[In last week's episode, the Imperium deployed significant forces around a mysterious archeotech device of unknown origin...at least by the Imperium. As Inquisitorial assets performed various rituals of analysis, significant elements of the Astartes Chapter, November Warriors and the Grey Knights patrolled the immediate area, enforcing the strict information protocols required by the Ordo Hereticus and Ordo Malleus leadership. Although the initial phases of the operation were successful, the Imperial forces quickly found themselves engaged in an Eldar envelopment. The Eldar appeared out of nowhere and struck forcefully at the flanks of the Imperials in an attempt to quickly dislodge the screening forces and destroy the device which had breached the planet's surface. It was imperative that the activation protocols of the Obsidian Engine, inadvertently triggered by the Imperials, were shut down as quickly as possible before the consequences of an awakened device became manifest. As it was, the device had begun to develop into an new aspect that posed serious dangers to any living force within the immediate area.]
Turn 3
On the Imperial left flank, multiple combats continued to swirl and clash. Lightly armored Eldar and their kin were shredded by multiple incantations of Cleansing Flame. However, the accompanying wraith constructs were able to withstand the psychic violence and answered back with volleys of distort weaponry and the flashing of ghost glaives.
Closer to the center, yet deeper downfield, Ancients woken by their Mechanicus handlers stalked the battlefield, crushing those foolish enough to stray close enough to their grasp, resilient enough to hold at bay several squadrons of incoming Craftworld Mymeara Wave Serpents. Though less mobile than the xenos invaders, many times the Ancients used their vast experience to force the Eldar into choke points that channeled their advances, reducing their speed and agility.
That being said, the stream of Wave Serpent squadrons appeared to be unending. The Iyanden forces also heavily mechanized, and closely following the spear tip of the super heavy assault, threatened to drive a wedge into the right flank, exposing the firebase to additional shooting whilst rolling up the collapsing flank.
The Airmobile assets continued to rain heavy fire on the right flank, yet the preternatural agility of the great wraith constructs allowed them to duck behind ruins at the most inconvenient of times, causing the sky hunters to miss completely. Unfortunately some of the Iyanden Wave Serpents, did not display the same level of agility forcing many of the Serpents closer to the front into wildly evasive maneuvers to prevent their destruction. Even so, the horde of flyers observed at least one squad of wraith constructs disembark from their transport and slowly walk forwards.
Unfortunately, though visibly damaged by the aerial hunters, the Wraithknights continued to press into the Imperial fire base, though one mighty giant spun off to chase down the greatly feared and hated Culexus operative into a nearby building. It then sliced through the stone and steel with its keenly edged blade to end the operative's existence with one mighty strike.
Of more concern to the Imperials, was the continued progress of the Cobra super heavy skimmers. Unchecked by the diminishing fire to their immediate front and their ability to screen their presence amid ruined buildings, the massive distort blasts fired by these monsters continued to wreak havoc upon the Imperium defensive lines. Men and vehicles were rent asunder by the titanic blasts of distorted reality, sucked into the warp, lost forever.
The fury of the Eldar remained could not be contained. In support of the rushing advance by the Eldar skimmers, a squadron of Crimson Hunters entered the battlefield and began to remove the most threatening of the Imperial aircraft with an unrelenting precision. On this day, the heavy armor borne by the Astartes flyers seemed no match for the Eldar pulsar weaponry. Soon, the skies began to weep with flaming trails as ancient weapons, borne during the Strife brought by Horus, crashed to the ground, fatally punctured by the Eldar aspect flyers.
Unfortunately, though visibly damaged by the aerial hunters, the Wraithknights continued to press into the Imperial fire base, though one mighty giant spun off to chase down the greatly feared and hated Culexus operative into a nearby building. It then sliced through the stone and steel with its keenly edged blade to end the operative's existence with one mighty strike.
