Skypehammer Round 3: Upon The Wings of Night

With the campaign gathering pace, the masterminds of The Cabal swoop in to make their presence felt...

Black Legion vs The Scourged!

For tonight's campaigners. We welcome two newcomers to the WoffBoot Chronicles, and to Skypehammer: DZTV's own Warsmith Chris, commanding the Black Legion; and South Wales' own b1llyb0b, who will lead The Scourged.

As a reminder of the campaign rules:

• Two factions (The Alliance and The Cabal), each with four different armies.
• Factions will pair off against their opposing armies in 500pt battles.
• All matched play rules apply, and all supplemental rules are available.
• Armies can only be selected from the models in my collection.
• No restrictions on how armies are built (i.e. detachments), but every army must have a warlord that must be named and cannot be changed.
• Every army gets 5CP, no more or less. These can be spent on pre-game stratagems.

Following some early defeats for The Alliance, astartes reinforcements have been dispatched to re-take the initiative, and they've brought some big guns to clear them out.

In response, the fastest-moving elements of The Cabal are moving to scorch the landing zones before they can become entrenched. Let the Galaxy Burn!

Chaos Space Marines - Black Legion

++We are compromised. The Purge suspects we have betrayed our alliance. This is entirely unfair, unsubstantiated, and three weeks ahead of when we actually planned to betray them. Those pestilential renegades have vented their frustration upon the local imperial garrison and painted the hab-blocks red with blood. Now astartes reinforcements are being drawn towards our key installations, and we need to dilute their response. Take a detachment of light troops to the distant Grid Section 79297-996 and destroy anything you find. Ostentatiously.++

• Violent Bryahn- Chaos Lord with Jump Pack (HQ) (Warlord)
  Chainsword, Combi-Bolter, Frag & Krak Grenades
  Warlord Trait: The Tip of the Claw
  Relic: Ghorisvek’s Teeth
• 5 x Chaos Space Marines (Troop)
  4 x Boltguns, Melta gun
• 5 x Chaos Space Marines (Troop)
  4 x Boltguns, Melta gun
• Helbrute (Elite)
  Helbrute fist (combi-bolter), Multi-melta
• 8 x Warp Talons (Fast)
  2 x Lightning Claws

Points: 500 | Level: 36 | -1 CP Specialist Detachment: Host Raptorial

Chaos Space Marines - The Seekers of Truth

Destiny is at work here. By the will of the Emperor Himself, the Architect of Fate, we are called to this backwater in the Nephilim Sector. Schemes are at work here, schemes within schemes, and only our singular vision can pierce the veil and master fortune. Black-clad traitors think their actions will change our ways, but they will find our conspiracy proves the greater.

NB: For narrative purposes, we've made a slight amend to The Scourged - pushing them back down their own timeline to when they were the loyalist chapter Seekers of the Truth.

All the usual rules will apply to them, with the exception that their <Chaos> keyword is now <Imperium>, and their Death to the False Emperor rule triggers on <Chaos> units, not <Imperium> ones.

• Dolo the Danger, Sorcerer (HQ)
  Bolt pistol, Force Stave, Frag & Krak Grenades, Mark of Tzeentch
  Warlord Trait: Unholy Fortitude
  Psychic powers: Prescience, Infernal Gaze
• 5 x Chaos Space Marines (Troops)
  Combi-plasma, 3 x Boltguns, Missile Launcher, Mark of Tzeentch
• Helbrute (Elite)
  Twin Lascannon, Missile Launcher, Mark of Tzeentch
• 2 x Chaos Spawn (Fast)
  Hideous Mutations, Mark of Tzeentch
• 5 x Havocs (Heavy)
  Combi-bolter, 2 x Lascannons, 2 x Reaper Chaincannons, Mark of Tzeentch

Points: 500 | Level: 27 |

Mission and Deployment

We're playing the Eternal War - Scorcher Earth mission from Chapter Approved 2019. From the start of the second turn, Victory Points are scored by securing objectives, plus the usual First Strike, Linebreaker and Slay the Warlord points. But if you're feeling particularly destructive, you can raze an objective at the start of your turn and claim 3 VP.

According to the rules of the mission, you would only be able to raze the objectives in the enemy's deployment zone, but we have small armies and a lot of ground to cover - so we're declaring a fire-free zone!

The Scourged deploy first, spreading out their gunline: Chaos Space Marines at the wall on the left flank.

The two Spawn, Sorcerer and Helbrute in the copse of trees; and Havocs behind the temple ruins.

Being Host Raptorial, most of the Black Legion takes to the sky: Warp Talons and Chaos Lord in deepstrike. One squad of Chaos Space Marines occupies the ruins on their right flank, and the other squad gets comfy in the shipwreck. The Helbrute goes front and centre.

