We're off to the hivesprawls of the planet Vigilus (the latest playground in the narrative of the 41st millennium) - a mini-campaign from the recent Tooth And Claw box!
I, Stylus, will be giving Kraken as taste of his own rending claw as the Cult of the Thirsting Wyrm! (sounds delightful)
And I, Kraken, will be the Space Wolves! I live in Sweden. And everyone knows that if Sweden was a Space Marine Chapter, it would be Space Wolves. Even the flag is blue and yellow.
Down the Escape Pipe!
I, Stylus, will be giving Kraken as taste of his own rending claw as the Cult of the Thirsting Wyrm! (sounds delightful)
And I, Kraken, will be the Space Wolves! I live in Sweden. And everyone knows that if Sweden was a Space Marine Chapter, it would be Space Wolves. Even the flag is blue and yellow.
Down the Escape Pipe!
It's Fight Night on Skype!
As a very brief outline, Genestealer Cults have risen up in Greigan Hollow, source of Vigilus' limited water supply. The Space Wolves have arrived to wipe them out, but in the dense hivespawls, will the hunters become the hunted?
Echoes of War Mission #1 - Tables Turned
A simple scenario to start: thrown into disorder by the Thirsting Wyrm's ambush, five Space Wolves Intercessors must make their way across the battlefield. If two of them get off the board, they win. If one makes its off the board, it's a draw. Anything else is a victory for Genestealer Cults. Unlimited turns.
Each model is an individual, and Genestealer Cults will be able to reinforce slain models (placed in ambush) on the roll of 4+
We are also using 'City of Traps' rule, which is a D6 table that scales from making the Cult Ambush rolls more or less difficult.
The Intercessors spread out across their deployment zone, ready to race across the 36" to get off the board.
My plan here is that if I bunch up, I'm going to get mobbed. One on one, the Marines ought to be able to punch through in places, and I only need a couple to get past. What I certainly can't do against limitless reinforcements is turn this into a punch-up!
I hide the two Purestrains and two Metamorphs out of sight in the ruins. The remaining three Metamorphs go into Cult Ambush.
This is an understatement for the millenia.
I roll very well for my Cult Ambush rolls, aided by bonuses from City of Traps, which means I'm throwing Hybrid Metamorphs into close-combat in every single turn. They hit hard enough to take one wound off the Primaris, and although they get squashed in return, that usually means they just go back into Cult Ambush for another try the next turn.
I do my level best to keep moving, breaking out of combat and pushing forward, but the Metamorphs just keep appearing from nowhere! Each one I kill immediately pops up again from a manhole or dustbin, spouting fire and clutching the air with their razory talons. If this is what it feels like to fight Tyranids, I'm glad I don't.
Meanwhile the Purestrains are tearing up the field, handily keeping out of line-of-sight (even my paltry scenery is enough to hide them when each model is a unit of one). They tear up a couple of Intercessors, including the Sergeant, who fights a brave rearguard action.
He sure does. While the boys race ahead, advancing or retreating from combat (tactically, of course) as required, he hangs back shooting and even charging. In fact, he even charges a purestrain genestealer voluntarily. This ought to work, he's quite a monster on the charge himself! Of course I fluff it, though, he rolls more like a dräng than a huscarl.
The Sergeant's sacrifice almost pays off, as does Kraken's strung-out deployment: all my killing units find themselves on one side of the board with no marines left to kill, while the last two Intercessors are on the far side, staggering across with one wound apiece.
Cult Ambush comes to the rescue once again. A couple of Metamorphs, who have already died a couple of times, leap back out of the shadows and finish off the marines with flamer and a final charge.
I'm pretty sure I killed that one with the Cult Icon four times in the course of this fight. Gah!
Victory for the Thirsting Wyrm!
And as a campaign bonus, I get +1 to my City of Traps roll in the next game. Speaking of which...
Each model is an individual, and Genestealer Cults will be able to reinforce slain models (placed in ambush) on the roll of 4+
We are also using 'City of Traps' rule, which is a D6 table that scales from making the Cult Ambush rolls more or less difficult.
