemons seem like they’re tricky to play. Even if their saves are invulnerable, they are usually around 5+, which kind of sucks when you’re eating rapid-fire bolters getting blasted by heavy flamers.

On the other hand, let me say this: do not get charged by Daemonettes.  An insane number of attacks+high initiative+rending=saying bye-bye to your squad of troops.

Soulgrinders are incredibly intimidating and dangerous. They are, however, only armor 13 on the front so they can be popped by Exorcists.

Drop Guard are incredibly frustrating, especially when they hit on just about every single drop! My tanks were eating short-range melta and plasma fire like crazy. And those guardsmen just keep coming. I killed more than 60 and he still had more than 40 at the end of the game. In all honesty, if not for the scenario rules he would have beat me pretty handlily. But due to the points-value of held objectives, it was a draw.

Eldar are..Eldar. Nasty, nasty, nasty, especially in the hands of someone who knows how to use them.

Tyrannids are the bane of my 40k existence, so I’m shocked that I actually won that game. As I said earlier, luck with the dice helped out quite a bit in that game.

I learned quite a bit. Stuff like, spread out and take away drop zones when you know it’s coming.

Awhile back I decided using Faith Points for my Battle Sisters should not be a core part of my strategy. Relying on randomness only invites disaster. Instead, I try to use them like seasoning. If an Act of Faith works and it brings out more “flavor” from my units, great. But ideally they should be assigned to do jobs they can handle without relying on the Emporer’s favor. 

This strategy paid off at the tournament. In four games I think I used four Faith points and my army performed pretty well. Well, except when I was simply getting schooled by the Eldar.

Overall, I had a lot of fun and did pretty well in the tournament. Not high enough to win any of the big prizes, but almost.

But the biggest reward was playing games with people who were really cool. I can’t wait ’till the next one.

 

Speed Painting Miniatures

Do not hesitate. Go read this:

http://belloflostsouls.blogspot.com/2008/06/tutorial-csm-speed-painting-by-goatboy.html

Wow. I was feeling really down about the idea of painting any more squads, but after reading this I’m getting the itch.

Apocalypse Tactica Continued: Rear Security

Been busy for awhile, having another mouth to feed in the family will do that. I suppose that was the whole point of this blog to begin with, finding ways to fit gaming in with a busy schedule.

Anyway, I want to thank goblin3003 for this comment:

“in apocalipse i find that mobile units and really hard units are the best. bulk infantry are a no go generally as they just become cannon-fodder to those 10″ templates.
for my ork apocalipse army il use a fighta bomma, a tanka mob (3 wagons w boomguns 3 battlewagons)a kult of speed, a stompa and a gargant. keeps it simple, and iether very mobile or very hard hitting.”

He makes an excellent point: mobility is king in Apocalypse. Flyers are one obvious example. However, units like Eldar grav tanks really come into their own in Apocalypse games, especially if they are equipped with star drives.

This brings me to today’s topic: rear security. What do I mean by this? Between highly mobile units, drop pods and other deep striking units and strategic assets like flank march, there are a number of different ways the enemy can suddenly show up in your deployment zone. We’ve all had it happen to us at some point: your Baneblade is sitting there guarding an objective when suddenly a Shadowsword flank marches in with your rear armor in his sights. Not fun.

How do you defend against this? First, let me suggest how NOT to do it. I recommend against relying on the disruptor beacon strategic asset. I did this once and it was a disaster. An Imperial Guard force attempted to flank march a half dozen units in my zone. I reached for my dice, hoping to tell him “no, no, no, your reserves enter from the other side of the table.” What happened? I failed every single roll. Bad luck? Maybe. But rolling a 4+ means the disruptor beacon works only 50% of the time, not the kind of odds to build a strategy around.

Instead, I recommend two tactics. First, be careful how you deploy. Your opponents will usually place your objectives in vulnerable locations. That doesn’t mean you have to deploy your holding units next to the objective and sit tight for the whole game. Pick a defensible spot, preferably something with cover, that will allow your unit to stay alive until its time to move and secure the objective. Remember, you don’t win by holding objectives at the beginning or middle of the game, only at the end.

If you’ve got with thin rear armor, consider deploying in front of terrain which will block line of sight. Your Baneblade’s got to have its front arc exposed anyway if you’re going to open up with those big guns, might as well cover your weakness. You may also force a difficult terrain check if a squad of terminators deep strikes in behind you and tries to fire up its chainfists.

Another option is keeping a smaller, more expendable unit near the rear of your defenses. Properly placed, they can force your opponent to make a target priority check before they can open up on your key units. A single heavy weapons squad can be very effective in this role. In a recent game, an Ork player dropped in Boss Zagstruck and a squad of storm boyz, hoping to challenge my objective and take out a tank or two. He landed right on target in a nice clear landing zone between terrain pieces…which happened to be right in the sights of a squad of heavy bolters that I had set aside just for that purpose.  The orks assaulted, did a little damage, and then disappeared into a red mist as my heavy weapons cut them to pieces.

