++++Transmission Intercept:++++
COMM-UPLINK: BATTLE BARGE EXCELSIOR <-> VALERN CITADEL STRONGPOINT 87
DATE: 5173023.M42
--- UNINTELEGIBLE ---
DEXTER: ... Repeat, Captain Leo Faustus, this is Samus Dexter, do you copy?
FAUSTUS: ... am receiving your transmission Techmarine, go ahead.
DEXTER: Full power to the Teleportarium has been restored. Thunderhawks have launched, ETA six.
FAUSTUS: Perfect timing, we will clear the landing pads for you. Status of remaining positions?
DEXTER: Not looking good sir.
FAUSTUS: Copy.
++++Transmission INTERRUPTED++++
Archive: Fall of Valern Citadel, Tern's Endeavor, Vadinax Sector
Week 6 of the Vadinax Campaign was the most fun yet. It seemed that in prior weeks the Ork and Chaos players had mounted such a significant assault on the citadel that we had a Flash Point event. All Ork, Chaos, and Imperium players got an extra fate point for battles in this area, and Imperium players had to be defenders with the "Backs to the Wall" bonus which gave light, heavy, and dense cover bonuses to one piece of terrain in the deployment zone, but at the cost of more risk of battle scars. It was so thematic that I broke out my MDF industrial terrain and set up a battle with Matt for a royal rumble against the Orks!
Battle Report:
Ruleset: Core Crusade 2023 Arks of Omen Grand Tournament - Strike Force, 2023 Q1 Balance Datasheet & Points, and Goonhammer Vadinax Crusade rules
Mission: Arks of Omen GT: 23 The Scouring
Points: 1500
My Forces:
++ Arks of Omen Detachment 1492pts ++
**Chapter Selector**: Ultramarines
Battle Size [6CP]: Strike Force(101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 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 Kaiel- 5 man Tactical Squad - Chainsword, Plasma pistol, Bolt pistols, Meltagun, Bolters
- Squad Vitus - 5 man Tactical Squad - Chainsword, Bolt pistols, Heavy Bolter, Bolters
+ Elites +
- Chief Apothecary Hulm Singa - Apothecary: Astartes Chainsword, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Selfless Healer, The Armour Indomitus, Conversion Field, Custodian of the Future [Lost Leg Scar]
- 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: Teleport Homer, Power sword, Storm bolter, Assault cannon, 3x Chainfist, Power fist
- Kill Team Rubrum - 5 man Terminator Squad: Teleport Homer, Power sword, Storm bolter, Heavy Flamer, Chainfist, 3x Power fist
- Squad Velox - 5 man Vanguard Veterans Squad: Relic Blade, 3x Storm Shields, 2x Thunder Hammers, 2x Lightning Claws (pair)
+ 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
- "Two Charlie" - Land Speeder Tornado: Heavy flamer, Multi-melta
Agendas: Survivor, Reaper, Guide the Chapter
Bozzbone Bigun's Waagh!:
++ Arks of Omen Detachment 0CP 1,496pts ++
**Clan Kultur**: Goffs
+ HQ +
- Big Mek w/ Shokk Attack Gun
- Bozzbones Bigun - Warboss: Brutal but Kunnin, Da Killa Klaw, Kombi-rokkit, Power Klaw
- Weirdboy: Warpath, Da Jump
+ Troops +
- Boyz - 10 Orks: 9x Shoota, 9x Stikkbombs, Big Shoota, Choppa, Slugga
- Boyz - 10 Orks: 10x Choppa, 10x Slugga, 10x Stikkbombs, Big Choppa, Slugga
- Boyz - 10 Orks: 10x Choppa, 10x Slugga, 10x Stikkbombs, Big Choppa, Slugga
- Beast Snagga Boyz - 10 Orks: 9x Choppa, 10x Slugga, Power Snappa
- Gretchin - 10 Gretchins: 10x Grot Blaster
+ Elites +
- Burna Boyz - 5 Orks: 4x Burna, 4x Stikkbombs, Kustom Mega-Blasta
- Kommandos - 6 Orks: 5x Choppa, 5x Slugga, 5x Stikkbombs, Power Klaw
- Nobz - 5 Orks: Killsaw, 4x Power Klaw, 5x Slugga
- Meganobz - 3 Orks: Kustom Shootas, Power Klaws
- Painboy
+ Fast Attack +
- Stormboyz - 10 Orks: 9x Choppa, 9x Slugga, 9x Stikkbombs, Power Klaw
- DeffKoptas - 3 Koptas: One with Big Bomb
+ Heavy Support +
- Deff Dreads: 4x Dread Klaw
+ Dedicated Transport +
- Trukk: Wreckin' Ball
+ No Force Org Slot +
- Runtherd: Grabba Stikk, Squig Hound
Takeaways & Analysis:
This game was our closest yet! Last time was close, this time I eeked out a victory by ONE point! Luckily we started in the morning and had all day for the match, because with the extra complicated terrain and all the Ork and Space Marine infantry, it took awhile. But it was so much fun. I set up the battlefield with my industrial complex type, multi-level, MDF terrain. It really added another dimension to have multiple levels. We also had a lot of craters and smoke to provide difficult and dense terrain, and we had a section that was a forested hill. We used the Abandoned Sanctuaries map to make sure that the base profile of the mission was fair, and then we layered on top of that the concept that the fortress was under assault and so just the center building in my deployment area had the 'Backs to the Wall' bonus. It's likely that the bonus might have just been one of the deciding factors because I was able to win 52-51 which definitely could have gone the other way.
