Battle Report - Orks vs Imperium - Rynn's World

Hello!

October has been a bit light on the hobby side of things, but I did manage to get to a few great games of 40k. One of which was a huge, multiplayer, narrative game set on Rynn's World, featuring three Ork players (myself included) taking on the Crimson Fists Space Marines defending their homeworld, and their allies, the Mordian Iron Guard, all of us members of the DZTV community. This was, fairly obviously, a narrative game, with the objective being to hold the central ruins at 'the end'. Each side had 3750 points to play with, split evenly between the players, and each player's force was considered it's own army, so got warlord traits, relics, and the full command points for being battle forged, though they were not able to be shared among the team, and were not allowed to be used for command point re-rolls!

Apologies in advance, with five players and an awful lot of models on the table, my memory is a bit fuzzy on the exact details, so this report will be more of a summary than a blow-by-blow write up. So pretty much the same as normal then!

On the side of the Orks, we were 'led' by Richie, our host and one of the driving forces behind the No Surrender events. His Goffs featured a core of 50 Boyz and some characters, plus a huge blob of Stormboyz and three teleporting Deffdreads. Also on our side was Felix, with extra stompy Bad Moons, with a couple of 'orkanauts, some Deffdreads and Killa Kans and a bunch of grots. Then it was my Snakebites. I went for a slightly unusual elite mechanised force with Tankbustas, Nobz and characters in a couple of battle wagons, plus the Gorkanaut (who sadly went for a bit of a dive off the table before the game so was missing several gubbins.)

Standing in our way were the stoic Crimson Fists of John B, with an assortment of tactical marines, dreadnoughts and tanks led by Pedro Kantor. Notably this was the day of the release of the Imperial Fists supplement, but John hadn't had time to get to the shop to buy it, let alone read through it and absorb all the info, so the new rules were not in play in this game. Standing by their side were the equally stoic Mordian Iron Guard run by the appropriately named Mordian John (seen here on Moarhammer). There was whole load of infantry squads, along with a mix of supporting characters and of course some tanks.

The Imperial forces formed up in the centre, with an artillery barrage in the fourth corner that wasn't covered in Orks. And with that, the greenskins closed in for the first turn!

The Orks closed the gap, opening fire across the lines. The Bad Moons focused on the artillery, while the Goffs and Snakebites pincered in on the centre. Most notably from my perspective, my Tankbustas killed of the Predator in one volley, while Warboss Redtoof chucked Brogg's Buzzbomb aka The Jar of Bees up onto the battlements, killing off a couple of lascannons and a nearby officer! I think the Bad Moons also stripped some of the Mordian heavy weapons off their emplacements.

In the fight phase a huge mob of Goffs swarmed in, overrunning a guard squad with ease. My deff rolla also managed to poke in through a doorway and mince a few more. However the guns of the Imperium were soon brought to bare... 

Not many Goffs left after that! We also lost the Morkanaut from the other flank, though I got away with minimal damage. The Mordians had cleared their lines for a moment, but there were plenty more Orks...

The Nobz disembarked, and the Gorknaut lined up some shots. Our shooting was fairly ineffectual, but the charge phase would be important...

Redtoof and the Nobz piled into the Mordians and Crimson Fists, killing off a guard squad and two tactical units. Pedro Kantor himself was also a target, but he interrupted the combat and punched out several of the hulking Orks. Command points were spent however to get them to fight again, and their big choppas downed the Chapter master, though not before he fought again and brought more of them down with him. Importantly the last remaining Nob managed to tie up the Punisher to keep us safe from the bullet hose for a turn or more.

Elsewhere the Bad Moons were making progress on the artillery, piling in and shutting down some of the big guns.

The Imperial forces found themselves without many of their big guns and had to make the most of their scattered heavy weapons. They managed to take out my Gorkanaut however, but amusingly the guard's priest and psyker were unable to tear down the last Nob, who continued to hold up the Punisher. Redtoof himself took some dakka, but managed to stay relatively intact.

