Road Raids: Astra Militarum vs Genestealer Cults

What kind of a low-down heretical madman would pay Genestealer Cultists to attack Imperial assets on Drawbridge? 

Two thumbs and this guy, that's who. It's me, Kraken, alongside Pootle, and we're having a narrative game on Drawbridge. My Inquisitorial forces are trying to keep a supply depot out of the hands of those do-gooder Ultramarines, but they're too busy chasing the Xenos warlord down on some backwater planet to do it themselves. 

Cue another uprising, with the stiff upper lips of the Scions against the lurking menace of the Genestealer Cults. Yes, it's pip-pip versus blip-blip!

Tempestuous Signs

It's been a little while since I've led Kraken's glorious Hagen Lampreys - in fact, looking back at the blog, it's been over four years (which goes some way to explain why I feel so rusty with the Orders concept etc).

But I'm keen to give them another outing to represent the Imperium in our campaign. It looks like the core functionality of these guys remains unchanged: they hit extremely hard when their boots land on the ground but die extremely easily.

• Commissar Graves is fresh off Kraken’s painting desk and looks a lot of fun (though will inevitably be eaten by Genestealers in Turn 1)
• Tempestus Command Squad (warlord with Bombard-class Vox enhancement, which lets the Tempestor Prime issue three orders); Master Vox, Medic and Regimental Standard. Leading 5 Scions (Hotshot Volley Gun and Plasma Gun)
• Tempestus Command Squad (Priority Drop Beacon enhancement, which allows turn-1 deep strike); Master Vox, Medic and Regimental Standard. Leading 5 Scions (Melta Gun and Plasma Gun). 
• 10 Scions (2 Hotshot Volley Guns and 2 Plasma Guns)
• 5 Scions (Hotshot Volley Gun and Plasma Gun)
• Valkyrie with Hellstrike Missiles and Multi-laser
• Taurox Prime with Taurox Battle Cannon and Twin Taurox Hotshot Volley Gun

1,000 points exactly

I'm using the Scion-specific Bridgehead Strike detachment, which makes Scions units Battleline (so I can take more than two units) and adds a pip of OC. In addition, when a Militarum Tempestus unit is set up on the battlefield (whether disembarking from a transport or arriving from deep strike) they get +1 to hit on ranged attacks; lastly any Astra Militarum Infantry in the army can reroll ranged hit rolls of 1. 

We had a bit of a talk about Flyer rules before the game. Flying transports need work! Details on the fixes we came up with down at the bottom of the report. 

Inquisitish

Just like Pootle and the Scions, I haven't used the Cults in quite a while either. Lots of new toys to try, so I'm cramming them both into this selection. 

Xenocult masses rewards Neophyte units by letting them heal 3 wounds in the command phase if they're in terrain. There are strats and relics to let them do things with Detection range, which isn't getting used here. The healing is good enough by itself!

The real draw for me is the Genestealer Broodswarm. That makes Genestealers both uppy and downy, gives them a reactive move strat and allows me to upgrade units with extra strength, toughness and save. I don't think it shifts break points much in this game, but it makes a nasty unit even nastier!

• Nexos - Warlord, handy for a cheap strat
• Clamavus - here for his deepstrike denial bubble
• Jackal Alpha - operating solo to do actions
• Reductus Saboteur - also operating solo to blow shit up
• Ironward Acolyte - a bit of extra toughness on some neophytes, plus his very good blip moving ability
• 20 Neophytes - 2 heavy stubbers, 2 grenade launchers, a mass of grotty nobodies
• 20 Neophytes - a mining laser, a heavy stubber, a webber and a flamer, more sniveling wretches
• 10 Neophytes - a real pack of nothing, not even an icon on this lot
• 2 x 10 Genestealers - upgraded with Starswarm Brood as noted above

1000 points dead on

Mission and deployment

Okay, Pootle has asked me to come up with a narrative game. Let's see if I can!

My lot are trying to take a Supply Depot out of commission (so that the Ultramarines can't score double for it on Drawbridge this turn). I'm translating this as:

• Primary - Bomb the Base: Once per turn, a full round action to sabotage any objective (even your home field). Score 10 VPs
• Secondary - Get 'Em Out: Score 5 VPs at the start of any turn where there are no Imperials inside the base, and
• Keep 'Em Out: Score 15 VPS if you hold the Access Road objective at the end of the game. 

Pootle is trying to reclaim the base and make sure it stays operational. So for him:

• Primary - Sweep and Clear: From turn two onwards,5 VPs to hold one, two and more objectives at the start of your turn. 
• Secondary - Secure Access: Score 5 VPs at the start of any turn where there are no GSC units present on the access road objective, and  
• Establish Bridgehead: 15 VPs if you hold the Parking Lot objective at the end of the game. 

