Parking Charge: Space Wolves vs World Eaters

Sweetwater Egress campaign: Episode 5

"Nine of them? That's odd," Baedlara said. "One extra."

"How so?" Skov asked quietly. 

"Eight's sacred to them," the Librarian explained reluctantly. "Bones of the cranial skull, something like that." That wasn't really it. He knew the real reason, but he wouldn't explain that to the veteran sergeant. Skov didn't need heresy to worry over for the last few days of his life. 

Skov grunted. "One more to take out, then. Not easy."

Baedlara played his gunsight over the tanks once more. Predators, Rhinos, even a couple of heavy Vindicators. Skov was right, they weren't easy targets with what they had to hand. He was almost tempted to try and capture one. Fine vehicles all, their heavy weapons would have been useful against the Black Legion. 

Their trek around the patches of warp infestation had cost them time, too. If they were to reach their true enemies before they descended on the space port, speed in a good transport would have been very welcome.

If they hadn't been daubed with blasphemous symbols or affixed with cruel spikes, that was. Blood red, the tanks belonged to the Beserker warband that the Black Legion had used as shock troops in their initial assault. The mercenaries had split off from their employers now and were raiding and capturing civilians. Their prison camp lay between the Wolves and their prey. 

It was night, the tanks had been parked in what looked suspiciously like ritual order at the edge of the Berserker lines. They could sneak past, but there was little cover beyond this camp. Baedlara knew they'd probably be spotted and attacked come morning. Without tanks of their own, they'd be easily caught. If they wrecked the vehicles and moved out quickly enough, however, they had a chance. So half the Wolves were already moving quietly past the Berserkers while he led a pinpoint raid on the transport pool.

Their machine spirits would be suffering. It was kinder to destroy the defiled vehicles, he told himself. 

"Hand out melta charges," he told Skov. "Two minutes, then go."

---

The campaign rages on (catch up on previous episodes here) with Kasfunatu's World Eaters continuing to their bloody path - this time taking on an equally-visceral astartes: Kraken's Space Wolves!

Space Wolves

It's me, Kraken, bringing my Airwolf tribute list. If it's not in the air on jetpacks or grapnels, then it's an actual wolf. Get in fast, blow stuff up, then harass whatever sentries turn up with fast-moving firepower and shooting. That's the plan, anyway! 

• Baedlara - Rune Priest in Phobos Armour (warlord)
  Force Sword, Bolt Pistol
  Portents of Wisdom
• 5 x Assault Intercessors with Jump Pack
  Power weapon, 4 x astartes chainswords, 2 x plasma pistol, 3 x heavy bolt pistols
• 3 x Inceptor Squad
  Plasma Exterminators
• 3 x Inceptor Squad
  Assault Bolters
• 5 x Reiver Squad
  Grapnel Launchers, Reiver Grav-chutes, Combat Knifes, Special Issue Bolt Pistol
• 5 x Fenrisian Wolves
  Teeth and claws

World Eaters

Same World Eaters list as the last battle, minus their Rhino - since this mission is all about destroying transport vehicles.

• Dethacus - [Khârn the Betrayer] (warlord)
  Gorechild, Just A Really Nice Plasma Pistol
  
• Hurlk the Fleam - Master of Executions
  Axe of Dismemberment, Bolt Pistol
  Berserker Glaive
• 5 x Khorne Berserkers
  5 x Berserker chainblade & bolt pistol, Khornate Eviscerator, Icon of Khorne
• 10 x Jakhals
  Mauler chainblade, Skullsmasher, 8 x Jakhal chainblades & autopistol, Icon of Khorne 
• 2 x Chaos Spawn
  Hideous mutations
• 2 x Chaos Spawn
  Hideous mutations

Mission and Deployment

The mission tonight is Sabotage: the remaining Space Wolves are trying to destroy or disable the heretic vehicles to give the last survivors a chance to escape.

The scene is a Chaos parking lot with 9 vehicles:

If a Space Wolves unit is touching a vehicle, it may spend an action to plant a melta charge. 

• At the end of the battle, roll for each tagged vehicle: on a 3+ it is destroyed. 
• Space Wolves units may plant more than one melta charge for a re-roll. 
• Vehicles can also be destroyed conventionally during the battle. 
• Chaos units can attempt to cut the wires if they're touching it and spend an action. 
• There is a 50% chance of deactivation or it blows up on the spot

Victory is achieved by destroying more than half (>5) vehicles. 

