Sunday, February 5, 2023

Battle Report: Vadinax Campaign - Mission 1 Celvorn’s Mauraders

   ++++Transmission: Adeptus Astartes Ultra++++
BATTLE REPORT:
DATE: 5092023.M42 Planetary Strike T-plus: 2 Days
LOCATION: Southern Polar Region "The Graves" - TERN'S ENDEAVOR
CHAPTER APPROVED: ULTRAMARINES

Casualties: Acceptable Limits
Enemy Casualties: +REDACTED+
Liberated Civilians: 10,675
Materiel:
Promethium: 80.6 Units
Ammunition: 14.3 Units
Equipage: 4.1 Units

VICTORY for the EMPEROR

CADIAN 836TH "SNOW SPECTRES" detected warp disturbances in the southern polar region

Orbital bombardment: WITHHELD
Confirmed signatures as RENEGADE ASTARTES with Class 3 or 4 PSYKER
Renegade designation RED CORSAIRS - Significant threat
ASTARTES ASSAULT SUCCESSFUL

RED CORSAIRS sustained heavy loses - withdrew into "The Graves" via ++REDACTED++
All praise to the EMPEROR

Materiel and Civilians liberated
TASK FORCE 'FAUSTUS' redeploying to BATTLE BARGE EXCELSIOR in orbit at THE WEEPING EYE

Detailed Status:
Apothecary Singa: Wounded (Leg amputated)
Squad Tourbillion: Tactical Dreadnought Armour under evaluation for metal fatigue
Venerable Brother "Fury": Targeter systems damaged - repair underway

REF: 328/214TG-96W33-F2593401QV16
THOUGHT: Even though you once called him friend, the Traitor has forsaken you. Show no mercy even if he begs it, for his soul is tainted and given the chance he will betray your trust. (IA Vol II 142)
 ++++Transmission End++++


I have joined the global Vadinax Campaign for my first foray into narrative games.  This is great, it’s how 40k should be played, and the first game was a lot of fun.

Battle Report:

Ruleset: Tempest of War with 2023 Arks of Omen Grand Tournament - Incursion, 2023 Q1 Balance Datasheet & Points, and Goonhammer Vadinax Crusade rules
Mission: Tempest of War - Vital Ground
Mission Rule: Sweep and Clear
Deployment: Sweeping Engagement
Points: 1000

Celvorn's Marauders (Red Corsairs):


++ Arks of Omen Detachment 1000pts ++

**Traitor Legion**: Red Corsairs
Battle Size [6CP]: Incursion (51-100 Total PL / 501-1000 Points) [6CP]
Game Type: 4. Chapter Approved: Arks of Omen Grand Tournament + Crusade

+ HQ +

  • Celvorn "The Pretender" - Master of Possession: Warlord (Warleader)
  • Vechmus Thrax - Lord Discordant on Helstalker

+ Troops +

  • Vorjcha's Skullcrushers - Legionaries
  • Sons of Ruin - Legionaries
  • Cade's Company - Traitor Guard

+ Elites +

  • Krall's Maulers - Chaos Terminators
  • Skade - Helbrute
  • Twice-Born - Possessed


My Forces:


++ Arks of Omen Detachment 975pts ++

**Chapter Selector**: Ultramarines
Battle Size [6CP]: Incursion (51-100 Total PL / 501-1000 Points) [6CP]
Game Type: 4. Chapter Approved: Arks of Omen Grand Tournament + Crusade

+ HQ +

  • Primus Leo Exevio Faustus - Captain Terminator Armour: Rites of War, The Sanctic Halo, Power Fist, Wrist mounted grenade launcher, Storm Bolter, Warlord (Warleader) 
  • Praelior Tarquinius Iulian Regulus - Chaplain in Terminator Armour:  Benediction of Fury  Storm bolter, Canticle of Hate, Litany of Hate, The Imperium's Sword

+ Troops +

  • Squad Cornelius - 5 man Tactical Squad - Power Fist, Plasma pistol, Bolt pistol, Meltagun, Bolters

+ Elites +

  • Apothecary Hulm Singa - Apothecary: Astartes Chainsword, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, The Armour Indomitus
  • Venerable Brother "Fury" - Dreadnought: Dreadnought melee weapon w/ Storm bolter, Twin Lascannon
  • Squad Nox - 5man Terminator Assault Squad - Teleport Homer,  5x Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield
  • Squad Tourbillion - 5 man Terminator Squad - Power sword, Storm bolter, Assault cannon, Chainfist 3x, Power fist

+ Heavy Support +

  • Squad Nero - Devastator Squad: Power sword, plasma pistol, 2x Lascannon, Missile Launcher, Plasma Cannon