Still, the best defense against these sudden intrusions is to have units that can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’. As goblin3003 says, a well placed stompa can make the difference between winning and losing.

 

Apocalypse Battle Report – May 5, 2008

Witch Hunters vs. Orks vs. Kroot
4000 points per side

This battle report is written in a narrative style. Instead of focusing on a turn-by-turn re-enactment of specific movements, game mechanics and dice rolls, this report attempts to capture some of the more cinematic moments of what was an intense and compelling game.

The game also featured the playtest of a new Ork datasheet a player drew up, which allowed the Orks to improve their cover save while in a terrain piece. It proved to extremely effective.

* * *
The hunter adjusted the grip on his weapon and surveyed the battlefield in front of him. Mounted on the back of a great knarloc, he had a commanding view of the dry desert plain.
The Skullhamma before him remained motionless, the enormous barrel of its main gun leveled at his position. Doubtless it could cut his entire brood to pieces if allowed to sit there and pound away. The Kroot grunted. That’s what the Shapers and their eviscerators were for.
Digging in his heels, the hunter spurred on his mount. There was meat to be had, and money to be made.

* * *

“Wot they doin?”
The towering nob wheeled, eyes searching for the insolent Ork who dared to speak out of turn. Deciding he didn’t have time for this, he simply backhanded the nearest one of his boyz.
“Those burnas be gearin’ up to save your sorry skins, so shuddup!” he bellowed. Figuring that it couldn’t hurt to demonstrate the value of a good education, he knocked another ork unconscious.
The nob turned back to study the burnas. He knew the blue paint being loaded into their weapons was going to keep them safe. A deep chuckle emerged from the back of his throat. Luck was on their side. Those crazy Imperial nuns were in for a surprise.

* * *

Even here, on this backwater planet, she could feel the Emperor’s grace. Canoness Miriya of the Order of the Martyred Lady had sensed His guidance as she explained her strategy to her sisters. It was a plan that bordered on recklessness, but she saw no other means of purging this world of the blasphemous forces that had dared to occupy it.
Miriya had chosen to leave her Sisters unsheltered by the heavy guns of the Imperial tanks. They would have to fight on their own and win decisive engagements.
Seated in the command chair of her personal Immolator, Miriya reached for her plasma pistol. It was old and temperamental, but the weapon had served her well for many years. It would have to do so again. She had saved the most dangerous assignment for her own squad. Someone had to make sure that Ork shokk attack battery would not rain death on her sisters.

* * *

Ork guns thundered to sound the start of the battle. Leaping forward, battlewagons and skullhammas rolled toward the Kroot and Imperial lines.
The roar from a pack of knarlocs turned into howls of agony as Ork firepower cut through the Kroot lines. As the Ork vehicles steamrolled their way toward controlling points on the battlefield, a squad of burna-boys took shelter under a canopy of trees.
Spraying the forest with blue paint from their weapons, the Orks looked about, satisfied that their luck would hold, even as an Imperial Baneblade lined up for a shot.
The ground shuddered as the tank fired its demolisher cannon. The Orks in the forest dove for cover, somehow avoiding any deadwood and finding only sturdy ancient trees to shield themselves from the explosive blast.
The Baneblade readied its remaining weapons, intent on killing the Warboss sheltering in the forest. Pre-battle intelligence suggested he was holding a vortex grenade, making him a priority target. Again, he somehow found the right tree to leap behind. The shots blasted the now-blue trees, spraying the Warboss with splinters but leaving him otherwise unharmed.
Wide toothy ork grins broke out. It worked. Time for some payback.
On the other side of the battle, another demolisher cannon thundered, smashing into the advancing Kroot lines. The tech priests at the controls of the Land Raider Ares worked with cool efficiency, reloading the mighty weapon while lining up for another shot. Still, the knarlocs and shapers pinned back their ears and came screaming in to close as quickly as possible.
The Kroot fell up on their targets with blinding speed. In an instant they threatened the Orks that had dared to charge. Unable to tear through the heavy armor, the knarlocs held their ground as the Shapers moved in.
In the midst of the Kroot line, the crew of a captured Maccharius took aim at a squad of Orks on a hill. They could either fight or become a light snack for their captors. As he watched hundreds of rounds from his vulcan megabolter turn the Orks into a fine red mist, the tank commander thanked the Emporer that he hadn’t had to kill any Imperials, yet.
The whine of missiles cut through the air. Salvo after salvo of Exorcist missiles rained down on the alien positions. Knowing victory would depend on keeping up this hail of fire, the Battle Sisters at the helm of these tanks maneuvered to bring their deadly weapons to bear.
In a small corner of the battlefield, Canoness Miriya ordered her Immolator crew to roll out. Racing from behind the protective shelter of small hillside, the Witch Hunter tank fired its heavy flamers into the shokk attack battery. Miriya leaped from the tank, blessed weapon in hand, intent on leading her Celestian retinue into a desperate assault to keep the deadly Ork artillery from engaging the rest of her forces.
The Warboss could hardly contain his laughter as he charged the Baneblade, vortex grenade in hand. The Imperial warmachine lay right in front of him, exposed and defenseless. He cocked his arm back and with a bloodthirsty cry flung the deadly bomb at the tank…
…and roared in frustration as the grenade slipped from his hand. It imploded just in front of the tank, harmlessly opening a rift of nothingness. The destructive singularity shimmered violently and suddenly winked out existence. It would only be instants before it appeared somewhere else, instantly destroying anything it touched. The Warboss turned to look at the Baneblade and locked eyes with the tank driver staring at him from the turret cupola. Both Ork and Human knew one thing: it was time to get out of here.