My thinking is that we both should be able to score a steady stream of secondaries (as you often might), but we both have to be careful about out backlines as we both have very mobile armies. Pootle will have to balance trying to rush and get into the base with holding multiple objectives; I will have to balance putting my squishy army in harm's way in the mid-board whilst booby trapping everything. 

Here's the map on paper:

And translated to reality:

Simple enough deployment for me: Graves and the Taurox full of the 10-man Scion squad are on the road.

My warlord and his unit have dropped behind the building just to their left. I'd wanted to start them up in the skies, but need to keep more than 50% of points and units on the table to start with.

The Valkyrie has the 5-man squad in it, and the other Command-squad-led unit is further up in the sky.

I’m planning to make a cautious advance and keep my units together so they can support each other: if I throw individual units forwards they’ll undoubtedly kill things but then die. I think I’ll leave my home objectives to fate and slowly push through the mid board towards my final objectives.

I've got the small Neophyte unit and the Reductus in reserve, the rest of the Neophytes backline. The Clamavus is alone, holding down the entire base with his megaphone, the Nexos and Ironward are in the squad on the left. 

One Genestealer squad is ready to lock horns with the Scions if I can get first turn, the other is lurking ready to threaten the access road with backup from the Alpha. 

After a bit of tense rolling off, it turns out Pootle has turn one. Rats!

Scions: turn 1

I was incredibly nervous about those Genestealers just in front of my lines, but fortunately Kraken started the game off with one of his traditional 1s so I now need to drop as much as I can to despatch the aliens.

The Taurox can't get LoS, but by parking at the edge of the road, the Scions inside can disembark on top of the building next to it and get a good field of fire.

Graves orders herself to Move, Move, Move round the corner to get line of sight and even a potential charge...until Kraken plays a strat to retreat, taking that option out. I'll just have to shoot them down!

My Warlord's unit can't see the Stealers, but they can string out sufficiently to claim both objectives closest to me.

The other Command Squad-led Scions drop in and everyone let's rip with as many orders as I can manage. Unfortunately my dice aren't playing ball and there are still five left at the end of the turn, which is quite enough to put some pain on someone. The only plus here is that I only lose one of my Plasma shots (all of which I'd overcharged) to overheating.

At the end of the turn I've scored 5VPs for there being no enemy on the road. Interestingly, Kraken also gets 5VPs as I've not got any presence in the fort.

VP score - Draw 5:5

GSC: turn 1

...and I score 5VPs because at the start of the turn there are no GSC on the road (this scoring is going to get confusing!).

I'll soon put a stop to that, though. There might only be five Genestealers left, but they'll go through those Scions like the UK through Prime Ministers. 

I know their days are limited, so I fire the Scions on Overwatch and overcharge the Plasma guns one more time. I lose one to overheating, but do manage to take a Stealer down with me.

The remaining four duly scuttle the squad and tie up the Taurox as the Jackal Alpha scoots onto the access road and mines it. 

Everything else lurks menacingly in the backline, and I completely forget that I could have redeployed the other Genestealers earlier! So they march forwards instead. 

VP score - GSC leading 20:10

Scions: turn 2

No secondary points for me at the top of the turn due to multiple enemy on the road, but Kraken picks up 5 himself as I've no units in the fort.

I want to kill both those Stealer units and (typically) hem and haw my way around various options (thank you Kraken for your continued patience!) before I settle on Move, Move, Moving the Warlord's unit up on top of the building so they have eyes on everything.

The Valkyrie arrives and drops off its 5-strong Scion unit to shoot up the smaller unit of Stealers. They put some work in, but manage to explode their Plasma gunner immediately (which is a pain as there's no medic in that unit)

Between these units, I manage to achieve my objective and kill them all. Kraken then puts down a Cult Ambush marker at the bottom right corner of my home objective, very close to a Rapid Ingressing Reductus Saboteur...hmmm...that can be next turn's problem.

The second unit led by a Command Squad took to the skies (for a CP) at the end of last turn and they drop back down again just a few metres from where they took off, next to the Move, Move, Moving Commissar Graves, who's hoping to shoot and then charge the larger unit of Stealers.

Their shooting is much, much more effective than last turn and eight (and a half) Stealers are felled by a hail of gunfire (eliminating the chance of charging with Graves).

At the end of the turn I'm occupying only one objective, so that's 5VPs

VP score - GSC leading 25:15

GSC: turn 2

I'm racking up a decent lead here - still no Scions in the base, and the road is covered in bugs. 

