Following my recent appearance on the Crown of Command Podcast, I was looking forward to tuning into a live game of 2nd Edition Space Marine on Sunday afternoon between the CoC host Joshua and a fellow Scot (also called Gordon). What I hadn't realised was that when Gordon unfortunately couldn't make the game, I'd be asked to step in and play in his place! As Joshua is based in Japan and I'm in Scotland, this was an international encounter which spanned space and time - with Joshua playing 8 hours ahead of me!
As someone who'd been playing (some version of) Net Epic for 20 years or so, it was interesting to revist 2nd Edition again. There aren't that many differences between the two systems - Net Epic is the fan version of 2nd Edition after all - but it did mean that you'll hear me checking a few things with Joshua as we played.
Image Copyright: Games Workshop
Preparations:
The original game planned was intended to be 4K (hence the title on YouTube), but, due to the last minute switch, the battle was reduced to 3K. The forces were as follows:-
My Squats:
And Joshua's Orks:
Please note that the Bowelburnas were dropped from Joshua's force. This was due to my force totalling 2,950 rather than 3,000 points. While I was happy to take the slight shortfall, Joshua very sportingly reduced his force by the same amount.
Highlights:
Praetorians v Slasha Gargant: Joshua positioned his Slasha opposite my trio of Praetorians - a Leviathan, Land Train and the might Colossus! Although Gargants can soak up a fair amount of firepower, facing that mighty trio inevitably led to a punishing bombardment upon the beleaguered Slasha! As much as I love fielding Gargants myself, Squats are possibly the most dangerous opponents for them to face because of the power of their relatively cheap war machines - and I felt sorry for Joshua when the sheer number of hits stacked up and inevitably pummelled the Slasha into destruction!
Ghazghkull Thrakka: I never owned the Space Marine Battles book which I understand introduced a number of special characters to the game, one of whom was the Ork leader Ghazghkull Thrakka. On one turn of the game he can call upon an ability which sees enemy forces suffer a -1 on all of their rolls to hit AND all of the Orks gain an additional attack dice to their Close Combat attacks. When this ability was unleashed, the Goff mob which had just engaged my entire Squat Guild Biker Force suddenly cut through the normally very effective bikers like a hot knife through butter! Had I not just taken out that Gargant, I would have been feeling very sore about the encounter, but fortunately I had the luxury of being amused by it! That said, when Ghazghkull got back in his battlewagon and made the mistake of being caught out in open ground by my Land Train, mortaring the little swine was very satisfying! Net Epic doesn't have any of the special characters, but on this evidence I can see why! In a larger battle, that ability could prove near-impossible to beat!
Closing Reflections:
I had a lot of fun playing against Joshua and remote play, a few minor technical hitches aside, went better than I had reason to believe. It certainly helped that there were two cameras showing me views of the board (only one can be seen in the Youtube video) and that there wasn't an over-abundance of terrain, meaning Line of Sight issues were minimised.
In terms of tactics, the open board definitely benefited my praetorians, which in the end dominated the centre of the board. An accurate ball round could have certainly impeded my progress there, but the Slasha went after my Squat warriors with the more reliable high explosive rounds. I'm not criticising Joshua for making that decision as there was an objective my Warriors were protecting which he could have reasonable expectation of taking during the game - although he did mention that with my three Praetorians bunched so closely together, even if the ball round had scattered, there was a fair chance it would hit one of my war machines!
I was surprised that Joshua kept some of his troops in the transports, because for longer than I care to remember, I've been instinctively dismounting my troops on the first turn. I can see how giving the units a 4+ save in the transports may be tempting, but that is no cover at all if it is hit with the devastating Doomsday Cannon. In general terms though, if the transport is destroyed, it and the troops inside are all wiped out (usually 3 models, but in the case of Orks in battlewagons, 4): better to make the opponent have to destroy 3 or 4 targets than 1. Note: In Net Epic you get a 4+ bail out roll but this too is modified by the weapon TSM. I was very pleased to significantly thin their ranks this way and it almost broke the Evil Sunz Clan on Turn 1. The other argument I'd make for dismounting troops is that if they're inside vehicles, they can't fire or close assault which means you aren't getting the use of the infantry.
As mentioned, the Ork ability tore apart my Biker Force. The Squat bikers +4 CAF is usually great and I expected my bikers to cause the Orks massive problems on that flank - so this was pretty shocking to see!
I want to thank Joshua again for having me on and giving me my first taste of wargaming in Japan - all from the comfort of my chair in Scotland! Thanks also for running about and trying to follow my sometimes poorly described orders for moving the miniatures! If he'll have me again, I'll be delighted to face him in a rematch!
The Long Shot campaign continues with The Battle of Lorimax, a scenario I've developed myself for my players' adventures in the Fakir Sector. I wish to acknowledge the input of Mr Nexx, Garhkal, Grimace, KageRyu, and Raven Redstar on the Rancor Pit - with a special acknowledgement to CR McNeill whose rules allowed me to run the sprawling space battle at the heart of this adventure. CR's rules have been published on this blog and are available here. Please also visit The Rancor Pit to join the excellent community there (unless you're one of my players, in which case stay away)!
As usual, I own none of the images, all of which with the exception of one were sourced from google images. The exception is an image of Green Squadron X-Wings which was created by Rendered Sci-Fi Art on Facebook - please give their page a like! Please note that this is an advert free, not for profit blog.
Captain Hannah
Blue Lightning's Triumph:
Music Cue: Rebels at Bay
Before touching down on Nowhere, Tala confronts Captain Hannah on board the Yindao. Her thoughts are very much on their recent mission on Callonia, and their infiltration of the Imperial Base there.
Tala: Do you think you could give us some warning next time you are going to set off thermal detonators? You could have killed us all!
Hannah: I did warn you! I told everyone to run!
Tala: Yeah, except that some of us were caught in the middle of a firefight with Stormtroopers!
Hannah: The mission required us to move with haste....but I'm sorry if my actions risked harm to any of you. It was not my intention...
Tala: Sure, just remember we're not expendable, that's all...
Tala leaves a dejected Hannah as Corr brings the Yindao out of hyperspace alongside Nowhere. As he does so, he sees a Tsukkian water tanker beside their ship. As he glides the Yindao into the hangar, he sees that there are a large number of old droids from the Clone Wars in the hangar bay - and that many of the Rebels on board are in a celebratory mood!
Tsukkian Water Tanker
Corr: Oh aye, somethin's afoot here! Don't hold yer breath for a heroes welcome!
As the team exit their freighter, they see members of Blue Lightning are at the centre of the excitement. Kaleban waves over a Rebel engineer and points to the commotion.
Droids in Nowhere's hangar (minus the guns and defeated droids)!
Kaleban: What's all this fuss about? What's going on?
Engineer: It's Blue Lightning! They found a decommissioned factory from the clone wars. The droids had just been switched off! At at the flick of a switch, suddenly they've got us a crew able to make Nowhere fully operational! They brought them here in that old Tsukkian water hauler! Thank the force for Blue Lightning, eh?
Blue Lightning (l to r): Janaos Sobari, Captain Uldrir Gonibar, Zuel Zeemor & Krenan Soulreaver
As their rivals are raised aloft for their successes, their engineer and X-Wing pilot, Janoas Sobari catches the Vipers looking his way. He casts them a very smug grin and makes a mocking salute.
Kaleban: I don't care if everyone else around here loves them, Blue Lightning's still a dumb name.
Corr: Aye, ah cannae stand that Blue Lightning bunch!
Tala: Watch it! That's my old team you're talking about!
Bots: Mine too.