Of more concern to the Imperials, was the continued progress of the Cobra super heavy skimmers. Unchecked by the diminishing fire to their immediate front and their ability to screen their presence amid ruined buildings, the massive distort blasts fired by these monsters continued to wreak havoc upon the Imperium defensive lines. Men and vehicles were rent asunder by the titanic blasts of distorted reality, sucked into the warp, lost forever.
The fury of the Eldar remained could not be contained. In support of the rushing advance by the Eldar skimmers, a squadron of Crimson Hunters entered the battlefield and began to remove the most threatening of the Imperial aircraft with an unrelenting precision. On this day, the heavy armor borne by the Astartes flyers seemed no match for the Eldar pulsar weaponry. Soon, the skies began to weep with flaming trails as ancient weapons, borne during the Strife brought by Horus, crashed to the ground, fatally punctured by the Eldar aspect flyers.
Imperial VP 8, Eldar kin VP 6
Turn 3 Notes:
1. This was the turn that the Necron device "woke up". Everyone was concerned with where the device might strike. To give the Imperials credit, a techmarine and his servitors, along with their Land Raider transport had managed to hold this objective for three turns, thus taking advantage of the escalating VP values and allowing the Imperials to jump ahead early in the game. At one point, the squad was down to one servitor and by hiding behind his Land Raider withstood two full turns of Eldar shooting directed his way, defiantly refusing to yield, preserved by continually making amazing cover save rolls. In the end, however, the simplest solution was to take out the Land Raider and thus remove any chance for a lucky save.
2. There was a huge fur ball on the Imperial left flank. Jefe and Gar were throwing everything they had into it, but there is something to be said about the resilience of PA and TDA armor. Throw in some timely Cleansing Flame and you have quite a tough row to hoe. I wish that I had more time to watch the back and forth that Gar and Jefe were going through, but I was a little distracted by Mo using his air force to kick my hiney.
3. Speaking of air forces, it was pretty intimidating to see all those air craft with the business end pointed at my stuff. There were way too many lascannons and assault cannons to just stand there and say, "Eh, no biggee". It also didn't help that Mr. Downer (i.e. Culexus) was hanging around and ruining my party. So he had to go and I really didn't want to have to deal with him again, so Celebduin got the task and "he" won't be spoiling anyone's party ever again.
4. Although it seemed as if the momentum of the game had shifted to the Eldar, of greater concern was whether or not we would be able to wrest control of the objectives deep in Imperial territory, especially the Device. Leaving the Device uncontested would not allow us to get a leg up on points, yet it was dangerous to attempt to secure as the blast templates it was shooting were getting extremely dangerous. Multiple units faced the possibility of annihilation in one sweeping strike if the scatter die should decide to be...unreasonable.
2. There was a huge fur ball on the Imperial left flank. Jefe and Gar were throwing everything they had into it, but there is something to be said about the resilience of PA and TDA armor. Throw in some timely Cleansing Flame and you have quite a tough row to hoe. I wish that I had more time to watch the back and forth that Gar and Jefe were going through, but I was a little distracted by Mo using his air force to kick my hiney.
3. Speaking of air forces, it was pretty intimidating to see all those air craft with the business end pointed at my stuff. There were way too many lascannons and assault cannons to just stand there and say, "Eh, no biggee". It also didn't help that Mr. Downer (i.e. Culexus) was hanging around and ruining my party. So he had to go and I really didn't want to have to deal with him again, so Celebduin got the task and "he" won't be spoiling anyone's party ever again.
4. Although it seemed as if the momentum of the game had shifted to the Eldar, of greater concern was whether or not we would be able to wrest control of the objectives deep in Imperial territory, especially the Device. Leaving the Device uncontested would not allow us to get a leg up on points, yet it was dangerous to attempt to secure as the blast templates it was shooting were getting extremely dangerous. Multiple units faced the possibility of annihilation in one sweeping strike if the scatter die should decide to be...unreasonable.