Space Wolves get the first turn and can deepstrike from Turn 1. World Eaters are in strategic reserve and can appear Turn 1 from any edge.

This makes for a very quick deployment, since almost everything can deepstrike, only the Fenrisian Wolves appear in the northeast corner. 

Turn 1 - Space Wolves

They dropped into the parking lot hard and fast, jump packs screaming. No alarms rang, no sentries reacted. Perhaps they slept, exhausted after a hard day of slaving? It seemed unlikely. Senses alert, Baedlara marked targets for his pack. 

"Metal/Storm, bearings set. Get it done."

His pack huffed their acknowledgement. 

The Predators were first - they had the best range. Baedlara watched Skov prime a bundle of melta cores and slap it on the tank's side, then started back as the tank shuddered and howled. Angry red eyes opened along the inside rim of its side door, twitching and staring. The noise was awful, a half-klaxon, half-caterwaul that shattered the night along with any hope he'd had for a quick getaway. 

Answering howls rang out around the perimeter. This was going to get bloody. 

The Space Wolves all descend from the skies, aiming to take out the heavy vehicles first. The Fenrisan Wolves run to the nearest Vindicator and drop their melta charge. 

The bolter Inceptors jump on the other Vindicator in the southeast and tag it. 

Everyone else goes into the centre: the Reivers tag one Predator and the Jump Intercessors get the other one. The only unit who don’t drop melta charges are the plasma Inceptors, who attempt to shoot up one of the Black Legion Rhinos, plinking off half its wounds.

Score: 4 x charges set

Turn 1 - World Eaters

The tank continued its awful screaming. It plucked at Baedlara's senses, scattering his thoughts and setting his teeth on edge. He wanted to smash the tank, break it open and tear its windpipe out just to hear silence again. 

One of the Reivers was punching his knife into the hull of the tank, denting the armour plate. Skov was banging both fists against his helmet, twisting his body as though to drag himself away from the din. They looked crazed, out of control. 

"Contact! Heretic, 1805. Chisel/Storm!" Garulf of the Inceptors. Baedlara heard the boom of bolter fire, then screaming. He couldn't think, there was too much noise. He wanted to kill something. He had to kill something. 

He had to think. His hand grasped one of the runic tokens dangling from his belt, and he felt his thumb trace a straight groove. Isa, he thought as his training took over. Calm. Clarity. 

"Reivers! On me, Vulture/Path, Sword/Psalm!"

Like the jaws of a vice, the World Eaters appear from both sides: Spawn and Berzerkers from the north; Jakhals and Dethacus from the south. 

After some sporadic fire, everyone charges. 

The Berzerkers fail their charge against the Fenrisian Wolves, and the Spawn are too far away from anything to attempt one.

On the other side, Dethacus makes it into the bolter Inceptors, getting winged by some overwatch fire but more than capable of chopping up the three gravis marines.

Score: 4 x charges set

Turn 2 - Space Wolves

Although the choking fury was still on them, it had a channel to guide it now. Baedlara leapt over the back of the still-howling Predator and unleashed his pack on the things loping towards them, hulking, scythe-handed creatures that the Berserkers used as their war dogs. 

The vox channel was cluttered with barks of rage and animalistic growls, he couldn't say for sure whose. Snarling himself, he sent his fury out into his blade, and slashed into the hide of the nearest spawn.

It doesn’t take much to rile up the Space Wolves. After seeing their brothers cut down, they forget all about their mission to plant melta charges and run off to start fighting.

The plasma Inceptors overcharge their guns and blast Dethacus into hot shrapnel, although one of them also explodes from his own weapon overheating. Baeldara takes his Reivers into the Chaos Spawn, but their knives have difficulty cutting through the regenerating flesh and one of the marines is eaten in return. 

Both Fenrisian Wolves and Jump Intercessors pile into the Berzerkers, led by Hurlk the Fleam. They knock out one of the khornites with impact hits and, before you can say ‘is this a good idea?’, the Master of Executions activates his fight-first ability and slaughters all the Fenrisian Wolves.

The rest of the combat is more indecisive, as both Intercessors and Berzerkers whiff their attacks.

Score: 4 x charges set

Turn 2 - World Eaters

"Life/Ban! Life/Ban!" Baedlara heard. Red icons flashed in warning as his pack fell. They were outmatched against the red hate of the Berserkers. He had to think! He had to remember why they were here!

The howling in his head worsened. Was it in his head? Or was he howling aloud like the rest of them, revelling the blood of the creature he'd felled as he jammed his sword into its chest over and over?