Captain Hannah: All right, that's enough! Let's go and debrief the General.
Once the debriefing has ended, General Reekeene thanks the Green Vipers for their efforts, but she too seems excited by the arrival of the new droids. She hints at another important mission being planned, and instructs the team to work on their fighter-piloting skills. Bots declines to do so, while Hannah, interested in Nowhere's operations, requests he work with Mikka Reekeene on the Command Deck. Corr and Tala perform drills on the X-Wings, while Kaleban trains on a Y-Wing.
Mission Briefing:
Music Cue: Rebel Briefing
General Lens Reekeene calls her entire Roughnecks to the command deck. Also in attendance is her husband Mikka and her advisor Santhou.
Lens: Thanks to the efforts of our Green Vipers, we've learned that Moff Lorin, Fakir Sector's new replacement after we captured Dixton, has requested additional resources. It seems we've been ruffling a few too many feathers!
Santhou: The reinforcements consist of a Troop Transport and two Imperial Raiders. We understand that the Troop Transport is carrying over a hundred veteran Stormtroopers from the 501st, Vader's own.
Santhou
Lens: While that speaks volumes of our successes, were these reinforcements to reach their destinations across the sector, it would be bad news for our operations...
Santhou: ...but the intelligence we've gathered indicates that the convoy will be stopping off at Lorimax to dock with a refuelling vessel. The Imperials won't be expecting us. However, that Troop Transport and those Raiders are well armed. A fighter assault could expect to suffer significant losses...
Lens: Which is why we're going to be throwing everything we have at it. Thanks to Blue Lightning, Nowhere is fully operational and can join the attack. We need pilots for the X-Wings and Y-Wings. Every ship - that means fighters, freighters and pleasure boats alike - and every member of the Roughnecks needs to play their part.
Santhou: The strategy will be for Nowhere to close in on the Transport and Raiders and hit them with everything we've got - but each Raider has four TIEs each. The priority for X-Wings will be to keep those TIEs in check and cover our Y-Wings too. Y-Wing ion cannon will be key in knocking down the Transport and Raiders' shields. Both Y-Wings and X-Wings will be fully loaded with Proton Torpedoes. They will be more effective against unshielded targets, but use your own judgement as to when to launch these. Make sure that you're right on your target when you launch those missiles - the range is poor and they're difficult to use even at medium range. The nav computers on every ship have been programmed with the astrogation for both for the jump to Lorimax and the jump to the rendezvous point after the assault - so all ships can escape at any time if the heat gets unbearable.
Lens: That's right, so we get in there, take out that transport, and then jump out again. I want all Roughnecks to inform their Captains of what role they'll be playing and then for the Captains to liaise with Santhou in order that we can plan our attack. That convoy is already on its way to Lorimax and our hyperspace jump will take a few days, so we have to be rolling within three hours. That's tight, but doable - plus we can refine our plan during lightspeed. You don't need me to tell you how critical this mission is. Everything is on the line. But we have the advantage - and for once, superior firepower. Let's get to it! Captain Hannah, a word if I may?
As the briefing room empties, Hannah approaches the General.
Lens: You once Captained a Star Destroyer...
Hannah: Yes. I'm trying to make amends for the things I had to do on that ship.
Lens: Then there's never been a better opportunity. My husband Mikka, he may be Nowhere's Captain...but we've never been tested in battle. I know you took the opportunity recently to familiarise yourself with Nowhere's Command Bridge. And you have experience of capital ship engagements like this. There's no one better qualified to lead this mission.
Hannah: I'm flattered. The droids certainly would provide a more agreeable crew than my own...
Tala: You're going to entrust the entire operation to him?
Lens: You have something to say about Captain Hannah's leadership? Last I checked, there'd been no fatalities in the Green Vipers since he took charge. That's quite the turnaround for a team who'd had member dying with alarming regularity. Some of the more cynical members of our crew on Nowhere had even been taking bets on who would die next.
Tala falls silent under the General's withering gaze and Captain Hannah nods appreciatively.
Lens: That's settled then, please take the bridge...Captain Hannah.
The Vipers are reassigned to four-ship squadrons - Corr remains in Green Vipers with R3-FU as his personal astromech, but Tala is assigned to Purple Squadron and Kaleban to Gold Squadron.
Having little aptitude for space combat, Bots volunteers to coordinate the remaining Roughnecks on Nowhere to set up defences on the off-chance that any boarding parties touch down on their vessel. Identifying the main corridors (marked in red on the image below) that a boarding party might seek to exploit, Bots has six E-web guns set up (marked in yellow), with an emphasis on defending the hangar bay and the lengthy corridor which leads to the Command Bridge.
He positions himself by one of the E-Webs on the edge of the hangar bay, while the others make their way to their fighters to make pre-flight checks. Much to Captain Hannah's annoyance, C4-S0 stays on the bridge with him and his mistress, General Reekeene. To protect the fighters, Hannah wants them to stay in the hangar bay until he has sufficiently drained the troop transport's shields and left it open to attack!
Janaos Sobari, one of Blue Lightning's pilots, shouts across from his X-Wing.
Sobari: Just remember we're in this together, Vipers! I don't want to die out there because you didn't have my back! We all know that getting Rebels killed is what you're good at! If I don't come back, I expect questions to be asked of your actions during this engagement!
An alarm sounds as Nowhere makes the jump to hyperspace...
Arrival at Lorimax:
Music Cue: Into the Trap
As Nowhere drops out of hyperspace, it spots the Troop Transport and Imperial Raiders ahead of them - exactly where they should be. What they are unaware of however, is the presence of a nearby Star Destroyer - Moff Lorin's vessel, the Clenched Fist - and an Interdictor frigate!
Cut to:- the bridge of the Transport where an officer shouts to his Captain.
Assault Transport
Officer: Captain! Sensors picking up ships in sector 7! Readings suggest a Providence-class Dreadnaught and fighters moving to attack position!
Captain: Just as Moff Lorin had foreseen! Sound the alarm! Prepare for battle!
As Hannah orders the gunners to open fire, Nowhere's Ion Cannon and Quad Turbolasers hammer the Troop Transport and strip its shields! The Troop Transport and Raiders return fire, but their fire fails to inflict any damage on the Nowhere.
Nowhere arrives over Lorimax
Key: Green box shows Nowhere and its fighters. Each fighter represents a "flight" of four fighters. The Yindao also represents four freighters which have been tasked with keeping Nowhere safe from attack.
Red box shows the Clenched fist and beyond it the Interdictor. There are also groups of four TIEs and five single Lambda shuttles...
Finally, in the Blue box, are the Raiders, the Troop Transport, and more TIEs!
Cut to: fighters in Nowhere's hangar bay.
Hannah (over radio): All wings launch for battle!
The fighters blast off and spew out of Nowhere's hangar bay.
Gold Leader: All wings report in!
Tala: Purple Three standing by!
Kaleban: Gold Two standing by!
Corr: Green Five standing by!
Sobari: Pah! Never mind those Green Vipers - Blue One standing by!
Blue Leader: Cut the chatter Blue One! Lock s-foils to attack position!
Tala: Wait, off to the right, we've gotta Star Destroyer on Nowhere's tail!
Cut to:- Command Bridge. Captain Hannah rushes over to the sensors suite.
Hannah: Status report!
Crewman: Sir, our sensors are being overwhelmed with static! We're being jammed!
Hannah: How can they be jamming us if they don't know we're coming...
Crewman: ...picking up readings now, two Star Destroyers, one Imperial-class, one frigate - behind us!
General Reekeene: Abort the mission!