Turn 4
The sun shakes in anger,
A staccato metal rain rends,
The ground punctured by failed flight,
How painful the sightless are,
Unable to perceive their destruction,
Yet standing adamant still,
We bring your darkness,
The swiftly coming storm flashes,
Great pools of uncertainty,
Your hatred anchors you to doom,
The unknown drags you into eternity,
But not in glory,
Giants stalk,
Hunters reaping unseen lives,
Never to know completeness,
Never to see the future,
The skeins draw tight against your paths,
There lies darkness,
Your sadness reigns,
Believing in your destiny,
You stumble like infants into calamity,
Blissfully unaware of danger,
Charging headlong into futility,
No hope there.
A staccato metal rain rends,
The ground punctured by failed flight,
How painful the sightless are,
Unable to perceive their destruction,
Yet standing adamant still,
We bring your darkness,
The swiftly coming storm flashes,
Great pools of uncertainty,
Your hatred anchors you to doom,
The unknown drags you into eternity,
But not in glory,
Giants stalk,
Hunters reaping unseen lives,
Never to know completeness,
Never to see the future,
The skeins draw tight against your paths,
There lies darkness,
Your sadness reigns,
Believing in your destiny,
You stumble like infants into calamity,
Blissfully unaware of danger,
Charging headlong into futility,
No hope there.
Imperial VP 9, Eldar kin VP 15, Eldar victory
Turn 4 Notes:
1. Turn Four was rather odd. It was almost as if some sort of...dike broke and the Imperials finally succumbed to the barrages of distort weaponry. Once the Cobras started getting in close enough, the GK Baneblade and Void Shield Generator went down, though the Baneblade still takes an incredible amount of punishment and keeps kicking. Along the way most of the Imperial ground AA assets were compromised and opened up more lines of advance for Eldar flyers, though they were still outnumbered over two to one.
2. Once again, Gar kept the pre-game activities spicy by shooting for the stars. As we were closing in on game day, he said "Yeah, those other units I was talking about...well, I need another ten thousand points to get those." Thankfully, our "relationship" has developed over time to where we can operate with a general plan or idea and the day of the battle finalize the details.
3. I think what really turned the momentum over to the Eldar the perseverance of the Eldar wraith constructs, coupled with our distort weaponry, primarily on the Imperial left flank and to a lesser extent on the right. At one point it seemed like there were a thousand figures on the left flank, battling it out. But by the end of this turn, the GK had been broken up into small remnants, Draigo had fled (only to be sniped by the Hornet assassination team, STW), and the Imperial knight was done. From there it was a matter of closing down the flank and holding objectives.
4. As I write this, something has occurred to me while I reflect on the battle. We've seen this happen a couple of times now, but the Imperials really cannot afford to have the Eldar get on their flanks or in their backfield. Now in this game, the Imperials were set up with large open flanks as part of the story, but I can see where just giving that territory up (whether by design or not) puts the Imperials in a very dangerous position.
I shall be keeping that in mind as we move forward. Though the Eldar were not originally intended to be major players in this story, now that the Tau faction has gotten their logistics unstuck, the Eldar can quietly fade into the "starlight", only stepping in occasionally to snip "blossoms" or adjust the skeins.
In the mean time, I suspect we'll be seeing some rather interesting toys show up for the next round of games, which will be used to advance the story line, so expect to see 2000 point battles amongst the main combatants from a narrative perspective.
Many thanks to Mo and Sarah for opening up their home to a bunch of nerds with toy soldiers, We really appreciate your generosity.
I also want to thank Mo, Jefe, and Gar for humoring me with this story line and letting it play out. We had thought that after this game we would wind this story up with a final Apoc game (Pt. II), but decided that there's still plenty of the story to tell (i.e. Gar has been able to paint more Tau), so our next set of games will be 2000 points and we will continue framing and guiding the story.
Cheers,
2. Once again, Gar kept the pre-game activities spicy by shooting for the stars. As we were closing in on game day, he said "Yeah, those other units I was talking about...well, I need another ten thousand points to get those." Thankfully, our "relationship" has developed over time to where we can operate with a general plan or idea and the day of the battle finalize the details.