Goff reinforcements started to pile in, as the Bad Moons closed the noose on the artillery corner. The Stormboyz were easily able to dispatch a tactical squad and slingshot themselves closer to the objective, while the Tankbustas successfully split fire to remove a Venerable Dreadnought and damage a Contemptor. The Imperium was starting to get thin on the ground, but they weren't through yet...

Crimson Fists of the first company had arrived on the battlefield, three squads of Terminators and a Captain teleported into the less occupied side of the battlefield and began marching on the objective, gunning down Ork stragglers.

Back in the centre, blood and bodies filled the ruins, but still the battle raged. The Tankbustas' wagon rammed into the Punisher to keep it locked up while also putting some greenskins right were they wanted to be.

Things were getting interesting in the corner, with the Bad Moons running through the Imperial tanks, supported by the Goff Deffdreads from the tellyporta. A brave Crimson Fist Lieutenant held the charge for several turns however, punching chunks off the walkers, before eventually succumbing to one of several catastrophic explosions. The artillery had been effectively dealt with, but it had taken a lot of Orks out of the fight.

Crunch time. The Stormboyz piled into the centre, removing most of the Mordian resistance. Tankbustas and their wagon dealt with the Exterminator, while Redtoof himself survived a charge from Ogryns, battering them in return with his powerklaw.

With night drawing in, it looked like it would come down to the actions of the First Company, could they clear the centre? Would the Orks hold against them?

Many, Stormboyz were cut down, and my last wagon was destroyed, but Redtoof and the Tankbustas still stood. (And one stubborn Commissar...)

With more Terminators piling in from one flank, but a host of Ork walkers stomping in from the other, we looked at the battlefield. Almost all the infantry lay dead. Orks, Mordians and Space Marines were piled up in crumpled heaps. Though the elite units still stood, neither side would have the manpower to hold this position. It was declared a stalemate, with both sides falling back to conserve their strength to fight another day.

Well, that was epic! In the end we managed to reach the end of turn 4, and if we had more time I think either outcome was possible given what was left near the centre. As much fun as it would be to see the Terminators and the Deffdreads duke it out, a draw feels like a fair result for what was a bloody battle for all involved, and a great laugh. Richie was an excellent host and all the players were in the right spirit - we didn't worry too much about playing optimally or getting all the rules exactly right, this was about the narrative of a huge, desperate, exceptionally bloody battle! Very much what you'd hope and expect from the DZTV community crowd.

Video Battle Report with SorcererDave - Daemons vs Eldar

Hello!

A little while ago I played a battle report with SorcererDave where my Ryza AdMech took on his Eldar. Well, if you watched that report you’ll know it ended pretty badly for everyone involved. So here is the follow up battle, involving the Aeldari trying to fix the mess they created with their broken webway gate that just happened to start spewing out daemons after the Adeptus Mechanicus definitely didn’t touch it...

This game was a lot of fun, lots of banter and full on narrative mode with a custom scenario and eyeballed army balancing. And with all that, a very close, tense finish. Can the Aeldari of Craftworld Becareth close the webway gate before it’s too late? Will the Great Unclean One get to spread his grandfather’s gifts? Will any of the Skitarii survive? Find out by watching the report!

Crimson Fist Reinforcements

Hello!

I recently posted about some Crimson Fists dug out from the collection. As alluded to I had a few more minis to paint up to add to them, so I did:

Ta da! Some scouts and Terminators. I'm pretty pleased with how they came out, and even had a go at some freehand fists. It did remind me that painting marines is pretty dull though. Not enough rust and dirt!

Personally, I still think these scout sculpts hold up pretty well. I've not personally played Space Marines in so long that I still think of the plastic ones as 'new'. These ones definitely stand out from their contemporaries in 2nd edition.

Terminators were a mix of the Battle for Black Reach ones and assorted bits from the full kit and other marine sets. Lots of purity seals and the like to bling them up a bit. As veterans of the Crimson Fists, they all got two red hands, and an attempt at a chapter symbol on the shoulder. Some of them are definitely better than others, but I think, at a distance at least, they do the job.