Hannah: We're already engaged with the troop transports! Finish them and go as planned! We only need to hold our nerve for a few more seconds, General, and we'll succeed in doing what we set out to achieve!
General Reekeene looks anxious, but nods in agreement.
Hannah: Fighters - proceed on mission! Gunners - hit 'em again!
Droids all over Nowhere fire their cannon.
New droids operating Nowhere's Cannon!
This time explosions tear across the Troop Transport's hull! It's severely damaged, but not gone yet! TIE fighters drop off from racks on the Raiders and swoop to intercept the X-Wing and Y-Wing squadrons, exchanging fire as they close in!
Tala: Purple squadron, ignore those TIEs - hit that transport!
Following Tala's lead, the squadron concentrate fire on the Troop Transport - and destroy it!
Tala
Corr: Whoa! That got 'em!
Cut to:- the bridge of the Clenched Fist. A Captain glances anxiously at Moff Lorin as the Troop Transport explodes ahead of them.
Captain Unsa: What are we waiting for? We must open fire!
Lorin: Calm yourself, Captain. Remember we lured them here to take them and their vessel. I want those shuttles to close on their target - once the 501st are on board, they're doomed.
Moff Lorin
The Imperial Raiders start laying down fire, but their shots fail to trouble Nowhere! They do trouble the X-Wings - but, despite getting a little cooked, the squadrons manage to survive their wrath!
An Imperial Raider fires at the X-Wing Squadrons
Cut to:- bridge of Nowhere. Captain Hannah calls upon all of his experience - and pulls off a tactical masterstroke! Both of Nowhere's front and side arcs catch the Imperial Raider and pound it with everything they have - destroying the frigate in the briefest of exchanges!
The Clenched Fist devastates the Raider
Hannah sneers with satisfaction at his triumph and nods to General Reekeene.
Hannah: Mission accomplished, General! Crew, get us out of here!
As the crew activate the hyperdrive, Nowhere shudders and the engines make a horrible sound!
Hannah: What the blazes? Sensor team - status report!
Crewman: Sir, I don't understand! It's as if we're caught in a gravity well!
Hannah: An Imperial Interdictor!
Lens: It's a trap!
Hannah: It's the smaller of the two Star Destroyers, it's laying down gravity wells to prevent our escape! We need to outrun it!
Music Cue: The Final Battle
Cut to:- X and Y-Wing fighters. Fire from the TIEs and the Raider lights up space around them!
Kaleban: The only way to escape is to take down that Interdictor! Nowhere'll never outrun it!
Corr: Captain Hannah, bring Nowhere around, we need cover tae take down that Interdictor!
Hannah (radio): Negative. I need to protect the lives of everyone on this ship. The best way to do that is to take Nowhere clear.
Corr: Yer abandonin' us! We'll be smoked like we were tae be the main course at a Barabel feast!
Sobari: I'm getting a reading on Lambda Shuttles closing on Nowhere! I'd bet that there's a boarding party on board - the 501st! All wings turn around and engage!
Corr: Negative! That Interdictor is our target! Follow my lead!
Sobari: Damn you Vipers! You don't care if anyone on the ship lives or dies! I'm taking out these shuttles!
The other wings agree with Corr's assessment and launch an attack run on the Interdictor, while Sobari engages the shuttles!
One of five shuttles headed for Nowhere!
Sobari's flight comes under heavy fire and two X-Wings are destroyed under a hail of supporting fire from the nearby Star Destroyer! They inflict damage on one of the shuttles, but Sobari's own fighter suffers serious damage too! He spins his ship around and returns to Nowhere's hangar bay for urgent repairs to his ship...
Meanwhile, as the other squadrons Rebels approach the Interdictor head on, Tala winces!
Tala: I don't like the idea of engaging one of these things head on! Feels like...suicide!
Corr: Don't worry, we're so small that we can easily evade their weapons!
Tala screams and pulls at her controls as a barrage of heavy fire tears through her flight, destroying one of the accompanying X-Wings!
Tala: You were saying?
Corr: Aye, well, they can get lucky too! Hit 'em wi' yer Proton Torpedoes, light 'em up!
The combined might of the X-Wings drop a payload of torpedoes on the Interdictor but the ship soaks up the attack with ease!
Corr: Ah cannae get through their shields!
Kaleban: Maybe I can help there! We're starting our attack run! Hit that Interdictor with Ion Cannon, Gold Squadron!
The Y-Wings pummel the Interdictor with their Ion Cannon and blow the ship's shields!
Kaleban: I've cleared the way! Hit 'em again!
Kaleban
Tala: I'm coming around again. Corr, are you with me?
Corr: With ye, and way ahead of ye, Tala!
Corr's wing has already spun around and is making another attack run!
Green Squadron launch their attack - image courtesy of Rendered Sci-Fi Art on Facebook.
As they pass over the Interdictor's bridge, they drop another salvo of Proton Torpedoes! The torpedoes slam through two gravity well projectors and tear up the surface of the hull! As the explosions intensify, Corr and his squadron desperately outrun the fireball and clear the hull as a climactic explosion tears the Interdictor apart in a spectacular explosion!
Interdictor incinerated!
Corr: Woo-hoo! All wings and Nowhere - we've just tanned that Interdictor! Hit yer hyperdrive an' ah'll see youse on the other side!
Corr Alden
As the Lambda shuttles approach Nowhere's hangar bay, it and all the fighters and frieghters engage their hyperdrives and make their escape!
On their return to Nowhere, the pilots emerge from their vessels to a hero's welcome. Hoisted on to the shoulders of other jubilant Rebels, the Green Vipers finally seem to have won around their fellow Roughnecks and they bask in the glory of their victory. Remembering Solari's earlier actions, Kaleban grins smugly and returns a mocking salute. Judging by the look on his face, Sobari's pride is even more badly damaged than his smoking X-Wing.
Once the celebrations die down, the Vipers are asked to report to General Reekeene on the Observation Deck.
Music Cue: A Princess Appears
Lens: Thank you all for your heroism in our battle today. However...it seems obvious that we dropped into a trap. That would mean that the Imperials fed us deliberate misinformation. The question is how?
Tala: Was it possibly JiBa? Is it possible he defected to the Empire?
Lens: While I don't doubt his ill intent, this doesn't seem like JiBa's style. If he's to have his revenge, I'd expect him to lead the attack against us, not get the Imperials to do his dirty work. Was there anything that went wrong on Iyuta on your mission to plant the listening device? Please search your minds, anything that was out of the ordinary, even the littlest detail.
Corr: The contact...Chilla, wasn't it? When we arrived on Iyuta, her bar had been burned down.
Lens: Burned down? Continue...
Corr: Aye, well... We went looking for her and found someone claiming to be her. I tried to be careful but Hannah just told her everything, that we were Rebels'n that...
Kaleban: Talk about throwing him under a sandcrawler...
Tala: Can you confirm if the person we spoke to was Chilla?
Lens: I will send agents to investigate, but was there anything else you can think of about that mission that was suspicious?
Corr: We did see what looked like a dead Rebel in the sewers...
Lens: Did you check the body for I.D.?
Corr: Naw, there was a one-eyed tentacled beast thing in the water. We had tae get oot of there!
Music Cue: Finale (Empire Strikes Back)
Lens: ...I think it's fair to say that the body may have belonged to Chilla and that the person you met was an Imperial agent. I suspect she sent you to plant the bugging device to feed us with misinformation to draw us out, and destroy our cell in one fell swoop. We're fortunate to still be alive. This will not be discussed outside this room - but your failure at Iyuta could have been the end of us all. You Vipers can't afford to keep making mistakes. Every life lost brings the Empire's final victory ever-closer. We need to assume that the 501st were on those shuttles. That means we can expect to run into them in our operations across the Sector. To everyone else on this ship, this will be celebrated as a famous victory...but don't get carried away with your newfound celebrity. We all know the truth. Dismissed.