Forces
Space Wolves
- 1 x Intercessor Sergeant: auto-bolt rifle, chainsword, frag and krak grenades
- 1 x Intercessor: auto-bolt rifle, auxilliary grenade launcher, frag and krak grenades
- 3 x Intercessors: auto-bolt rifle, frag and krak grenades
Genestealer Cults
- 2 x Purestrain Genestealers: rending claws
- 1 x Hybrid Metamorph Leader: bonesword, rending claw, metamorph whip, hand flamer
- 1 x Hybrid Metamorph: Bonesword, cult icon, rending claw, metamorph claw, hand flamer
- 3 x Hybrid Metamorph: Bonesword, rending claw, metamorph whip, hand flamer
Deployment
My plan here is that if I bunch up, I'm going to get mobbed. One on one, the Marines ought to be able to punch through in places, and I only need a couple to get past. What I certainly can't do against limitless reinforcements is turn this into a punch-up!
I hide the two Purestrains and two Metamorphs out of sight in the ruins. The remaining three Metamorphs go into Cult Ambush.
Game
It turns out to be an uphill struggle for the poor Space Wolves.This is an understatement for the millenia.
I roll very well for my Cult Ambush rolls, aided by bonuses from City of Traps, which means I'm throwing Hybrid Metamorphs into close-combat in every single turn. They hit hard enough to take one wound off the Primaris, and although they get squashed in return, that usually means they just go back into Cult Ambush for another try the next turn.
I do my level best to keep moving, breaking out of combat and pushing forward, but the Metamorphs just keep appearing from nowhere! Each one I kill immediately pops up again from a manhole or dustbin, spouting fire and clutching the air with their razory talons. If this is what it feels like to fight Tyranids, I'm glad I don't.
Meanwhile the Purestrains are tearing up the field, handily keeping out of line-of-sight (even my paltry scenery is enough to hide them when each model is a unit of one). They tear up a couple of Intercessors, including the Sergeant, who fights a brave rearguard action.
He sure does. While the boys race ahead, advancing or retreating from combat (tactically, of course) as required, he hangs back shooting and even charging. In fact, he even charges a purestrain genestealer voluntarily. This ought to work, he's quite a monster on the charge himself! Of course I fluff it, though, he rolls more like a dräng than a huscarl.
The Sergeant's sacrifice almost pays off, as does Kraken's strung-out deployment: all my killing units find themselves on one side of the board with no marines left to kill, while the last two Intercessors are on the far side, staggering across with one wound apiece.
Cult Ambush comes to the rescue once again. A couple of Metamorphs, who have already died a couple of times, leap back out of the shadows and finish off the marines with flamer and a final charge.
I'm pretty sure I killed that one with the Cult Icon four times in the course of this fight. Gah!
Victory for the Thirsting Wyrm!
And as a campaign bonus, I get +1 to my City of Traps roll in the next game. Speaking of which...
Echoes of War Mission #2 - Monster Slayer
This one's even simpler than the first mission: there is a Space Wolves Redemptor Dreadnought in the centre of the board, five Aberrants and one Abominant must kill him.
If the last one looked uphill for the marines, this looks like the inevitable first downhill tilt of a rollercoaster.
The battle lasts for five turns, if the Redemptor is left alive but on less than seven wounds, it's a draw. As before, we get to use City of Traps and the Aberrants can be recycled on 4+
We use exactly the same terrain as before, with Asper the Frozen dead centre and the Genestealer Cults either in ambush or 18" away. This does mean that the Dreadnought does begin its turn wedged into a narrow alley, but I guess that will prevent him from getting swamped.
Wolves fight ferociously when cornered, right?
Bregg and two Aberrants begin on the board, cowering behind cover from all that firepower, with two other Abberants and the Hypermorph in ambush.
Everyone counts as an individual unit, which is going to make things very interesting since the Redemptor will get to fire Overwatch at every single model that charges (and he can fire a lot of Overwatch).