Not very many bugs, though. The Jackal is getting a bit nervous now I'm light on 'Stealers, so she scoots backwards into cover as the last pair of Tyranids romp forwards. The Reductus moves up along with the blip, as I'm hoping I can tempt Pootle into attacking it so I can use her bombs. 

The big Neophyte squad moves up and pours fire into the nearby Scions Command unit. They've taken cover, and wisely so. What could have been a battering from sheer weight of fire mostly bounces off them, but I still take off half the unit. 

The Reductus was going to sabotage, but I get overexcited about her shooting options and try to blow up the other Command squad. To no avail, sadly, so the Neophytes at the back put chewing gum in all the ticket machine slots in the parking lot instead. That'll show the Ultramarines!

The paired 'stealers were hoping to rush the small Scions unit, but they roll a bum charge and only tag the Taurox. Better than nothing, and at least they're still on that objective.

VP score - GSC leading 40:15

Scions: turn 3

Not marked on the map, but the small unit of Scions moved up to claim the Road objective

Still no secondary VPs from the road for me due to that last Stealer! And I'm still not (quite) in the fort so Kraken DOES pick up 5VP himself in my turn - the ignominy!

First off, the Taurox falls back from the Stealer and heads back to steal back my home objective from the Saboteur, and also just managing to get within 8" of the Cult Ambush token. Fortunately for Kraken the Nexos has a special ability to replace an Ambush marker if this happens, so all I've done is postpone the re-emergence of that big unit of Stealers. The replaced marker has to be near the Nexos, so Kraken puts it just behind the wall inside the fort and behind the big blob of Neophyte Hybrids.

That's really not enough cover.

My Warlord's unit moves to hose down the Reductus Saboteur (carefully keeping outside 8" of him so I avoid his nasty mortal wound bombs) and it doesn't take much effort to neutralise that threat.

Between the small unit of Scions and the Valkyrie, the last Stealer on the road is executed.

Once again, the second Command-led Scions took off with a CP last turn, and then land again very nearby. This time they're going to shoot up that big blob of Hybrids. Kraken declares Overwatch on them but despite rolling a lot of dice manages to not kill a single Scion!

I've had a cunning plan with Graves, who has ordered herself to Fix Bayonets and moves straight towards the Hybrids. Firepower from her and the Scions next door is pretty brutal, killing around half the squad, but what's really impressive is when she charges in and dispatches almost everyone else (leaving only the Nexos alive on a single wound!). 

Even better (for me), her charge has meant that she's ended within 8" of the replaced Cult Ambush marker, which means that this time it's removed for good and Kraken loses the chance to get 10 Stealers defending the fort. Something tells me that's very good news for me.

Yeah, that's a real bonus. I was careless about redeploying it, it should have gone much further back. 

I do score the full 15VPs for holding three objectives (the two buildings nearest my deployment zone and the road - the smaller unit of Scions had moved forwards, though that's not marked on the map). 

VP score - GSC leading 45:30

GSC: turn 3

This time I do claim 5VPs for the road! 

Not the base yet, though! Although that's starting to look like a problem. I'm very short on presence and threat now. Ten Neophytes can go and take the objective back in Pootle's backline, the Clamavus hurriedly plants bombs in his tower and the Nexos scuttles away in shame, wondering where everyone has gone. 

I've still got a commanding lead, but I don't know how long I'm likely to keep it!

VP score - GSC leading 60:35

Scions: turn 4

5VPs for both of us at the top of the turn: no cult activity on the road, and no Imperial presence (yet) in the fort.

The Taurox heads around the corner, aiming to shoot and then Tank Shock the Hybrids. Unfortuntely I completely fluff this and only kill four Hybrids (and one of those was in normal melee). The vehicle even takes a wound of its own when trying to ram the Hybrids (I do like that addition to the ramming rule).

The Scions in the west don't need to take to the skies: they move forwards then charge the Nexos. I make a right meal of melee and it takes every single one of my 18 attacks to take just one wound of the cultist, but I do finally manage to do it.

"If this map is to scale, I'm screwed."

Graves has moved to claim the central objective at the back near the bridge (there's no way through the wall nearby for her to get into the fort). She aims all her guns at the Jackal Alpha and makes a very convincing job of things. Perhaps Kraken would have been better off running it onto the road to deny me 5VPs this turn?

My warlord's squad spent a CP last turn to jump skywards and land near the parking lot, supported by the Valkyrie.

The flyer's guns don't make a huge impact, but that's more than made up for by the Scions, who murder almost all the enemy squad (I think there were only a couple left alive). Boom!