Closing Reflections:
The Tsukkian Water Freighter shown at the start of this episode is a nod to the original campaign setting as outlined in "Classic Adventures" module. That ship was called "Home" and was where the Roughnecks operated from. I rejected it for two reasons: I didn't particularly like its design, but, more importantly, I wanted a ship that could have some fighting capabilities so that I could run an adventure along the lines of this one at some stage. I thought a relic from the Clone Wars - a ship like General Grevious' Invisible Hand - fit the bill perfectly.
I couldn't remark on it here at the time, but obviously Episode VII: The Plant was a mission the team failed. I felt bad about taking the good out of what they'd done, but the truth of the matter was that this wouldn't have happened had they realised the problem during The Plant mission. They'd been Conned by the Imperial Agent (I got them to make Perception rolls at the start of the session) posing as Chilla and planted their device with the Empire's full knowledge. Had they fished the body out of the sewer, they would indeed have discovered that it was Agent Chilla. Once he knew the device was in place, Moff Lorin deliberately planned to trap the Rebels and capture them with the boarding party. I did take some satisfaction from the realisation afterwards that Lens' exchange with the team shared similarities with Leia's conversation with Poe in the destroying of a Dreadnaught ship at the beginning of The Last Jedi.
Despite the failure and General Reekeene's final remarks, the team did well here! Nowhere is a powerful ship, but I hadn't quite realised just how easily it could deal damage to the smaller frigates! I asked the players what they thought about the Capital Ship Rules and they said they enjoyed the battle - and that they'd be pleased to be involved in another one again!
There's no doubt that the team got lucky with the Y-Wings blowing the Interdictor's shields and that, as a consequence, the Proton Torpedoes were able to finish the job. I'd allowed the players to spend Character Points to add to damage, but, in retrospect, I don't think I'd allow that again. We'd already banned it at character level, but I did want a certain amount of lethality in the combat for this encounter, so allowed it on this one occasion. While I don't regret it being used in this adventure - as it provided an excellent climax - I do think, in general, that it's too powerful a mechanic to throw into the mix.
Special thanks to CR McNeill for all of his help with these rules which, when we collaborated together, were designed with this one adventure in mind! I look forward to putting them to use again at some point in the future!
This adventure is intended for the Star Wars D6 RPG system and, although it is very much tailored to my own players and campaign, it should be adaptable to other GM's campaign settings. It is assumed that GM's own a copy of Star Wars REUP rules, *available here* or West End Games' Star Wars D6 R&E before play begins.
Please note that I do not own the images contained in this adventure, they were all sourced from Google images, although I have altered some of them to provide information. This is a not for profit, advert free blog.
Special thanks for the input of Mr Nexx, Garhkal, Grimace, KageRyu, and Raven Redstar on the Rancor Pit - with a special acknowledgement to CR McNeill whose rules which we're using are available on this blog here. Please also visit The Rancor Pit to join the excellent community there (unless you're one of my players, in which case stay away)!
Background:
I've been running the Long Shot Campaign which has the materials has the players operating from a huge water hauler spacecraft called Home. I decided to tweak this to call the ship Nowhere and to change the ship type to a Providence-class dreadnought (much like General Grevious
' ship the Invisible Hand that featured in the opening sequence of Revenge of the Sith). At the beginning of the campaign, Nowhere was completely defenceless, but as the months wore on, General Reekeene - whose squadrons of Roughnecks have been operating from the base - has slowly been returning the vessel to a semblance of its former glory. The player team go by the name of Green Vipers.
In a previous mission, the Sector's new commander, Moff Lorin, allowed the Rebels to plant a bugging device under a Communications Centre on Iyuta and has been providing the Rebels with genuine information about Imperial operations in the sector. Lorin's plan has been to allow the Rebels to disrupt smaller Imperial operations in the hope of drawing out Nowhere to wipe out Reekeene's Roughnecks in one fell swoop. That time has now come.
Moff Lorin
An Imperial Assault Transport will be entering the system carrying veteran Stormtroopers - and Reekeene's Roughnecks will be targeting these vessels. Unfortunately, Moff Lorin's Star Destroyer flagship, the Clenched Fist and an Interdictor Star Destroyer will also be in attendance to destroy the Rebels!
GMs can come up with their own reasons for running this adventure. If it is the case that their home base is on a planet, then they may wish to provide some additional exposition to explain that the bulk of the base's staff have boarded a capital ship to carry out this mission. Additional explanation may be required as to where that ship came from, but I don't see any reason why Alliance Command would not lend a local system a capital ship. There is nothing to stop fellow GMs changing the type of capital ship used in this scenario, or for that matter, adapting the scenario in any way they see fit.
Mission Briefing:
Music Cue: Rebel Briefing
General Lens Reekeene calls her entire Roughnecks to the command deck. Also in attendance is her husband Mikka and her advisor Santhou.
Lens: We've learned that Moff Lorin, Fakir Sector's new replacement after we captured Dixton, has requested additional resources. It seems we've been ruffling a few too many feathers!
Santhou: The reinforcements consist of over one hundred veteran Stormtroopers from the 501st, Vader's own. They'll be brought in to our sector on board an Imperial Assault Transport and will have two Imperial Raiders escorting them.
Lens: While that speaks volumes of our successes, were these reinforcements to reach their destinations across the sector, it would be bad news for our operations...
Santhou: ...but the intelligence we've gathered indicates that the convoy will be stopping off at Lorimax to dock with a refuelling station. The Imperials won't be expecting us. However, taking out an Assault Transport will be no easy feat, especially with the Raiders in close attendance. A fighter assault would expect to suffer significant losses...
Lens: Which is why we're going to be throwing everything we have at it. Nowhere will be joining the attack. We need pilots for the X-Wings. Every ship - that means fighters, freighters and pleasure boats alike - and every member of the Roughnecks needs to play their part.
Santhou: The strategy will be for Nowhere to close in on the convoy and hit them with everything we've got - but each Raider has four TIEs each. The priority for X-Wings will be to keep those TIEs in check - but there's more of you than there are of them - and TIEs are no match for X-Wings. Your fighters will be fully loaded with Proton Torpedoes. They will be more effective against unshielded targets, but use your own judgement as to when to launch these. Make sure that you're right on your target when you launch those missiles - the range is poor and they're difficult to use even at medium range. The nav computers on every ship have been programmed with the astrogation for both for the jump to Lorimax and the jump to the rendezvous point after the assault - so all ships can escape at any time.
Lens: That's right, so we get in there, hit that Transport hard, and then jump out again. I want all Roughnecks to inform their Captains of what role they'll be playing and then for the Captains to liaise with Santhou in order that we can plan our attack. Those ships are already on their way to Lorimax and our hyperspace jump will take a few days, so we have to be rolling within three hours. That's tight, but doable - plus we can refine our plan during lightspeed. You don't need me to tell you how critical this mission is. Everything we've built here is on the line. But we have the advantage - and for once, superior firepower. Let's get to it!
Allow the other PCs to work out what they want to do during the attack. They can opt to fly in X-Wings, their own ship(s), or man guns on Nowhere. If there is anyone on the team who has experience of Capital Ship Piloting, they may be asked to Captain Nowhere. All fighters will be fully armed with torpedoes as outlined on the stats on REUP. Team Captains should relay their team's choices to Santhou and should make any suggestions they see fit about mission tactics. When the team is set, any ships should take up position around Nowhere before making the jump to hyperspace. Mark these up on a map before making the jump so the positions are clear when the battle begins.