He certainly can. Two assault cannons, storm bolters, a heavy flamer and even some kind of anti-aircraft missile launcher. I expect if I hit them hard enough, the abberants will become flyers.
This time it will be terrain, not ambush, that will be my best hope. You can't Overwatch something you can't see, but you can charge something you can't see. I'll be doing a lot of hiding around corners.
If I ever do get into combat, I should be able to inflict plenty of damage. I'll never survive the counter-punch (what could?) but I can recycle my units and have a stratagem to resurrect Bregg.
Whaaaaat? How is this possible! Not a single overwatch shot! And the rest of the pack closing in fast, eh? Well, we'll do it the hard way then. *cracks servo-knuckles
Bregg swings first, hitting twice with his power sledgehammer - this could almost be enough to end the game right away, but I roll low for his damage. But even 'low' means six wounds off the Dreadnought and Asper clinging onto his top bracket. Kraken wisely spends two of his command points to interrupt combat and step on the Hypermorph before he can whack him with his street sign.
Stop means stop, Hypermorph. This is of little consolation, of course, as the damage means the best I can now hope for is a draw! So I'll take them all with me. BraaaaAAAAaargahh!
In the Space Wolves' turn, not even Bregg can survive the undivided attention of a Redemptor, but I play the stratagem that resurrects him on D3 wounds. We then go into my turn where Bregg's regeneration rule gives him back another D3 wounds - I'm loving Bregg!
But Asper the Frozen has now broken from combat, and moved into the open where he can get clearer fields of fire. My fears about Overwatch come true when he guns down an Aberrant in the Charge phase.
The next metamorph thinks about following suit, then slinks off into the shadows instead. The next two are going to have to face the same hosing, and neither of them are close enough to even guarantee making it in.
But then Bregg steels himself and charges into the same hail of fire - and lives! Go Bregg!
This allows the rest of the gang to pile in and finish off poor Asper. He didn't really have much of a chance.
Another victory for the Thirsting Wyrm!
My campaign bonus this time: my Aberrants (and Abominant) get to re-roll hits of 1 when they face the Dreadnought in the finale.
Well, that was a blast! Narrative scenarios are hard to gauge, but I did feel that the Genestealer Cults had the upper hand in both. Mind you, if I'd been consistently rolling low for my Cult Ambush results, then Kraken could have been sending my troops to the far side of the board and had an easy time of it. As always: Cult Ambush is very important to the success of Genestealer Cults!
It's also fair to say that standing in a darkened alley is not really the best place for the poor old Redemptor in this fight! Terrain is always key in these battles, and letting even a single abberant (let alone that huge loony Bregg) get into combat without facing the horrific might of the dreadnought's firepower is a big mistake.
As for the Space Wolves, though, well, those are tough fights, sure enough. You'd feel pretty heroic winning either one. But Marines just don't get me excited on the battlefield. Sure, they're stoic and capable, but also kind of bland. Even when they're wearing Wolverine sideburns, and that's not easy for me to admit!
The Aberrant units are especially impressive. In a conventional battle, with a Primus to drop them in and psykers to cancel out Overwatch, and these guys are a fantastic anti-armour solution. In fact there seem to be a lot that Genestealer Cults can do - against elites, hordes, armour - can't wait to see the Codex!
No, me neither. Lovely, characterful army and some of the best sculpts around, and I'm not just saying that on behalf of my Tyrannic sponsors!
If the last one looked uphill for the marines, this looks like the inevitable first downhill tilt of a rollercoaster.
The battle lasts for five turns, if the Redemptor is left alive but on less than seven wounds, it's a draw. As before, we get to use City of Traps and the Aberrants can be recycled on 4+
Forces
Space Wolves
- Asper the Frozen, Space Wolves Redemptor Dreadnought: heavy onslaught gatling cannon, heavy flamer, two storm bolters, Icarus rocket pod, Redemptor fist.
