Inspired by our last battle, Matt and I decided to try out some rules, terrain, and troops we never had before.
1) Night Fighting
2) Mines
3) Trenches
4) The Imperial Mortar
5) The Bio Giant
6) Last Ritesmen and Kadavers
We centered our scenario around a mash up of a classic WWI trench defense meets a WWZ Zombie horde attack.
To keep with theme - For his Imperials Matt took Regulars, Trenchers, Officers, and the aforementioned Storm Trencher Mortar. He also had a unit of Brotherhood Valkyries led by an Inquistior Majoris (see below)
I took as Algeroth, Horde and Demogonis - Since these were the zombie-seque figs I had painted up. I also took the mega-zombie, i.e. The Bio Giant.
Since Matt was fortified in the trenches & had a field full of mines protecting him-- we gave me more points.
The Story -- Along an imperial trenchline that protects a major Imperial ciity only a few miles West, a brotherhood shuttle drops unexpectedly out of the sky. Inquisitor Zarvastros, disembarks escorted by a squad of shining white Valkyrie warriors. He marches unannounced into the Colonel Hartford Bradford's tent, whilst the Colonel is just settling down to a cup of earl grey. "I have had a dark vision: Zarvastros proclaims-- "Golgotha, fiendish consort of Algeroth, has gathered a massive undead horde to assault this position under the cover of night."
Colonel Bradford, is dubious. His scouts have reported no such activity...but then comes a distant rumble.
Bradford steps out of his tent and looks skywords-- not a cloud as far as the eye can-- THOOM! Another rumble. Like the tremors of a quake.
At the urging of the inquisitor - he orders his Mortars to fire starshell rounds into the distant darkness. As the sky lights up, to his horror and dismay-- he sees a shambling wall of evil heading inexorably his way. Men gasp audibly at the behemoth of necrotic flesh, whose very step shake the ground beneath him. "TRENCHERS! TO YOUR POSTS!"-- He bellows. Loyal Trenchers, scramble from their tents, guns in hand, lock and load, and ready, screwing their courage, and waiting for the enemy to appear out of the pitch black night.
DEPLOYMENT
Matt - I threw my regulars up front with a group of trenchers. I kept 2 trencher squads back (one with an HMG, the other with snipers) to react to Dave's troops and shore up weak spots. I put the Valkyries and The Inquisitor Maj to hold the middle.
DAVE - Matt was pretty well entrenched (get it!), with a field full of mines and SR the only range you could shoot at, there wasn't a whole lot more for me to do than storm as fast as I could across the field, and hope for the best.
"There's something out there sir, and it's BIG!" Trencher Pvt to his captain!
TURN 1 - THE SURGE
Dave - I win initiative and start my rush forward!
MATT - I realize, my troops in reserve are going to miss the fight if I keep them back- So I send them to the flanks!
MATT - And I send the Valkyries running up into the middle...to await the inevitable and hope the mines soften Dave's forces up.
Golgotha drives her forces forward, heedless of the sea of explosives buried beneath the ground. Her legions obey, they know no fear, such emotions died when they did.
TURN 2 - Rain of Flesh!
Dave - I get the initiative again-- Now things are going to get interesting, since my models are activating within 3" of the mine counters. I get lucky with some rolls, and unlucky with others. Matt's guys are all on WAIT so it's going to get bloody quickly.
I rush up my undead legionnaires...and even fire two lucky shots-- Rolling 1's - I miraculously drop 2 trenchers.
Then Matt sends a starshell round into the sky-- And everyone else opens up on me!
Matt - The starshells were a good purchase, and I can fire at Dave's units, but I'm rolling terribly - so it's not as effective as I'd hoped.
Still, even with bad rolling-- I'm whittling down his units-- I want to take out those Lastritesmen! They scare me. If they kill my dudes, they'll come back as Raised Dead!!! Also, none of my toops are on WAIT anymore...I gotta win the Initiative.
DAVE - While Matt started the turn slow-- The mines are still effective in wiping out my troops. I'm beginning to wonder if I may be dead before I hit the trenches!
TURN 3 - HOLD THE LINE!
Colonel Hartford Bradford looked around, while only moments earlier his men had been whooping for joy as the fell legions met their unmakers in the mine field, now he could hear the rattling of their weapons against the trench-works as their foes came inexorably on. "Steady!" He called to them. "Steady!" He knew they needed his courage if it came to hand-to-hand, and looking at the horrific shapes shambling out of the dark, he knew he would need it too.
DAVE - I win the initiative-- But all I can do is keep charging. My UL's have lousy RC, and while I'm taking the odd shot here and there between move actions, with their Hard Cover I need some super lucky rolling to cause a dent.
MATT - Dave gets to the trenches faster than I hoped-- I activate my trencher units to rush them into place! Because the trenches are narrow, I find it hard to bring them all to bear so I'm losing valuable RC attack actions moving guys out of the way for LOS.
"Don't fire until you can see their soulless eyes!" Yells Captain Spunch of the Trenchers 57th.