From hereon in, it is assumed that the GM is familiar with the Capital Ship Combat rules and has access to the Command Decks provided in the Appendices of that post.
Commanding Nowhere:
Nowhere is operating with a skeleton crew of 8,300 which means it has a difficulty of 15 to Command. However, as most of the crew are droids, they are easier to Command than a self-aware crew and so the difficulty has been modified to 12.
If anyone is concerned about defending Nowhere, here is a map of the vessel with the key command corridors off of which some important areas of the ship can be accessed. General Reekeene has 6 E-web guns which can be deployed anywhere.
The Command Corridor which leads to the Command Bridge is the most critical of these. It is 850 metres long and there are doors which grant access to the reactor and shield generators periodically placed along it. These can be locked down from the Command Deck (it is likely that General Reekeene will suggest doing so even if none of the party don't do so). At the far end of the corridor is a set up central turbo lifts which provide access up to the Ground Forces Command Bridge or down towards the hangar bay or the storage beneath it. The corridor which leads from the turbo lasers to the hangar is 150 metres long. At the rear of the ship are the engines and hyperdrive modules which General Reekeene will have locked down with ray shields (effectively making them off-limits for the adventure). Another corridor, 75 metres long, leads to the turbo lift which grants access to the Observation Deck.
None of the above is worth getting too hung up on, it is really a schematic to illustrate the main routes that the Stormtroopers will take if they board the ship. Their priority will be to get to the Command Bridge and capture the ship and Command Crew. When the team are ready to go, you can run this video to build the excitement ahead of the battle!
The Battle of Lorimax:
Music Cues: Into the Trap, The Sith Spacecraft and Droid Battle, Hyperspace, The Asteroid Field, Ben's Death and TIE Fighter Attack, Rescue of the Princess, The Last Battle
When the ships drop out of hyperspace they will see the Imperial Assault Transport, two Raiders and the refuelling station in the distance.
Sensors: If they think to make Sensors scans behind them, they will provide no readings as that area of subspace has flooded been with static. This is because there is a Star Destroyer behind them which is jamming sensors! If they alert General Reekeene, Nowhere will be able to cut through the chatter to reveal the trap. Whether they contact Reekeene or not, their sensors will pick up the Raiders and their TIEs - and that there are large TIE swarms holding position just outside the fringes of play.
Hyperdrive: An Interdictor Star Destroyer is behind the Rebel fleet which is fully powered up and will lay down a gravity well to prevent the Rebels making a hyperspace jump to safety! Unless the PCs realise the Interdictor is there, the first they'll know about it is when they try to make the jump to hyperspace when their engines make a horrible noise and fail to engage!
Tactics: As soon as the PCs realise that something is amiss, Tactics rolls are allowed against Moff Lorin. A success will reveal that he has set a trap with the Interdictor holding the entire Rebel fleet in place. What is unusual is that the Interdictor has not opened fire, nor has Lorin's Star Destroyer, although it may be beyond the limits of its range to target the Rebels. A Tactics roll may also uncover a detail about the refuelling station which could be of critical importance, more on that below.
Survival: Once the PCs are aware of the Interdictor placing the gravity well near them, an Easy Survival roll will identify that if the fleet can get clear of the gravity wells, they can make the jump to hyperspace. This simply means that they have to outrun the Interdictor which X-Wings and Y-Wings can do, but Nowhere cannot: fleeing would consign their home ship to capture. Disabling the Interdictor's Gravity Well projectors will be the other route of escape (see more below). A Very Difficult Tactics roll will provide a player with a full understanding of how the Gravity Well Projectors operate (see below).
Fighters: Fighters are arranged into Flights (see Capital Ship rules) which increase their Scale to 8D. They are represented by a single image on the map (i.e. One X-Wing = 4 X-Wings, One Y-Wing = 4 Y-Wings, One freighter = 4 Freighters.)
Notes on running the battle: With hordes of ships involved in this conflict, it's easy to get bogged down in detail. See the end of this post for the key stats required, but each stage of the battle is broken down into sections. As GM, a "brush strokes" approach to the battle should be taken. Allow the PCs to directly control their ships and have Nowhere respond accordingly. In other words, if the PCs decide to hit the Raiders, Nowhere will follow in support; if they spin around to deal with the Interdictor to try to disable it to facilitate their escape, Nowhere will do likewise. Depending on where the Rebels head, it may be necessary to scroll items on the map, so be ready to do so. This battle is in open space so there is no requirement to worry about any other terrain.
Deployment (notes follow image):
Green Box: Deployment for Nowhere and the surrounding fighters.
Blue Box: The Imperial Assault Transport and two Raiders with their 8 TIEs are in close proximity to the refuelling tanker at the top of the map.
Red Box: Imperial-class Star Destroyer, Interdictor, Lambda shuttles + 16 TIEs.
Not Shown: Most of the Star Destroyers' TIE fighters (56) have been deployed into 2 TIE swarms of 28 (7 Flights) apiece - both groups are off of the map to the left and right. If the signal for either squadron is given to join the battle, it takes 3 rounds for them to enter the board. The remaining 16 TIEs are on board the Imperial Start Destroyer and will deploy to escort the Lambda shuttles to Nowhere's hangar bay.
The main options the PCs have are as follows:
1) Hit the Transport and Raiders as planned and try to outrun the pursuing ships. No problem in doing this but the Interdictor can match Nowhere's speed and the ship cannot make the jump until it is disabled.
2) Spin around to confront the Interdictor. Possibly the best plan as the whole Roughnecks operation is at stake here. The only problem is that Moff Lorin is no fool; he has positioned it behind his own flagship Imperial Star Destroyer, the Clenched Fist.
3) Turn away to fly directly at one of the TIE swarms. As the Rebel ships turn, adjust the map accordingly to reveal the fighters (again, they fly in Flights of 4, so use 9 TIE icons to represent this).
Imperial Tactics:
Moff Lorin wants to take Nowhere intact to make a show out of publicly executing the Rebels - although, if the fight starts to turn the Rebels' way (unlikely), he will settle for their destruction. I've split the tactics down into those for the various factions.
The Transport, Raiders & Refuelling Station:
1) The Transport, and two Raiders have been refuelled but remain in close proximity to the refuelling station. They will hold position, laying down heavy laser fire to attempt to prevent the Rebels breaking through and escaping. If the Rebels head directly for the Interdictor, they will only join the fray should the Clenched Fist seem to be in any trouble.
2) Each Raider has 4 TIEs ready to deploy. The focus of these TIEs is to defend the Raiders and keep the Rebels' attention away from the Lambda Shuttles who are making their approach to Nowhere (see more below).
4) The Refuelling Station has no weapons or engines and so plays no active role in the battle. It does, however, represent an opportunity for the Rebels. Anyone who asks if it is possible to blow up the station or passes a 12+ Tactics roll will recognise that the fuel regulators above the primary tanks could set off a chain reaction capable of destroying the entire rig and potentially damage nearby ships. Due to the refuelling station being static, rolls to hit it are Very Easy 5+, but targeting the small regulators which aren't much bigger than two metres adds +8D to the difficulty. The "Hull" value on the location is only 1D at Capital scale, 7D at Starfighter scale. If the regulator is destroyed, all four tanks go off at once, sparking a detonation that engulfs surrounding squares with the following damage (Capital/Frigate/Starfighter Damage):
1-4 Space: 8D/10D/14D
5-6 Space: 4D/6D/10D
7-8 Space: 2D/4D/8D
If the regulators are not hit, fuel tanks can be targeted/destroyed one at a time, but have a Hull of 5D at Capital scale, 11D Starfighter. Each explosion is still significant, but less deadly:
1-2 Space: 4D/6D/10D
3-4 Space: 2D/4D/8D
5-6 Space: 1D/3D/7D
The tanks are built to stand up to any other one exploding so will not spark a chain reaction.