The World Eaters are now in their Khorne happy place, so the Berzerkers stay put, while the second unit of Spawn pile into the help out their betentacled buddies. 

The Jakhals move towards the last two Inceptors, but they activate their Wind Swift Evasion stratagem to back off 6” and deny them the charge. 

Now that The Fleam doesn’t have to get distracted by killing pooches, he wipes out the Jump Intercessors. The Chaos Spawn drag down another two Reivers, with one beast slain in return.

Score: 4 x charges set

Turn 3 - Space Wolves

"Brothers!" he panted, desperately trying to keep his focus. Another life! Just one more to take - there, the writhing centipede thing in the partial armour, its piggish face split in an insane roar as it grappled with one of his Wolves, wrists locked as each tried to wrestle the other to the ground. 

"Brothers, listen! Moon/Shudder! Now, brothers, on me!" 

With a huge effort, Baedlara forced himself into the air. It felt wrong! He should stay, he should fight - there was still blood to spill down there. No, he had to get away, though it sickened him to go. He was weak, a coward. 

Skov, still clutching his helmet with a free hand, fired his grapnel, flashing past the Librarian as he made for higher ground. Asleipr followed just behind, his weapons gone, his armour blood-slicked to the chest. 

They stood gasping on the lip of a tower, heads ringing, and looked down on a charnelhouse. 

With a dwindling number of models, the Space Wolves start to box clever. The Reivers activate their grapling hooks and climb the tower, out of reach of the Chaos Spawn. 

The Inceptors move into the Jakhals, shooting up seven of them with their plasma guns.

A good charge would finish them off, unfortunately, they roll a bad one and melee is avoided.

Score: 4 x charges set

Turn 3 - World Eaters

More than half his pack were gone. Some had fallen, some were still fighting. Some had thrown off their helmets, were lost to a bestial rage that left them rolling on the floor, yowling and hissing as they fought with whatever they could reach, be it traitor or brother. 

In the middle of the yard, Baedlara saw a pair of Inceptors back to back, firing point blank into the faces of a tide of blood-mad wretches. Their pistol vents were glowing sheer white. He shouted to them, but they didn't react. 

The Predator was still screaming, engine roaring but tracks locked. It bucked and rattled in place, clearly trying to shed the lethal charge that Skov had clamped to it. As he watched, Baedlara saw the many-legged spawn he'd fought just moments before scuttle up to the tank and grab the bomb in its twitching mouthparts before bracing itself against the hull and thrashing madly from side to side, trying to dislodge the charge.

Denied their warlord kill, the World Eaters set their sights on the Inceptors and start running downfield towards them. All except for one lone Spawn, who decides he is the most qualified to deactivate one of the melta charges and promptly chews through one of the red wires. 

The booby-trapped Predator blows up for our first confirmed kill! 

The remaining Jakhals charge into the Inceptors, and even manage to take one of them down to his last wound. In return, two of them are squashed, but the survivor is doing his job of preventing the Inceptors from doing anything meaningful in their own turn.

Score: 3 x charges set, 1 x vehicle destroyed

Turn 4 - Space Wolves

There was a deep orange flash as the anti-tamper on the melta-bomb triggered. The spawn howled, tossing the glowing charge as its mouthparts burned away. The bomb slammed back against the upper hull of the tank and burned straight through the roof. Immediately, the Predator's screams redoubled, and Baedlara staggered under the hateful impact of it. 

Then the tank exploded. 

The sound was gone, he could think again. 

"Rhino at 1832, set charges and move out," he ordered. "Remi, Frann, Rhino at 1724. Move!"

The few remaining Wolves huffed obedience. 

Sure enough the Inceptors can only shoot the last Jakhal and gain some distance between themselves and the Berzerkers by charging one of the Rhinos.

The Rune Priest and Reivers rappel off their tower and charge the lone Rhino to the west, also using their charge to put some distance between themselves and the Spawn.

Score: 3 x charges set, 1 x vehicle destroyed

Turn 4 - World Eaters

Even as they touched down by the Rhino, Baedlara knew they weren't out of trouble. The Spawn had followed them round, scrabbling at the bottom of the tower as they looked in vain for a way up. Now they were on the ground again, they were fair game for the shambling creatures. With an imbecile roar, a pair of them tore across the open rockrete. 

Skov knelt by the tank, twisting the primer on his last charge, hefting the massive bomb up so he could press it against the armoured carrier. The lead spawn bowled into him, tusks knocking the Reiver head over heels, and the bomb dropped heavily to the ground. Baedlara braced himself to meet its charge.