MATT - I open up with everything I've got. There's no shortage of targets, but prioritizing isn't easy. the Bio-Giant has 8 WD! It sucks up a ton of Actions and with 25 AR saves all the time. Then I have the Kadavers closing fast. I've nearly wiped out all the Lastritesmen, but Dave still has a few, and it seems no matter how many UL's I kill, there's a ton more coming! It's very unnerving.
DAVE - I know Matt keeps telling me he's worried - but honestly, I haven't done all that much damage to him yet. Sure I outnumbered him, but that is quickly shifting. Even my Bio-Giant has taken 3 WD from peppering.
Infernus looked upon the droplets of lifeforce stretched out below him, and felt a yearning, he wanted to consume them, he wanted to slake his eternal thirst to extinguish their light. (a.k.a.-- A Bio-Giant's view of things)
DAVE - Finally I get my chance and I charge my Kadavers up the trench into melee!!! .
And Infernus the giant's Oblivion Cannon...HITS! And oh boy does it!
The regulars break and rout!...or what's left of them...
MATT -- My regulars are on the run...luckily I brought up that support unit of trenchers. My HMG spec opens fire-- "LET'S ROCK!" Decimating what's left of the Lastritesmen. WOOHOO!
MATT - And my Valkyries charge the Bio-Giant in HTH-- I can not suffer another hit from that cannon. They kill the beast,
A rallying cry of joy replaces the frightened screams of the dying as the mighty giant is toppled by the loyal sisters of the brotherhood.
DAVE - Well that sucks! Poor fella was struck down in the prime of his unlife. As revenge, my necormutants open fire on the exposed Valkyries. But only kill one. Matt's AR rolls are insane this round.
DAVE - While across the field, my Carnal Harvesters, charges up the trench side and unloads his LMG into the trenchers huddling there!
MATT - Ick! -- That LMG just wiped out half my squad. I bring up support Trencher unit 2 - and fire at the CH on the ridge...and do absolutely nothing to it.
DAVE - Meanwhile, what's left of my LR's charge the trench at last I can spread the foetid undead disease of Demnogonis to the Trencher masses.
TURN 4 - THE DARK TIDE!
DAVE - I win initiative. I'm psyched to have made it to the trench, and while I've taken heavy losses, I still have plenty of fight left in me. It's a matter of target priorities now. Where is the biggest threat. I decide to start with the CH-- He did such a good job with his last attack, I'm hoping to finish off support Trencher squad 2. With them gone, I can sweep the flank and pincer Matt's forces.
Unfortunately, I roll horribly and only kill a couple of guys. I do manage to kill Golgotha, btw-- but not before she slaughters a bunch of my troopers the power of the Apocalypse.
"The dead lay in piles, a tangle of limbs in puddles of blood-- but there was nowhere to run, the servants of evil were upon us, their red soulless eyes glowing in the eerie darkness" --From the Journal of Corporal Edgar Beddingfield, 57th Trenchers
MATT - With the Bio-Giant down and most of my left flank secure-- I had to rush guys to the center. Golgotha and Dave's Nepharite were closing fast, and he still had Kadavers and LR's meleeing in the middle. If I didn't support it-- it would fall.
DAVE - I've been hammering at the Imperial forces, but they're still pretty resilient. I decide it's time to break their nerve-- And I unload my Kadavers on Colonel Bradford.
DAVE - While the Nepharite, Pestillion, works his plague-ridden evil on the Inquisitor and the Valkyries!
MATT - Several sisters fall to the dark, but Zarvastros remains strong! With most of my guys dead near the middle, my mortar is able to opens fire on the enemy with no fear of hurting his brothers. I klll 2 of the Kadavers! If only he suffered morale!
MATT - While My Valkyries take out the remaining Necromutants, securing the left flank...Dave's UL's charge the ridge on my right, threatening to overtake it.
DAVE - It's a toss up right now. I have to keep striking at Matt's C&C, - My LR's take out Trencher Captain Spunch...and then, joined by their freshly arisen brothers-- Charge the Inquisitor---just missing killing him!
TURN 5 - To The Last Man....
Zavastros called out into the night - "Let any man that breathes hear my voice! Now we must make out last stand, or millions will suffer! So say what prayers you can still remember and join me brothers, by the holy light of my automatic fire!"
MATT - I win the initiative...thank God! I open up with Zarvastros--...mowing down the LR's at PB range!
DAVE - With my LR's gone, and my leaders dead...it's nearly over for me. For a second there it seemed like I had him...but Matt held out. My CH is down. My UL's are leaderless.
Matt has even managed to rally 2 of his regulars and get them back in the fight.
As dawn broke over the horizon, the trenches were decorated in slaughter...but still as man to looked to man they managed to smile, they had held the line against evil....they had won.
Zarvastros did not permit himself such luxuries, he merely boarded his shuttle and began the long journey home...he knew their victory meant merely they were bootstep closer to winning this eternal war, and he would keep fighting until it was done.
AFTERMATH
MATT - That was a straight-up slugfest. I won't say it was the most strategic fight, but there were definitely tactical aspects to choosing what to activate first and where to concentrate your firepower. I'm just glad my Inquisitor survived.
DAVE - I had a great time. I got tor try out some new troops. The Night Fight rules are tough. It was a fun battle, and I loved the look of the scenario.
Thanks for reading!
D