3. I think what really turned the momentum over to the Eldar the perseverance of the Eldar wraith constructs, coupled with our distort weaponry, primarily on the Imperial left flank and to a lesser extent on the right. At one point it seemed like there were a thousand figures on the left flank, battling it out. But by the end of this turn, the GK had been broken up into small remnants, Draigo had fled (only to be sniped by the Hornet assassination team, STW), and the Imperial knight was done. From there it was a matter of closing down the flank and holding objectives.
4. As I write this, something has occurred to me while I reflect on the battle. We've seen this happen a couple of times now, but the Imperials really cannot afford to have the Eldar get on their flanks or in their backfield. Now in this game, the Imperials were set up with large open flanks as part of the story, but I can see where just giving that territory up (whether by design or not) puts the Imperials in a very dangerous position.
I shall be keeping that in mind as we move forward. Though the Eldar were not originally intended to be major players in this story, now that the Tau faction has gotten their logistics unstuck, the Eldar can quietly fade into the "starlight", only stepping in occasionally to snip "blossoms" or adjust the skeins.
In the mean time, I suspect we'll be seeing some rather interesting toys show up for the next round of games, which will be used to advance the story line, so expect to see 2000 point battles amongst the main combatants from a narrative perspective.
Many thanks to Mo and Sarah for opening up their home to a bunch of nerds with toy soldiers, We really appreciate your generosity.
I also want to thank Mo, Jefe, and Gar for humoring me with this story line and letting it play out. We had thought that after this game we would wind this story up with a final Apoc game (Pt. II), but decided that there's still plenty of the story to tell (i.e. Gar has been able to paint more Tau), so our next set of games will be 2000 points and we will continue framing and guiding the story.
Cheers,
In loving memory
Nancy Timbrook
1932 - 2016
Nancy Timbrook
1932 - 2016
"W-what are you doing in my cabin unannounced?"
"Most honored Old one, I am here to inform you that adjustments in policy, planning, and execution will be instituted immediately."
The Por'O stuttered, "How is this possible? I am unaware of any changes in the prosecution of this mission. I was not contacted about this!"
The Fire Caste commander smiled and said, "No...you were not contacted. It is very clear, even to the most jaded observer that the Greater Good is not being served. Your failed...attempts to secure items deemed vital to the continued expansion of our Empire can no longer be tolerated. Therefore, the mantle of command for this mission and its continued operations shall shift to myself."
The Por'O stood up and glared at the commander.
The Shas'O continued, "and please do not embarrass yourself by attempting to communicate with resources outside this mission. Your access protocols have been removed and you no longer may connect to any network. You shall remain here <looks around at the Por'O's large cabin> in your quarters until further notice. For your safety, I have deployed a security team outside. If you should have any needs not met by the service drone, they will be able to relay them to me."
Unable to contain himself, the Por'O hissed, "You will not get away with this outrage!"
The Commander merely nodded and left the Por'O's room.
"Most honored Old one, I am here to inform you that adjustments in policy, planning, and execution will be instituted immediately."
The Por'O stuttered, "How is this possible? I am unaware of any changes in the prosecution of this mission. I was not contacted about this!"
The Fire Caste commander smiled and said, "No...you were not contacted. It is very clear, even to the most jaded observer that the Greater Good is not being served. Your failed...attempts to secure items deemed vital to the continued expansion of our Empire can no longer be tolerated. Therefore, the mantle of command for this mission and its continued operations shall shift to myself."
The Por'O stood up and glared at the commander.
The Shas'O continued, "and please do not embarrass yourself by attempting to communicate with resources outside this mission. Your access protocols have been removed and you no longer may connect to any network. You shall remain here <looks around at the Por'O's large cabin> in your quarters until further notice. For your safety, I have deployed a security team outside. If you should have any needs not met by the service drone, they will be able to relay them to me."
Unable to contain himself, the Por'O hissed, "You will not get away with this outrage!"
The Commander merely nodded and left the Por'O's room.
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