So now some shots of a full, legal battalion. Captain, Lieutenant, two Tactical squads, the Scouts and the Terminators. I'm sure it's not going to be incredibly powerful, but it looks cool and it might be a handy core to expand upon (unlikely) or add allies to.

Match Report - Halflings vs Halflings

Hello!

After a bit of a hiatus, the Fiery Fowlers have come back to the Bloodbowl field! This time, they returned to the Taylored Games Arena to play once more against Coach George. With a one all record against his various teams so far, this time it was a decider, and the Fowlers were up against the only team in Bloodbowl as hungry as they are - other Halflings!

As is tradition, George's team (let's call them the Greyfield Gobblers) consisted of an unhealthy palid looking group with uniforms matching their skin tone. Obviously they had not been getting their five a day! The 'flings were accompanied by two treemen who at least had some colour to their complexion, but weirdly insisted on saying 'I am Groot' over and over. His team also sprinkled a few of the new Halfling special positionals in there for added flavour - they didn't really do a lot though so that's probably the last you'll hear of them in this report.

The Fiery Fowlers started with the kick, and we were off! The Greyfield Gobblers quickly retrieved the balls and, amongst ineffectual treemen fights, we prepared for the first Halfling throw of the game. He didn't land on his feet and the ball was soon grabbed by the Fowlers.

Moving around the flank, we quickly found that it's pretty hard to keep Halflings out of a cage. The ball was dropped and the Gobblers were in position to grab it...

But the Fiery Fowlers are a tough bunch, and in a rare show they out muscled their opposition! Many Greyfield 'flings were flung into the crowd!

By the end of the drive the Gobblers had almost been cleared off the pitch entirely! Touchdown for the Fowlers, but as is the case with Halfling teams, there are usually plenty of them so there was no danger of the Gobblers running out of players.

With time running out in the first half, the Fowlers kicked again, and managed to get the ball back without too much trouble. Second Halfling throw attempt saw three of the little guys knocked over and no touchdown.

Back for the second half, and the Fiery Fowlers were given the ball. They quickly formed up against a very aggressive Greyfield team for a throw attempt.

But the tree fumbled, dropping the poor 'fling on his head (even with a reroll!) The Fowlers held position against the Gobbler's advances, ready to try again with another Halfling, but the tree obviously had some slippery branches, because he dropped the Halfling again!

It was enough of an opportunity for the Gobblers, who were by this stage pretty well camped in the opposition half. They got the ball chucked up the field and safely caught. With backup they were able to keep on their feet long enough to get the touchdown.

All squared up at one all, and the Fowlers were receiving. The Gobblers formed into the deep 'throw protection' line. They and the ticking clock put the pressure on to force the throw...

A Fowler 'fling got up the field with the ball, but he wasn't able to reach the endzone. The Gobblers pounced greedily on their chance...

One more successful treeman throw in the dying seconds of the game and the little Halfling went for it as fast as his little feet would carry him, just about making it into the endzone before the whistle. (That four was the Go For It roll required for the touchdown.)

A Win for Coach George and the Greyfield Gobblers, and another loss for the Fiery Fowlers. They are pretty used to it by now, but of course it still left a bitter taste in their mouths. Oh well, I'm sure the after match feast was glorious!

George and I had a lot of fun with this one. Halflings are a weird team to play against, and now we've both had that experience. Most of the standard Bloodbowl tactics go out the window and you pretty much have to rely on punching them and hope the dice don't fall well for their throws. The new GW minis are also very nice, I'm sure they would look good with a bit of paint on them...

Adeptus Titanicus at Boards and Swords

Hello!

I recently took a trip to Derby, to play Adeptus Titanicus with a couple of hobby legends in The Claw and Gambit. We agreed to meet at Boards and Swords, which for us was a new venue that I'd only been made aware of after seeing a tweet from Andy Thornley having just finished their new Adeptus Titanicus board. I felt that was a good a reason as any to give them a go.