Warn any PC attempting to destroy the fuel tanks that they must ensure they have an unspecified amount of movement left to get clear of the explosion.
The Interdictor and Lambdas:
The Interdictor is simply staying off to one side laying down gravity wells to prevent the Rebels from escaping. In practice this means that the Interdictor wants to stay within 75 spaces of Nowhere (short range for the gravity well projectors). The Interdictor will lay down the gravity well as soon as the Rebels arrive, within 6 space of Nowhere to prevent it from making the hyperspace jump. As gravity wells are difficult to move, the Interdictor will fire one each turn, constantly preventing Nowhere's escape. Previous wells are disabled as a new one is fired, meaning that the Star Destroyer is not slowed by using vast amounts of energy. Each gravity well projector takes 6 rounds to recharge, meaning that the Interdictor will leave the 4th well in place until the 1st is ready to fire again. This may give the Rebels a chance of escape. Do not bother rolling for gravity well hits: the difficulty to hit and the ability of the operators make these rolls fairly redundant and there will be plenty of other GM rolls required during the battle.
Should the Rebels try to attack the Interdictor, or perhaps flee from it, it will open fire upon them then.
The Interdictor sacrificed its TIE hangar space to allow the carrying of the five modified Lambdas. These shuttles picked up the 501st before the Rebel arrival.
The Lambdas launch from the Interdictor and try to land in the hangar bay as quickly as possible. The 16 TIEs act as a guard for the slow moving transports. Once the Lambdas touchdown, 20 Stormtroopers will pour out and head for the Command Bridge to bring Nowhere under their control. There are 50 Roughnecks on the station who will try to defend the ship, but they will be no match for the 501st unless their numbers were depleted by the PCs either in mounting a defence against them on the ship or by depleting their numbers by destroying transports before they had the opportunity to touch down.
Star Destroyer Clenched Fist:
On board is Moff Lorin. Not knowing for certain where the Rebel fleet would drop out of hyperspace, it takes his vessel, the Clenched Fist some time to enter the field of play. As stated previously, it is at the GM's discretion as to when this should happen as its arrival will likely prove fatal to the Rebels -and the prime goal is to take control of Nowhere, but the Clenched Fist will begin bombarding Nowhere if the Stormtrooper assault fails. Once the players are aware of it, describe the Star Destroyer as closing in on them, at most a few minutes away.
TIE Fighters:
Their prime purpose is to prevent the Rebels escaping. They will only join the fight if it looks like things are going badly for the Imperials or if the Rebels decide to attempt to punch through them to escape.
How to Run the Mass Battle:
This is an encounter of huge scale and, as such, will be highly complicated. There will be a lot of dice rolling to be done but your focus should be firmly upon your players whose actions and rolls should largely dictate how the battle goes.
Cutscenes:
1) As the Rebel fleet drops out of hyperspace, cut to the bridge of the Transport where an officer shouts to his Captain.
Officer: Captain! Sensors picking up ships in sector 7! Readings suggest a Providence-class Dreadnaught and fighters moving to attack position!
Captain: Sound the alarm! Prepare for battle!
2) As the Rebels realise that the Clenched Fist is there, cut to the bridge there where Moff Lorin grins triumphantly.
Officer: Sir, the Rebel ship is trying to scan our area of space! Our attempts to jam their sensors will not hold.
Lorin: Calm yourself officer. It was always inevitable that they would become aware of our presence. They must surely know they are defeated. Open comms to their Captain...
Once the comms are opened.
Lorin: This is Moff Lorin of the Clenched Fist. You are outnumbered and outmanoeuvred. To avoid a pointless loss of life, I suggest you surrender immediately. Be under no illusions though, we will have your ship and put an end to your pitiful little rebellion once and for all.
When the Rebels inevitably reject the call...
Lorin: So be it, Roughnecks. I shall see you very soon, when you are on your knees before me.
3) When Nowhere actively engages the Clenched Fist.
Officer: They're moving to engage us, sir!
Lorin: They're bigger fools than I thought! Raise shields - and open fire!
Net Epic Evolution Battle Report: Eldar v Chaos 7,000 points
Introduction:
Since last week's Marines v Eldar battle report seemed to go down a storm - a massive thanks to the hundreds of you who read it (and those who watched the video on YouTube)! - it seemed like a no-brainer to run another! Once again, I'll be using my Net Epic Evolution rules to run the game. As an experiment, I've decided to allow units on Charge orders to fire - provided they are not engaging enemies in Close Combat - with a -1 penalty to hit. For anyone not in the know, the Evolution rules are my own variant of the Net Epic rules which, in turn, are a fan version of 2nd Edition Epic/Space Marine rules by Games Workshop. So without further ado, let's get on with the action!
I've made a highlights video which you can watch below, but read on if you want the full story!
Scenario:
The Eldar have identified a major incursion by Chaos forces - predominantly Khorne and Tzeentch armies - on the green world of Enrathea and sent their own army to cleanse and eradicate the corruption.
Both sides have 7,000 point armies and are aiming to score 60 Victory Points (VPs) to win the battle. Victory Points are won by breaking enemy formations or seizing any of the 8 objectives. Each objective is worth 5 VPs.
Army Lists:
Once again I'm using Net Epic costings which are better balanced than 2nd edition costings.
Chaos Cards: Chaos receive 8 Chaos cards - 3 for the Lord of Battles, 2 for the Tzeentch daemon engines (Silver Towers and Doomwings), 1 for each Primarch and 1 for the Daemon Horde. With both the World Eaters and Thousand Sons Centuries on the board, Chaos also gain the Rewards for Khorne and Tzeentch.
Battlefield Overview & Set Up:
To ensure consistency through the report, when the left and right flanks are referred to, these relate to the battle as seen from the Chaos side of the board (as shown in the overview picture below).
Overview, Objectives and Deployment
The Battle Plan:
Eldar: The Wind Rider Host is hoping to overrun and outmanoeuvre the relatively sparse Chaos forces on the left flank. The Defender Host should be able to hold Objectives 1 & 2 without too much opposition. The Avatar, Exarchs and Harlequins (the latter inside the Wave Serpents) are tasked with capturing Objective 3 although that will be a tougher prospect with Automatons and Angron expected to challenge that objective.
The Tempests, Revenants and Spirit Host will battle for dominance through the centre of the battlefield, but they expect a brutal war of attrition as many Daemon Engines and Chaos Land Raiders expected to pour into this area.
The most desperate battles are expected to be on the right flank where squads of Howling Banshees and Striking Scorpions expect to face off against some of Chaos' most formidable close combat specialists - but they will have some serious support from the Cobra superheavy tanks and a Warlock Titan!
Eldar: left flank
Eldar: centre
Eldar: right flank
Chaos: Opposite the Striking Scorpion and Howling Banshees are the Cauldrons of Blood which will try to thin out any opposition looking for refuge in the woods before the powerful Trolls, Minotaurs, Khorne Juggernaughts and the Khorne Berserkers launch their assault! The aim is to secure all three objectives in the woods and maybe, just maybe, capture the fourth in the nearby town. Most of the daemon engines along with the Banelord Titan and Lord of Battles expect heavy opposition through the centre of the battlefield, but expect to overcome the Eldar forces. The Silver Towers of Tzeentch hope to offer some cover to the advancing forces and to slow attrition from incoming Eldar pop-up attacks. The biggest concern is the left flank where the hope is that Angron can cling on to the objective with the assistance of Automatons.