+ Fast Attack +

  • "One Charlie" - Land Speeder Tornado: Heavy flamer, Multi-melta
Agendas: Survivor (Singa), Guide the Chapter (Goonhammer Vadinax Imperial Player Pack)


Takeaways & Analysis:

As per my previous run in with Red Corsairs, I knew they were fast and tough in melee.  I had a game plan but the Sweeping Engagement deployment profile for the mission threw some of it out the window - the Lord Discordant and Possessed would be too close for comfort.  It was nice starting with CP for once, so I took advantage of my redeploy pre-game move to try and get some range for my Devastator Squad (Narrator: It wouldn't turn out so great for them)



As an aside, my opponent Darryl was hugely knowledgeable about 40k and was really great about explaining how his models worked and was very sporting.  This made it a hugely enjoyable game and took a lot of pressure off.  I think that went a long way to helping me settle down because I was able to remember a lot of stratagems, my Apothecary Feel No Pain, and all the other things that I typically forget.

Darryl won the roll of to go first, and did a tremendous amount of damage to the Nero's Devastator squad - they were unable to fire a single shot.  However, I was lucky in that the Lord Discordant and Possessed, who deployed very close to my home objectives, weren't able to get within range to charge.

One member of Squad Nox falls to withering fire as they Charge.  As One Charlie's Melta turned the mount to slag, the Lord Discordant seemed to vanish...


While I lost the Devastators, I think the redeploy of my Captain and Dreadnought was overall a good move, I was able to apply a lot of pressure to his back forces and tie them up, but maybe its hard to say.  I don't think either of us had the best dice luck, especially my character units, but I had luck come through where it was needed most.

The Land Speeder "One Charlie" - who typically gets blown off the table before doing anything really came up aces this game.  He would definitely get Mark of Greatness if I wasn't trying to power level my Apothecary.  A Martial Precision boosted Multi-Melta barrage eliminated Lord Discordant Vechmus before he was able to do much other than take out one terminator from Squad Nox.  A bit later, "One Charlie" again stole the show with another blast that took out the Warleader Celvorn the Pretender himself.  While the pilots of "One Charlie" went down moments later in a hail of return fire from the renegades, they will forever be remembered!

Regulus and Squad Nox take the fight to the Possessed Renegades.


Meanwhile, up the board we had Helbrute Skade suffer a critical explosion that wiped out Apothecary Singa and did catastrophic damage to Faustus, Squad Tourbillion, and Venerable Brother "Fury" - who would also explode later, spectacularly damaging Krall's Maulers.  It was quite a brawl.  Eventually Faustus fell, but did a lot of damage thanks to Singa's (futile) efforts to keep his brothers alive.  It proved to be enough - Squad Nox was able to charge in and clean up Krall's Maulers, the traitor guard and the rest of the legionaries - with the exception of one that disappeared into the twisting fjords of "The Graves".  Strange warp signatures and the disappearance of all of the disabled Marauders meant that some twisted warp sorcery allowed Celvorn and his forces to escape, though they abandoned much of their prior spoils and stronghold in the area.
Terminators and Dreadnoughts vs Terminators and Dreadnoughts

It was a punishing battle

Faustus falls, but his wounds were not serious.

One Charlie melts the sorcerer before getting shot down by return fire.  Squad Nox races ahead to engage the foe as Regulus too falters from sustained plasma fire.  Though uninjured, his Terminator Armour shutdown as it emergency vented the heat.

The last of the renegades taunts squad Nox before slipping away into the fjord mist.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Faustus looked out over the fjord.  The foe was a brilliant commander, though bold, this southern polar region of Tern's Endeavor would be a difficult place to pacify - thus an ideal base for raids.  The drop assault was tactically sound and accomplished the objective, but the renegades were able to escape, likely into the warp with some cursed sorcery.  They were not to be underestimated either, as they dealt some serious damage even on the back foot.

"Brother Captain" - it was Chaplain Regulus approaching.  Faustus turned in his mighty, ancient Tactical Dreadnought Armour.

"Vox message from The Excelsior indicates all drop ships are aboard.  Hulm says his leg is lost, but the junior Apothecaries are already working on the bionics."

"Very good.  And the 'One Charlie' crew?"  

"Will of the Emperor, both tucked and rolled, survived the crash with only minor injuries."

Faustus, though often stoic, cracked a bit of a smile "They finally learned to shoot."

Faustus could hear the smile behind the fearsome skull visage of Regulus' helm: "That they did sir."

*Teleportarium Coordinate Lock* Chimed Faustus' suit.

"Battle Barge Excelsior, energize"

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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