VP score - GSC leading 65:50

GSC: turn 4

Ominously for Kraken, I pick up 5VPs for an empty road at the start of the turn, but he gets nothing as I've arrived in the fort.

Yeah, I'm not liking this! Although the remaining Neophytes can regroup a little under their banner, they have to spend the turn planting bombs very carefully round the last home end objective. Carefully because I have to make sure they stay more than 6" away from the Scions and Graves - Pootle has 2 CP, and I can't risk a countercharge. 

The Clamavus tries to shout at the nearby Scions to scare them, and fails. The other Neophytes go and cower in the building, where that nasty tank can't shock them, and that's my turn over. I'm still winning! Just go away now, Scions!

VP score - GSC leading 75:55

Scions: turn 5

I pick up another 5 VPs for the alien-free road at the top of my last turn, bringing my secondary tally to 30VPs. I'm going to have an empty road next turn too, but there's nothing Kraken can do to stop my warlord marching onto the car park for a final 15VP bonus.

Home in time for tea. Good job, chaps!

For what it's worth Graves and the other Scion unit murder the remaining Hybrids in the fort area (the Clamavus is keeping very, very quiet on the tower objective).

No he's not, he's still shouting new truths that nobody is listening to!

In the south, the Taurox can't quite kill all the remaining Hybrids, but that doesn't matter. I get 15 VPs from primary objectives leaving too high a hill for Kraken to climb.

He will be able to sabotage my home objective, but the VPs from that will cap out at 45 from Primaries.

Final score - Scions win 90:80 (100:90 with painting bonuses)

Locker room

I don't remember scoring a perfect 100 before, so that's nice. The VP score ended up pretty close in the end.

I was massively impressed by Commissar Graves' performance (where was New Model Syndrome??). A full-on assault by ten Stealers would've put a pause on her activities, but I was confident there wasn't a lot else that could hurt her.

I definitely missed having much anti-tank capability here. Wonder how much a Benefictus costs?

On that note, Kraken's mistake in putting the Ambush counter close enough for Graves to neutralise it was undoubtedly game-turning - it seems obvious to me that ten Stealers would absolutely have reversed that slender VP margin by killing the Scions that went on to occupy the fort and then distracting attention sufficiently to turn the game.

Yes, my inexperience with the GSC definitely showed here. In retrospect, I should have started both Genestealer units as far forwards as possible. As shown, the souped up ones are resilient enough to take a bit of shooting. A second unit in strike range would definitely have made a difference. 

I also totally forgot about the redeploying ability! That would also have helped the second squad get into position faster (or at least kept Pootle busy in his own back line for a bit longer). Stupid new fancy rules, being all clever and whatnot. GSC are a wonderful mix of overlapping rules and abilities, but they do require a bigger brain than I brought today. 

I enjoyed playing the Scions again, and it was great fun to play another Kraken-special mission - thank you sir and you maintain your record of coming up with very balanced unbalanced missions!

Very welcome!

Fly Away GW

We talked about aircraft rules before the game. It's clear that that the Valkyrie has to appear from Reserves every turn and then disappear again at the end of the enemy's turn. That's all fine and reflects the high speeds it's working at much better than in previous editions (ironically it still has the Hover keyword which apparently lets it ignore the 2" movement penalty for Taking To The Skies in the Movement phase - however the rules clearly say that Aircraft don't move at all in the conventional sense - they just appear and then disappear). 

The issue is that the rules say that aircraft follow normal Ingress moves, which means that the Valkyrie will have to appear within 6" of a board edge (as it doesn't have the Deep Strike keyword). That seems incredibly unhelpful for a transport aircraft (and particularly ironic given that its Scion cargo themselves DO have the Deep Strike keyword, so really they'd be better off without the transport!

Valkyries have a special ability to let their passengers out for free after the enemy's movement phase (sort of a free rapid ingress). So it can shelter them for a turn and you'd decide if it's safe to get out after, but the Ingress rules still make it a poor option.

Kraken and I like aircraft (he has three to support the Lampreys and we even used all three of them in the game four years ago) so we're very happy to make our own rules. All we really need to do is give the Valkyrie the Deep Strike keyword, but we also amend the special rule for it so that troops embarked within it can move and charge after disembarking from it (like a Land Raider). Not that my Scions were planning on much charging, but allowing them to disembark and move at least feels reasonable - more akin to how a Drop Pod works.

Actually, now that I've re-read the movement rules a bit more, they'd be able to do that fine without us tweaking things. Ingress moves aren't at the end of the movement phase any more, they're in whatever order you like. You could plonk your jet down when you like and move in or out as needed. Still should have Deep Strike, though!