Chaos: right flank
Chaos: centre
Chaos: left flank
Turn 1:
Units charge into cover all around the board. On the right flank, Minotaurs, Trolls, Juggernaughts and Berserkers take up position in the woods. The Berserkers bide their time to mount an assault on Objective 8 next turn... In the faraway woods, 2 squadrons of Howling Banshees and one of Striking Scorpions have firm control of their objective.
Through the centre of the battlefield, Thousand Sons trade fire with Wraithguard and Wraithlords, but neither side succeeds in inflicting casualties.
There is more caution on the left flank as Jetbikes take cover behind the hill. Wave Serpents drop off Harlequins to seize Objective 2 in the woods. Angron may have something to say about whether the Harlequins can retain it next turn!
Silver Towers of Tzeentch push forward, but their weapons prove ineffective. A Prism Cannon pops up and destroys one! So much for their field to cover the daemon engines!
Automatons pour out of Rhinos and tear up the hill opposite which is swarming with Guardians...
...and thin their ranks!
A squadron of Tower of Skulls unleashes a heavy hail of fire, but only succeed in picking off a single Wraithguard squad.
Land Raiders charge forward and target the Wraithlords and Wraithguard.
But are only able to destroy one Wraithlord!
A squadron of Guardians enter buildings around Objective 2. Cannon of Khorne roll on to the hill targeting the Guardians and the last threads the needle between the woods to target the distant Wraithlords!
The first cannon misfires and is destroyed!
The second rolls 10 BPs on the dice, needing only 2+ to hit - but contrives to only destroy one Wraithlord of the two!
The last cannon rolls 2 BPs, a miserable 6 to hit!
It scatters behind the building, landing over a squad of Guardians and a Falcon Grav Tank...
...but a roll of double 6 sees the Guardian and Falcon hit - and wiped off the battlefield!
Death Dealers surge forward and World Eaters Marines advance out to spray fire upon the Vyper Jet Bikes!
...but, despite the amount of firepower unleashed from both Marines and vehicles, only 2 Vypers are picked off!
Exarchs swoop into position and fire upon the freshly-deployed World Eaters!
...killing three squads!
Doomwings glide across the battlefield to douse Jetbikes and Guardians with their fiery payload!
Destroying five Jet Bikes and a squad of Guardians!
The Eldar Warlock places his Eldritch storm upon the hill. The Lord of Battles charges forward but is unable to inflict any damage on anything!
A Revenant spots the opportunity, but is equally ineffective - the three "hits" all miss the Greater Daemon's head and succeed only in tearing up the air around him! None of the Revenant's other weapons hit anything either!
Blood Reapers open fire as they charge...
...and destroy two Wraithlords and one squad of Dark Reapers!
The Warlock Titan charges forward and fires both of its Psychic Lance at the Lord of Battles while the wing weapons target Thousand Sons Marines and Land Raiders in the crater - but it misses everything!
As the Banelord enters the battlefield, it finds its targets restricted by the Warlock's Eldritch Storm. It targets Dark Reapers in the buildings...
...but only manages to kill one squad!
Another Revenant enters the fray...
...but only succeeds in picking off a single squad of Marines! Only one shot hits the Lord of Battles - and again it misses the head and everything else on the location chart!
A Cobra pops up and fires its D-Cannon - it scatters but hits a building and a Blood Reaper!
The building soaks up the hit - but the Blood Reaper is destroyed!
With the Cauldron of Blood daemon engines forced to move, Falcons advance forward and open fire as their Striking Scorpions pour out of the skimmers and head into the woods!
A Disc-Rider is the only casualty from the Falcon attack.
Hellblades target the Wave Serpents which threaten to disrupt Thousand Sons units next turn!
...and successfully destroy them!
Nightwings swing into attack the Hellblades with their Shuriken...
...as well as Doomwings with Lascannon and Thousands Sons with missiles!
The Thousand Sons survive the missile attack, but a Doomwing is shot down by the Lascannon and the Hellblades are decimated by the Shuriken!
With all of Chaos having activated, the Eldar activate again, this time with their Tempests...
They pop up and hit the Lord of Battles with everything they've got!
...and they blow its head clean off - the Lord of Battles is destroyed!
A Cobra is last to activate. It targets a group of Daemon Engines...
...but its shot scatters, hitting the nearby building instead!
And destroying it!
Somewhat remarkably - given that both sides have plenty of close combat specialists in their ranks - there is no Close Combat, so this was the last action of Turn 1!
End Phase:
Overview: The Eldar have snapped up a whopping 6 Objectives, while Chaos have only taken 2. However, that should change in turn 2...
Battlefield Overview
Overview with Objectives
Note that the Eldar Vyper Jetbikes claimed Objective #1 despite the Doomwings being closer. This is because fliers cannot claim objectives.
Left flank
Centre
Right Flank
Eldar Casualties:
Note that the Swooping Hawks are not casualties: they have yet to enter the battle!
Though the Wind Rider Host did not break, it is on the brink!
Wave Serpents: 2 VPs
Turn 1 Total (awarded to Chaos): 2 VPs
Chaos Casualties:
Lord of Battles: 5 VPs
Hellblades: 3 VPs
Silver Towers of Tzeentch: 4 VPs
Turn 1 Total (awarded to Eldar): 12 VPs
End of Turn 1:
Eldar: 42 VPs
Chaos: 12 VPs
Turn 2:
Eldar win Initiative and a Cobra pops up to attack the Cauldron of Blood daemon engines which are a threat to their nearby infantry!
...and destroy two of the engines!
Magnus the Red moves out from behind the building and unleashes his deadly Beam of Power!
The shot tears through the Cobra like a knife through butter - obliterating it!
Exarchs activate, opening fire upon the remaining Doomwings and Thousand Sons Land Raiders!
The Land Raiders' armour stands up to the attack - but both of the remaining Doomwings are destroyed!
Thousand Sons Marines activate and fire upon one Revenant - while casting their Chaos reward - a Vortex - upon the other! The vortex deviates, but not far enough for the Revenant to escape it!
The Chaos Marines destroy the wing on the first Revenant, while the other takes 5 hits from the vortex! It rips the Titan apart, causing it to explode spectacularly! Then, in the next instant, the flames are extinguished as the Titan is sucked into the vortex and erased from the battlefield!
Though it is dangerous to do so, the Revenant takes cover behind the Vortex - and fires its Pulse Laser, stripping three Void Shields from the Banelord!
Land Raiders activate and shoot at the nearby Nightwings!
Two are destroyed!
Dark Reapers open fire upon the Banelord - 7 hits, stripping the Banelord of its remaining Void Shields and landing 4 hits! Unfortunately for the Eldar, the Banelord passes all of its saves!
Sensing its time may be nearing an end, the Banelord activates and strides forward menacingly! It launches two volleys of its Havoc missiles...
...and wipes out four Guardians...
...and two Wraithlords and a Wraithguard squad!
It targets nearby Dark Reapers with its Bloodletter Battle head and Doomfist...
...killing most of them!
Unfortunately, the Titan's remaining weapons fail to hit the Revenant and the Warlock Titan - and the Banelord's activation ends.
A Cobra pops up and tries to finish off the Banelord with its D-Cannon, but it scatters and fails to hit anything!