And it's in location.... @BoardsSwords ... Get your #Titanicus on people. Tempted to take commission pieces on now.... pic.twitter.com/flUds9XfDE

— Andy Thornley (@Drunkhammer1) August 20, 2019

Anyway, having not played AdTit for some time, The Claw and I had a little refresher with a Reaver and a Warhound each. It was fairly uneventful, but it turned out we had remembered some of the rules at least! It also looked pretty special on this wonderful board.

After our reminder game, and Gambit had suitably recovered from the previous night's entertainment, we commenced with the main event - Traitors vs Loyalists. My Legio Mortis teaming up with The Claw's Legio Magna vs Gambit's Legio Gryphonicus. Both sides had a pair of Warlords, and while we had a Warhound each, Gambit took a Reaver. We selected mission cards, granting the loyalists the Retrieval mission, to rescue a fallen Titan's crew in the centre of the board, and us the (considerably easier) objective to Hold the Line.

Deployment looked like this. Our Warhounds were on the flanks, ready to do Warhound things, while all the Warlords were positioned to blast each other with little movement required. Gambit's Reaver was ready to rush in and grab his objective.

Turn one consisted of trading fire. Not much damage done, though I think we stripped the shields from the enemy Princeps Senioris' Warlord. In turn two however, the War Griffons took the bold move to run the Reaver to the objective and turn away from our guns, with the full stride order in effect to move again...

However, that put the Reaver firmly in the sights of my Warlord...

The first engine kill of the day! However, the retaliation was swift and brutal, my Warhound that had been in position to finish off the Reaver if required got annihilated, and the Flaming Skulls 'hound didn't fare too well either.

We traded fire and Warlord kills, taking down the Princeps Seniors, but loosing my Warlord in the process. That meant the Death's Heads had no further presence on the battlefield. However with the last loyalist engine boxed into the corner, we were comfortably able to complete out objective and deny our half of the city to the War Griffons.

With Gambit sitting out and eventually returning home to paint Warhounds/power nap, The Claw and I played another game. This time I had my full, currently painted maniple against a Warlord and two Reavers. We randomly drew objectives once more, and this time we both had to kill the enemy's most expensive unit as quickly as possible - in this case it was hunt the warlord.

Unsurprisingly the Warlords ended up facing each other, but The Claw's Reavers ended up slightly out of position, while I was able to use mine to draw a bead on the prized foe. First Fire orders caused no damage to my shields, while I got very lucky and stripped all of them off the Warlord with my Reaver. Characterfully, the Legio Mortis capitalised on this weakness...

...blasting the Warlord with my volcano cannons before finishing it off with aimed shots to the damaged legs from the apocalypse missiles.

With secondary objectives still in play, we continued, the Legio Magna Reavers putting some punishing fire onto the Warhounds, stripping most of their void shields. 

With the reactor running hot, this Warhound ran over to stand next to the enemy Reaver in case of an explosion. It was destroyed, but merely stumbled harmlessly into the larger engine.

However, the explosions were soon to follow. My Reaver blasted one of it's opposite number with such ferocity that it's magazine detonated, destroying my second Warhound and damaging both the remaining Reavers in the process!

With one engine remaining, the Legio Magna were in a spot of bother. However, my Reaver was hurting, so The Claw targeted it.

Continuing the theme of engine kills backfiring, the Reaver was destroyed, got the Wild fire result, and pointed itself directly at the enemy that had wrecked it, stripping the shields as it fell. Just in time for a volley from my Warlord to finish the Flaming Skull's resistance, and be the last engine standing!

So I think the three of us had a great day. Titanicus is awfully fun, and it's always nice to play with good people, well painted minis and on great terrain. We were also quite impressed with the venue, seen here in part from their first floor section. Plenty of space, staff member was helpful and awesome, and it's really easy to get to from the main road. As an added bonus, Titanicus is definitely a thing there, we saw at least two other games going on (including two other Legio Mortis forces in action!) I'd definitely go back for another go.