Genestealer Cults
- Bregg the Anointed, Abominant: rending claw, power sledgehammer
- 1 x Aberrant Hypermorph: heavy improvised weapon, rending claw, hypermorph tail
- 2 x Aberrant Metamorph: power pick, rending claw
- 3 x Aberrant Metamorph: power hammer,rending claw
Deployment
Wolves fight ferociously when cornered, right?
Bregg and two Aberrants begin on the board, cowering behind cover from all that firepower, with two other Abberants and the Hypermorph in ambush.
Everyone counts as an individual unit, which is going to make things very interesting since the Redemptor will get to fire Overwatch at every single model that charges (and he can fire a lot of Overwatch).
He certainly can. Two assault cannons, storm bolters, a heavy flamer and even some kind of anti-aircraft missile launcher. I expect if I hit them hard enough, the abberants will become flyers.
This time it will be terrain, not ambush, that will be my best hope. You can't Overwatch something you can't see, but you can charge something you can't see. I'll be doing a lot of hiding around corners.
If I ever do get into combat, I should be able to inflict plenty of damage. I'll never survive the counter-punch (what could?) but I can recycle my units and have a stratagem to resurrect Bregg.
Game
Sure enough, sneaking my lumbering monsters out of sight pays dividends: I roll well on Bregg's change and he comes tearing around the corner to lock down the Redemptor before he can even fore a shot.
Whaaaaat? How is this possible! Not a single overwatch shot! And the rest of the pack closing in fast, eh? Well, we'll do it the hard way then. *cracks servo-knuckles
The Hypermorph also jumps in via Cult Ambush (I'm rolling well again, aided by my City of Traps bonus), so my two best hitters are in. Everyone else is too far away, or can't actually fit into the narrow space.
Stop means stop, Hypermorph. This is of little consolation, of course, as the damage means the best I can now hope for is a draw! So I'll take them all with me. BraaaaAAAAaargahh!
In the Space Wolves' turn, not even Bregg can survive the undivided attention of a Redemptor, but I play the stratagem that resurrects him on D3 wounds. We then go into my turn where Bregg's regeneration rule gives him back another D3 wounds - I'm loving Bregg!
But Asper the Frozen has now broken from combat, and moved into the open where he can get clearer fields of fire. My fears about Overwatch come true when he guns down an Aberrant in the Charge phase.
The next metamorph thinks about following suit, then slinks off into the shadows instead. The next two are going to have to face the same hosing, and neither of them are close enough to even guarantee making it in.
But then Bregg steels himself and charges into the same hail of fire - and lives! Go Bregg!
This allows the rest of the gang to pile in and finish off poor Asper. He didn't really have much of a chance.
Another victory for the Thirsting Wyrm!
My campaign bonus this time: my Aberrants (and Abominant) get to re-roll hits of 1 when they face the Dreadnought in the finale.
Back in the Wolves' Lair
It's also fair to say that standing in a darkened alley is not really the best place for the poor old Redemptor in this fight! Terrain is always key in these battles, and letting even a single abberant (let alone that huge loony Bregg) get into combat without facing the horrific might of the dreadnought's firepower is a big mistake.
As for the Space Wolves, though, well, those are tough fights, sure enough. You'd feel pretty heroic winning either one. But Marines just don't get me excited on the battlefield. Sure, they're stoic and capable, but also kind of bland. Even when they're wearing Wolverine sideburns, and that's not easy for me to admit!
The Aberrant units are especially impressive. In a conventional battle, with a Primus to drop them in and psykers to cancel out Overwatch, and these guys are a fantastic anti-armour solution. In fact there seem to be a lot that Genestealer Cults can do - against elites, hordes, armour - can't wait to see the Codex!
No, me neither. Lovely, characterful army and some of the best sculpts around, and I'm not just saying that on behalf of my Tyrannic sponsors!
I am on tenter(flesh)hooks for part 3.
ReplyDeleteThanks! We haven't played it yet, but I suspect things might go better for the Space Wolves (at least they won't have to get mugged in a dark alley).
DeleteWe will see. Personally I feel a commitment to maintaining my terrible rolling!
Delete