The Silver Tower moves forward and attempts to shoot down the Cobra with its Beam of Power - but misses!
It does manage to pick off a nearby Falcon Grav Tank.
His entourage almost wiped out, the Warlock heads for a building and tries to take out the Banelord with a Psychic Scream - but fails!
World Eaters Marines activate and fire at the Vyper Jetbikes...
Destroying one!
Falcons pop up and fire at the Blood Reapers and Tower of Skulls - but miss every shot! The Blood Reapers gratefully move into the nearby ruins...
and return fire at their attackers!
But only succeed in killing the last squad of Dark Reapers in the nearest building!
The Warlock Titan closes in on the Banelord to finish it off with the Psychic Lances!
...while the Missile Launchers target Disc Riders!
...killing two of the Riders! However, the Lascannon miss the nearby Tower of Skulls - and worse still, the Psychic Lances miss the Banelord!
Cannon of Khorne are next to activate...
But all they seem good for is destroying themselves! The one that does manage to fire only rolls 2 Barrage Points and misses its targets!
The Vypers activate and fire at the Chaos Marines and Deathdealers...
Destroying one of each!
The Cauldron of Blood moves forward and sprays the Striking Scorpions with boiling daemonic blood...
...consigning three squads of Striking Scorpions to a horrific fate!
The Fire Prism destroys a Tower of Skulls on the hill! The other pushes forward and shoots at both the Fire Prism and a Falcon Grav Tank...
...and destroys both!
Falcons pop up to fire at Deathdealers, but fail to destroy either! In the distance, Land Raiders open fire while the Falcons are exposed...
...and take down another!
Dark Reapers fire at the Banelord, but once again it soaks up the ordnance directed at it!
World Eaters target the Warlock in the building beside the Dark Reapers...
...and hit him several times, tearing up his floor with missile fire! The Warlock is no more!
Another Falcon pops up...
...and destroys the last Tower of Skulls!
Juggernaughts jump the last of the Striking Scorpions while another squadron of Falcons pop up to fire at the Blood Reapers in the ruins...
Destroying one!
Thousand Sons open fire on more Guardians...
...and pick off another 2 squads! The Defender Warhost is on the brink of breaking!
...and the Marines also manage to pick off another Dark Reaper, clearing the objective!
Guardians in the buildings target the Deathdealer and squad of World Eater Marines!
The Marines are cut down and somewhat improbably, the Deathdealer is destroyed too!
The last Deathdealer fires at the two Vyper Jetbikes...
...and wipes them out!
The Wraithlord and Wraithguard fire at the Thousand Sons Marines, killing one.
Automatons shamble forward and open fire at the Guardians...
...killing one squad - but it is enough to break the Warhost!
Another squad of Juggernaughts push into the woods, securing the objective!
Tempests pop up. Their task is to deliver the killing blow to the Banelord...
But once again, its armour soaks up the hits! Unbelievable!
Minotaurs secure another objective...
Jetbikes jump the last Cannon of Khorne...
While Rhinos charge in to steal an objective from the remaining Jetbikes - but Swooping Hawks deep strike to ambush them!
Disc Riders steal another objective from under the noses of the Eldar!
The last of the Falcons pop up and fire at the Land Raiders...
Destroying two!
Close Combat Phase:
The Jetbikes easily destroy the Cannon of Khorne.
The Rhinos manage to destroy a few Jetbikes, but suffer the wrath of the Swooping Hawks!
Angron kills one squad of Harlequins, but cannot take the objective!
Rhinos destroy a Falcon Grav Tank!
Juggernaughts clash with Striking Scorpions and Howling Banshees...
Both sides suffer casualties!
End Phase:
The Banelord regenerates 3 Void Shields! With the exception of its Havoc Missiles being destroyed, it has survived Turn 2 well!
At the end of Turn 2, both sides have 4 objectives each - Eldar hold objectives #1 - #3 and objective #7 while Chaos control objectives #4 - #6 and objective #8.
Battlefield Overview
Overview with Objectives
Left flank
Centre
Right flank
Eldar Casualties:
Defender Host: 9 VPs
Jetbike Host: 6 VPs
Spirit Host: 5 VPs
2 x Dark Reapers: 6 VPs
Nightwing Squadron: 3 VPs
Revenant Titan: 3 VPs
Cobra Tank: 3 VPs
Striking Scorpions: 2 VPs
Prism Cannon: 1 VPs
Turn 1 Total (awarded to Chaos): 2 VPs
Turn 2 Total (awarded to Chaos): 38 VPs
Eldar Casualties
Chaos Casualties:
4 x Demonic Engines: 12 VPs
Doomwing: Squadron: 3 VPs
Land Raider Squadron: 3 VPs
Cannon of Khorne: 2 VPs
Disc Riders: 2 VPs
Juggernaughts: 2 VPs
2 x Rhinos: 2 VPs
Turn 1 Total (awarded to Eldar): 12 VPs
Turn 2 Total (awarded to Eldar): 26 VPs
Chaos Casualties
End of Turn 2:
Eldar: 58 VPs
Chaos: 60 VPs
Blood for the Blood God - Victory to Chaos!
Closing Reflections:
While there had been a fair amount of attrition, it seemed that the battle was destined for another turn which almost certainly would have resulted in a draw - so the realisation that Chaos had managed to win with the slightest of margins came as a shock! The fact that the Banelord in particular managed to survive Turn 2 was something of a miracle as it survived attacks from a Revenant Titan, a Cobra, the Tempest squadron, and, most shockingly, the Warlock Titan, so the Eldar can feel hard done by. Had the Warlock not pushed forward to attempt to take the Banelord down with a Psychic Scream, the game would have continued another turn.
Had the game it done so, it would likely have seen the Banelord finally brought to its knees and Angron overwhelmed, but other than that, it's hard to see where the Eldar could have scored more points as both the World Eaters and Thousand Sons would have required to have suffered heavy losses for either to break. From the Chaos side of things, they would have hoped to win Initiative for the Banelord to engage the Warlord in Close Combat - had the Banelord once again survived the Psychic Lance, it may have destroyed the Warlord, but this is a huge maybe! The remaining Revenant Titan was exposed and the Falcon Host was only a couple of vehicles away from breaking, but the real place they could expect to make significant inroads would have been on the right flank where the Berserkers were poised to call upon their Chaos reward to storm the wood where Howling Banshees and Striking Scorpions were protecting an objective. The Blood Rage of Khorne reward would have allowed the Berserkers to move triple speed and add 1D6 to their CAF, making engaging the Scorpions a 50/50 proposition - except that the Uncontrollable Flatulence would have halved the Striking Scorpions' CAF! Howling Banshees would have suffered the same issue if they attempted to gang up on the Berserkers, but even if they sat on the objective, the Berserkers would have had Blood Rage to press on for a fresh Close Combat attack and Warp Frenzy at their disposal on top of the reward and Flatulence to deal with them (the effects of the Chaos cards all lasted for the duration of the Close Combat segment so would have carried on to the next attack)! It would have been utter carnage!
One small note is that I have a lot more varied terrain than was on display in this battle, but I deliberately used the old buildings and simple terrain to evoke the feel of the White Dwarf battle reports which I thought some people might appreciate. The next board will be very different!
I was concerned that the experiment with allowing units to fire on Charge Orders with a -1 on their rolls to hit would unbalance the game, but they worked fine; even though units were making use of the attacks, most were dropping from rolls of 5+ to hit to 6+ and barely any shots from charging units inflicted any casualties on the opposition. As a result, I will carry this experiment on to the next battle...which will see the Orks and Imperial Guard going head to head!