Turn 1 - Black Legion

There was no need to tell his troops to hold their fire. They knew the right moment to unleash death without signalling. The Seekers' Librarian, Dolo, had shared his prophetic visions with the rest of the battle group the night before, mind to mind around the incense burner in the belvedere of their battle barge. 

Any second now, the Black Legion would arrive. Arrive and then fall - the Librarian had seen it, plain as the shattered ruins on the field ahead. 

Black Legion are given the first turn, which means nothing to the Chaos Space Marines in the shipwreck, who find a deck of cards and settle in. The other squad moves cautiously in range of their opposite numbers and tries a few ranging shots, to no effect.

The Helbrute stomps onto the middle objective and fires his multi-melta at the opposing Helbrute, scoring a hit and burning off three wounds.

"Heeeere's Johnny!"

With the rest of the forces in the air, it's the end of quick turn for the traitors.

Black Legion 0 : 0 The Scourged

Turn 1 - The Scourged

There - the first lurking forms could be seen ahead, emerging from the broken pillars of a hab block. As though drawn by magnets, bolt rounds homed in on them from the Seekers' firing line. The Legion's point man toppled backwards, helmet shattered. 

Dolo had sent his heavy support team across on the right flank. One of them fired his lascannon, a fat line of energy coursing through a hatchway at the precise second that it opened. The horned figure behind staggered back, partially vaporised. 

And their Dreadnought had already fired, a barrage of missiles arcing into the ruins ahead, slamming down into the blasphemous mockery of its own form that the legion had deployed there. Why wait for a missile lock when you already knew exactly where the enemy would be?

The Scourged's first move is to push back against the advance. The Chaos Space Marines jump one wall and take cover behind another. The Havocs move deeper into the temple ruins, and the Chaos Spawn charge straight up the centre.

In the Psychic Phase, the only power in range is to put Prescience on the Helbrute, who stood still.

In Shooting, the Chaos Space Marines respond with bolter fire at the opposite squad, which does nothing. The Havocs thread the needle through the central temple to pick off one of them with a lascannon.

The big show comes with Fire Frenzy is played on the Helbrute, who unloads on the Black Legion Helbrute with four lascannon and two missile launcher shots. The infernal machine holds up well, but it ultimately falls to the last missile strike, giving up a VP for First Strike.

Black Legion 0 : 1 The Scourged

Turn 2 - Black Legion

More came. The Legion, predictable as ever, had sent their strike teams to thunder down behind the Seekers' line. A series of portals opened up, clawed freaks in baroque armour tearing their way into reality and screeching like deformed birds of prey. 

Like clockwork, the Librarian's fire teams had already turned the barrels of their guns on them. The Warp Talons were greeted with opened fire, mass reactive shells crashing against them before they could fully emerge.

With nothing to lose, the Chaos Space Marine squad in the ruins immediately razes their objective for 3VP, then breaks cover to head for the central one. The other squad keep hold of theirs, and pass the time by removing their helmets and braiding each other's hair.

Then from the skies, the Host Raptorial descends. The Chaos Lord leads the Warp Talons down into the rear of the Havoc, flapping their wings for the big charge.

The Chaos Space Marines manage to shoot down one of the Chaos Spawn with boltgun and melta fire, but the real business of the day is with the Warp Talons.

Such is their eagerness to get stuck in, they don't even require the extra 2" charge movement from the warlord;'s Tip of the Spear ability - everyone jumps on the Havoc, unable to be overwatched as they do so.

With Veterans of the Long War played on the Warp Talons, melee is a brief and bloody business, shredding The Scourged to pieces and allowing the Chaos Lord to consolidate onto the objective.

Black Legion 4 : 1 The Scourged

Turn 2 - The Scourged

Dolo already knew the outcome. As the Dreadnought turned, launching more warheads where its pilot knew they would slam home, the Librarian walked calmly behind it, reloading his bolt pistol. He would need it soon, as the remaining traitors would try to bring him down at close range. 

Let them try, he thought. The Emperor protects me, and my foresight helps protect his works. Slapping the magazine home, he barked a single word into his vox. 

Pillars of flame erupted from the nearby trees, tearing apart the targets the Black Legion were attempting to grab. The true prizes had been moved days ago, of course - the traitors were racing to capture razorwire reels, tightly coiled around demolition charges. The razorwire leapt to met its would-be captors with lethal effect. 

Undaunted by the annihilation of their heavy guns, The Scourged immediately raze both their objectives for a 6 VP jump.

The Chaos Space Marines vault from one wall and head for another (they have a thing about walls, this lot), and the remaining Spawn scampers out of sight into the central temple.