* * *
Across the battlefield, a knocking sound kept bothering an Ork Skullhamma driver. Annoyed, he turned to his main gunner.
“You hear dat?”
Thunder erupted in the crew compartment as the gunner fired the Skullhamma kannon again.
“Hear wot?”
The driver shook his head. He was about to power into a pack of those crazy bird things when he heard the knocking sound again.
“Dere it is! You got to hear dat?”
The gunner turned, clearly annoyed. Here he was, ready to unload on those pesky kroot and all this guy wanted to do was talk about his hearing problems.
“Hear wot? I don’t hear….”
Then the Ork’s head flew across the cabin, landing in the driver’s lap. He looked up, directly into the face of a Kroot carrying the biggest damn sword he’d ever seen.

* * *
“Say again, Overwatch,” Miriya shouted into her vox caster. “Skullhamma One is down?”
The Canoness snapped off a shot with her plasma pistol and ducked back, making room for her Celestian Sisters to discharge a rapid fire barrage from their bolters.
“Correct. Skullhamma One is down. Looks like those Shapers skinned it like a carcass. Damn big explosion too. Nothing left but a big hole in the ground.”
Good, Miriya thought. Let them kill each other. She opened another vox channel.
“All units,” she said. “Initiate phase two.”

* * *

The Skullhamma erupted into a ball of fire that vaporized nearly everything around it. The tank had once occupied a commanding spot of the battlefield. Now, it lay completely open for anyone to claim.
All across the plain, the rumble of engines started up as all of Miriya’s mechanized infantry units prepared to take the field. One Rhino charged up to the remains of the Skullhamma. Almost directly across the field, a Repressor packed with Battle Sisters drove in behind Kroot lines to strike at their supply base.
The Repressor’s heavy flamer spouted burning promethium. A second gout of holy flame erupted from the top hatch as a Sister unleashed the cleansing fire of Imperial faith. Sisters within the tank took advantage of their firing slits to unleash a barrage of bolter fire into the unsuspecting Kroot warriors.
A roar of engines tore through the sky as the Imperial Navy joined the fray. A lone Thunderbolt burst from the clouds, firing Hellstrike missiles into the Orks massed in the forest. Again, the Orks ducked and rolled, seeming to somehow find the right tree to hide behind and avoid the explosive blast.
The battle raged on. A second Skullhamma commanded the center of the battlefield, stubbornly refusing to yield ground. The Warboss continued to charge the Baneblade, howling in delight as he caused the great warmachine to keep falling back.
Speeding on leathern wings, three Kroot Shapers finally caught the Ares. Too late, the tank crew realized it had made a fatal error by holding their ground to fire. The Land Raider’s vaunted armor shredded like paper under the scything blows from the Kroot eviscerators.
Other Shapers pounced on the invading Repressor, avenging their fallen by tearing the armored personnel carrier apart. Ten Sisters came stumbling out of the shattered vehicle, but only eight managed to stand and keep fighting.
Their faith was rewarded when a squad of Seraphim and a second Rhino arrived. Bolter shots and the cleansing fire of holy promethium cut through the attacking Kroot. Shielded by their Emperor’s divine grace, the Seraphim cut down their opposition in close combat and overran the Kroot supply base.
Miriya had the last shokk attack gun in her sights. She sighted carefully and squeezed the trigger. Instead of firing a deadly bolt of plasma, she felt the gun start to vibrate wildly in her hand. Acting on instinct, she flung it away a split second before it exploded. The blast battered her, the shock wave seeming to rip through her powered armor. But she stood, wounded but not dead.
Her Celestians finished what she started, destroying the last Ork weapon in a barrage of fire.
All across the battlefield, key strategic points were held by squads of Witch Hunter infantry. The aliens had suffered incredible losses and were out of position to challenge the Sisters. Realizing their predicament, the Orks and Kroot began to withdraw.
Imperial scribes would note this as another glorious victory for the Ordo Hereticus. But Miriya knew how close it had been. The Orks might have overrun her own base if the vortex grenade had hit its target. The Kroot might have fought and slashed their way across the battlefield if the Skullhamma explosion had not crippled their lines.
And her Sisters might have been cut down as they fought their own skirmishes across the battlefield. She shook her head as she climbed back into the Immolator’s command chair. It had been a reckless plan. It had been pure chance that it worked.
No, not chance, she chastised herself. It was faith.