The Fleam and his Berkerkers continue to jog towards the Inceptors, while the big unit of Spawn hit the Reivers, killing all of them but the Rune Priest. 

Undaunted by his previous experience, the lone Spawn attempts to deactive the second Predator. This time, he picks the right wire to chew and the melta charge is gone!

Score: 2 x charges set, 1 x vehicle destroyed

Turn 5 - Space Wolves

There was no way he could kill it before the bomb reset itself, and no time to reprime it if it did. 

Baedlara rode the impact of the mutant as it crashed into him. Ribs cracked along with armour, the pain flaring then vanishing as his nerves locked it away for later. He let it fling him against the tank, dropping and rolling so his momentum took him to his prize. 

He scooped the bomb up, sprang up in a hunting stance and slammed it on the Rhino's prow with a heavy clang. 

In their final turn, the Space Wolves do their best to sneak a mission win and plant melta charges on their respective Rhinos. The Rune Priest got to plant his at a disadvantage, since he was also dodging attacks from Chaos Spawn at the time.

Score: 4 x charges set, 1 x vehicle destroyed

Turn 5 - World Eaters

"Fire/Sick," he heard Frann report. "Foe in pursuit, target painted."

"Eye/Stones," Baedlara told him. Break off, fend for yourself. He was backed up against the Rhino, the demolition charge winking by his waist. The paired creatures flanked him, one shaking with wild seizures as it psyched itself up for another brutal charge, the other humming an idiotic tune to itself as foot-long spikes of irridescent chitin slid in and out of mucus-slick sphincters in its armoured carapace. He tried to centre himself, to recall the wyrd of translocation. 

Had they destroyed enough of this damned transports? Had he bought his brothers enough time? 

The humming spawn reached an anticipatory high note and its partner swung in like a wrecking ball.

The World Eaters conclude their last turn with a clean sweep. The Berzerkers finally catch the Inceptors and thoroughly beat them up. 

The duel between the Rune Priest and Chaos Spawn also comes to an untimely end as the warlord disappears beneath the flailing claws.

Score: 4 x charges set, 1 x vehicle destroyed

That’s the game over, but there is still a potential win for the Space Wolves. With due anticipation, we roll for the melta charges... … only two are detonated! There are still enough transports to ferry the heretics all the way to hell.

Result: victory to the World Eaters!

Kroaton sat by the smouldering wreck and whimpered. 

His face was a molten mess, seared tissue hanging off in wet, red ropes where the melta charge had burned it. Hurlk stroked the miserable creature's back. 

"You did well, old friend. You protected us."

Kroaton made hacking noises, spat out a fat gob of bloody mucus. It hit the floor with a loud crack. There were several teeth in it of various sizes, alongside a bristling tangle of chewed wiring. 

"Another charge, eh? Good boy! Good boy. Come. Blood for you, good boy." Hurlk led his limping charge round the flaming husk of the Vindicator. Whatever vestigial instinct had led him to chew on the melta charges, it had saved the bulk of their transports from the Space Wolves attempted sabotage. He deserved a treat. 

Sprawled on the floor, fused to the asphalt where he'd been broadsided by a fusillade of plasma blasts, lay Dethacus, first servant of Uracil and chosen leader of this warband. Still living, his voice was rasped to little more than a dry hiss as he struggled to free himself from the amalgam of armour and stone. A mad reaver, mind long-gone to bloodlust, they kept him chained in the back of his Rhino and unleashed him more as a weapon than a leader these days. He was a liability, Hurlk knew, but one who had the favour of their lord. 

No longer. Now he'd make a good healing repast for Kroaton, and he, Hurlk the Fleam, would lead Uracil's Reavers. Hurlk smiled as he guided his old friend to the feast. 

"There, Kroa. There you go - blood! Eat up! Good boy!"

Locker Room

Now... what have all learned about fighting Berzerkers led by a Master of Executions?

At least this battle went the distance (thanks in part to that Wind Swift Evasion stratagem - I can see the Mantis Warriors enjoying that), and it could have gone either way at the end. I like the idea of the scenario, although it is always going to be a struggle at 500pts with so few units to do things. If I were to run it again, I think I would decouple it from the 'action' of the 40k ruleset - not being able to do anything in a turn feels too disabling.

But it seems nothing is going to stop the skull harvest, and now the heretics are still mobile on the dying planet of Sweetwater. Which means nowhere is safe.