The Helbrute was hoping to draw a bead on the Warp Talons, but the copse is surprising dense. Both he and Sorcerer back away from the arboreal hindrance.

In the Psychic and Shooting Phase, everything goes into the Warp Talons. With some poor luck for The Scourged, and invulnerable saving throws for the deamonic astartes, only three of them are plucked out of the sky.

Black Legion 4 : 7 The Scourged

Turn 3 - Black Legion

They never had a chance. 

Everywhere the Traitor Astartes moved, they had been anticipated. Bolter fire pinned them, bringing masonry raining down on them before they even realised they were in danger. Dolo watched as one of his battle brothers tore the pin from a grenade and flung it without looking. The Krak charge stuck unerringly to the thigh of a sprinting Warp Talon in mid-leap, detonating so that the hapless fool landed on missing legs. The Librarian fired his bolt pistol into its crawling torso, sparing it further humiliation. 

Ahead, the Dreadnought slammed itself into a wall, using its weight to bring it toppling forward. The Black Legion thought they could hide behind it, but how could they hide from the gaze of the Seekers of Truth, a gaze that even pierced the future?

The Black Legion stay on the move: the Chaos Space Marine squad dash to the central temple to face down the Spawn. The squad in the shipwreck claim another VP, then settle in for the evening with a very engaging game of Shag/Marry/Kill (hint: Erebus features twice).

Led by the Chaos Lord, the remaining jump troops raze the objective on the temple ruins for 3VP, then clear the copse to lurk menacingly before the Helbrute and Sorcerer.

In Shooting, the last Spawn is gunned down, and the Warp Talons declare a charge against both Helbrute and Sorcerer.

Losing one of their number to Overwatch (The Scourged overwatch on 5+), the remaining Warp Talons nonetheless are able to do enough damage to tear the machine apart.

This leaves the Chaos Lord free to unsheathe Ghorisvek’s Teeth upon the Sorcerer, who is cut into piece so small the worms won't even have to chew. Which gives up a VP for Slay the Warlord.

Black Legion 9 : 7 The Scourged

Turn 3 - The Scourged

The Traitors were finished. Not one of them lived, the entire raiding party broken and slaughtered without the loss of a single faithful Brother. It felt almost unfair, but in truth it was merely inevitable. When the keystone of an arch had been set, the rest of the arch had to follow. The Emperor had willed this to happen, the great keystone to everything. The work of his Chapter here was no less for this inevitability, no less important for being so simple. 

He sheathed his pistol. The last traitor was dead. This had unfolded as precisely as he had hoped. It was good when he interpreted his visions so clearly. 

Dolo knelt to give thanks to the Emperor for a task well-performed, and the chainsword of the Traitor's leader tore through his chest, sending him sprawling.  

Finally forced to abandon their wall, the Chaos Space Marines make a play for killing the Chaos Lord.

They unload everything into the Warp Talons, picking off two of them, then charge headlong into the Chaos Lord, scratching a wound off him before getting roundly decapitated by the daemon chainsword.

Black Legion 10 : 7 The Scourged

Victory to the Black Legion!

Bryahn tore his helmet from his sweating head, and held it aloft in triumph. "Victory!" he laughed aloud, "I promised you victory and we have it!" 

Around him, the Black Legionnaires cheered lustily. It had been simplicity itself to pervert the visions of the simpleton psyker who'd led these idiots. A threat and a bribe to a Chapter serf with loved ones held by cultists ensured their incense supply came from tainted stock. Then a pact with one of their neverborn allies, to show the hallucinogen-addled Librarian only what Bryahn wished him to see. 

They'd been firing on shadows, illusions. In truth, the only casualties Bryahn's warband had taken had been from those damned demolition charges. That, he hadn't expected. Not that you could ever completely predict the flow of battle. But that was a lesson these Seekers had clearly yet to learn. 

"Burn it all!" Bryahn shouted. "Death to the False Emperor!" And his Legionnaires obeyed. 

Campaign Map

The Cabal are painting the map red. The Alliance have one more chance to get a toehold on the campaign.

Locker Room

Well, that was brief and bloody! In a game of grabbing and burning objectives, it makes sense that it would favour the army that could move the fastest - and there's not much faster than a Host Raptorial.

It could have easily gone the other way - the Scourged were clearly capable of kicking out a lot of firepower and could have shredded the Black Legion before they could close up. Ultimately, the jump troops were able to concentrate on one flank and roll up the entire line.

This makes it 3-0 to The Cabal so far - and interestingly for those who like it up close and personal, the third time a melee army has prevailed against a shooting one.

(the exception being the nautical Chaos Space Marines, who never moved an inch all game)

"We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs. Drink up me hearties, yo ho!"