First, we both made good use of reserves/deep strike. I kept one squad of terminators, and the assault terminators in the teleportarium (along with Chaplain Regulus), as well as my dreadnought. Matt kept the Stormboyz, DeffKoptas, and Deff Dread in reserve.
Matt got first turn and concentrated a lot of Boyz to the forested hill objective, sent the Trukk with his warboss towards the center objective, the Kommandos to the crater objective, and then held his deployment objective with grotz and kept a bunch of units, such as his beast snaggas, back to screen out my deep strikes.
For me, I had deployed to screen out most of my deployment area to funnel any deep strikes into the forest which paid off. I got really lucky with my advances and was able to get to the center objective to deny it, and to the crater objective. It was my first game with the fast Vanguard Veterans, commanded by Brother Sergeant Velox, and they came out aggressive with a Hammer of Wrath strike into the jungle to essentially eliminate one squad of Boyz and chew into another. While they weren't able to deny that objective, I think they got their value in bogging down 3 units of Boyz, plus the Pain Boy, and Weird Boy, and keep them in an area where my Terminators were able to thin them down with lots of bolter fire.
My Devastators continued to be a bit unlucky with their shots, but since I set them up high in the fortress with the extra cover bonus, they were able to pin Matt down a bit take the attention of the Burna Boyz. The Burna Boyz had jumped out of the truck and tried to storm them, but they held on which was another key lucky win for me, and Captain Faustus (who had been trying to give his aura to both the terminators and the devastators) was able to jump in and personally finish them off in a heroic moment!
When the Stormboyz, DeffKoptas and Deff Dread flew/beamed in - they indeed got funneled into the corner luckily. The Deff Dread made short work of the speeder Two Charlie (who wasn't having much luck with his multi-melta) but left him vulnerable to shots from the other speeder, devastators, and my dreadnought when he appeared from reserves as well. Squad Tourbillion, who had started on the board, took a beating from the Koptas, but hung on. When it was my turn I swung back with teleportations in to assist the center and to take out the Koptas. Also, when Venerable Fury came in, I was able to take advantage of the exception for setting up 9" away - because the Koptas were in my deployment zone and fairly close to my battlefield edge (due to their deep strike ability) I was able to bring my dreadnought in 1 inch away from the table edge, but very close (like 4 or 5 inches) to them for an almost guaranteed charge. It turned out that all of my shooty terminators made their charges too though so the Koptas took quite a beating. Unfortunately, my Apothecary got left behind which made him a juicy target for the Stormboyz looking for revenge.
The assault terminators (Squad Nox) and Chaplain Regulus also missed their charge into the center with the Warboss, and so when they charged in, Bozzbone Bigun smashed my Chaplain before he could react. Squad Nox took revenge however, and Captain Faustus had an incredible 12" charge (a cinematic leap from the side of the fortress to the ground level complete with the super hero crater) to finish off Bigun's Nob entourage. Things were starting to swing in my favor.
But despite things looking bad for the Orks, they still had the lead in points. They hung in there until the end, but just didn't quite have enough points. It had all hinged at the end on whether the beast snaggas could deny the center objective for me. But, One Charlie was able to save the day with an ill advised charge into the beast snaggas and finish them off with a flyby knifing!
 |
| Brother, fly in close so I can hit him with my bolter! |
Faustus had held the strong point and drove off the Ork attackers! I was really hoping that we would have victoriously held the Citadel, but when I checked the Crusade Tracker - it turned out that the Imperium didn't do so well in other battles and our control in the zone dropped to 0% - doh! Oh well, it was still a lot of fun to take part in the the defense of fall of Valern Citadel!
 |
| Shoo Gitz! |
+++++
I am honoured to fight along with you champions of humanity and heroes of the Chapter, who held this strongpoint so that the rest of the Imperial forces withdraw. Our work is unfinished. This citadel is broken and shattered from the onslaught of our foes, but as you proved today, the Sons of Ultramar are not. Perhaps we will die as warriors tomorrow, but not today! And, by the Emperor's will, if we do not die, we march will back into this fortress with xenos and heretics under our boots. They will know our wrath!
Archive:
Primus Leo Exevio Faustus, The Fall of Valern Citadel, Tern's Endeavor, Vadinax Sector
5173023.M42
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