Targeting Relay Matrix Valley

[Long John Silver]

Introduction

Jhetliluk was an unremarkable dustbowl of a world in the northern fringe of Ultima Segmentum, plagued by dust storms and freak weather conditions, Captain Testless reflected as he awaited orders from bronze platoon's vox-caster, currently the only functioning long range vox in the company.
Supplies were dwindling and high command were supposed to be pinpointing the location of the fabled Targeting Relay Matrix Valley, rumoured to be on the fringes of a minor settlement on the edge of the Pontric forest. It was supposed to be a legendary place where a series of targeting relays were aligned together into a geometric archaeotech artifact of considerable worth.
A convoy of Imperial Guard vehicles was powering its way towards the Pontric forest as the orders finally came through, the vox-caster crackling. Guardsman Zebb handed the vox-caster to Captain Testless as the vox-set fizzed into life.

++*zzzzz*-tain Testless to proceed *zzzzzzzz* by north west, past the twin hill formation *zzzzz*-ge of the forest and proceed *zzzzzzz* into Target Zone Alph*zzzzz* to capture *zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz* and all the archaeotech. Be advised! Possible hostile Astart-*zzzzzz* -sibly inbound from the South quadrant.
Be cautious! The Emp'rah prot*zzzzzzzz*++

Testless handed the vox-caster headset back to Zebb, adding "Tell Lieutenant Copperhead and Veteran Sgt Quillin to pass amasec and alco popz around to the men, discreetly. We need them merry and in high spirits in that dustbowl valley. The Emperor protects."

Hopefully by nightfall they'd all be rich and victorious or fallen in defeat.


Game

Emptyhat - Salian Guard - Imperial Guard

HQ1 Company Command Squad Astropath, Medic, Lascannon, carapace, camo gear

Troops 1 Veterans 3 Meltaguns, Demolitions Chimera, recovery gear
Troops 2 Infantry Platoon
Bronze Platoon Command Taurox, camo netting
Infantry Squad Black 1 Grenade Launcher, Heavy Bolter Chimera
Infantry Squad Black 2 Grenade Launcher, Heavy Bolter Chimera
Infantry Squad Yellow 1 Plasma Pistol, Melta Bombs, Vox, Meltagun Chimera
Heavy weapons Squad Lascannons
Heavy weapons Squad Missile Launchers
Fast Attack 1 Scout Sentinel Autocannon
Fast Attack 2 Scout Sentinel Autocannon
Heavy Support 1 Basilisk
Heavy Support 2 Basilisk
Heavy Support 3 Leman Russ Punisher Heavy Flamer

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1500


Cheminhaler - Soul Drinkers - Space Marines (Imperial Fist chapter tactics)

Captain - auspex, grav pistol, bolt pistol, melta bombs

Librarian

2 land speeder typhoons (separate slots)

10 assault marines (no jp)vet sgt, flamers x2 powerfist, grav pistol, rhino extra armour, hk missile

10 devastators - vet sgt, 2 m/l , 2 lascannon

10 tactical - vet sgt, flamer, m/l

10 tactical - vet sgt, combi-grav, grav gun, plasma cannon

5 tactical - vet sgt, meltagun
Rhino

predator - t/l lascannon, lascannon sponsons

Stalker AA tank
----
1500



Mission - The Scouring

Battlefield - Vanguard strike

Scenery - A two storey building in the North west, A tower building with gallery in the North east, a three storey building in the South Centre, several forested areas and a weapon dugout in the south centre.

Emptyhat warlord trait - Implacable determination
Cheminhaler warlord trait - Champion of Humanity (again :twice out of two games)

Librarian codicier Ignomenes psychic power (Pyromancy) - Fire Shield

Guard Astropath psychic power (Telepathy) - Dominate

Objectives - The King - 2 vp - targeting relay
************ The Lord - 3 vp - targeting relay
******** The Preacher - 1 vp - targeting relay
****************Staff - 3 vp - targeting relay
**************Auxilia - 4 vp - targeting relay
*************The Fool - 2 vp - sabotage


Emptyhat won the roll, set up first, but cheminhaler seized the initiative.


Turn 1


One of the guard basilisks has heavy bolter destroyed and the Taurox on the eastern edge of the guard line is first immobilised then destroyed by concentrated marine fire from the devastators and a typhoon
Marines move the vehicle towards the guard, from the south and the east, while devastator squads stay in cover taking pot shots.


Guard kill a marine with a long range shot from the captain's lascannon team
Predator annihalator loses a hull point to the eastern basilisk earthshaker cannon
Western basilisk kills 3 marines from the combat squad separated from squad Crolt, with the plasma cannon, who were on the roof of the south central building. Surviving two marines pass morale but realise they shouldn't have been on the roof
2 marines with lascannons from devastator squad Blunt die in the lower level of the same builiding, to lucky shots from the lascannon team on the northern hill
1 marine in from the tactical squad in the dugout bunker in the south dies from multilaser shots from a chimera to the west (the map was divided diagonally as per vanguard strike, the beads in the photos demarcate the starting diagonal line)


Turn 2

Assault squad get Fire Shield from the librarian, nearing the tower building in the north
Bolter fire in the south kills 2 guardmen from gold platoon command, despite them going to ground
Typhoon glances one basilisk
Stalker glances the same basilisk (the central one) and destroys it, misses with other shots
Other typhoon in the east destroys a chimera in the north east
Sm tanks continue to move forward

Guard order to shoot at rhino takes one hull point off
basilisk shots go wide
Marines in the dugout in the south die, leaving only the sgt and the missile launcher

Turn 3

Chimera Black 2 gets glanced, loses 1 hp
Basilisk 2 gets crew shaken from a shot from circling typhoon on the roof of the south central building (not a good place to be)
Yellow one platoon squad takes 2 casulaties from incoming bolter fire
Bronze platoon lose 2 more men from the heavy bolters of the eastern typhoon
Predator and Stalker move steadily onto the green central hill, pouring fire into the guard but missing



Guard missile launcher teams in the north west buliding on the roof, destroy the Predator with 2 lucky hits
Black Chimera 1 & 2 finally bring down the last 2 marines from squad Ixeres in the southern dugout, including the sgt and the missile launcher
The marine south quadrant is looking sparse except for Captain Zappeion, 4 marines from the combat squad separated from Ixeres and the 2 survivors of the plasma combat squad, moving downwards from the roof
Assault rhino is destroyed by chimera fire and the crew bail out. They then get targeted by basilisk, lose 6 marines in one hit


early pictures






















Turn 4

Fire Shield cast over assault squad successfully
Typhoon circling on the roof glances Punisher



Missile launcher team destroys typhoon on the roof
Lascannon team destroys typhoon in the east
Rhino containing squad Pamestin loses a hull point to a multilaser as it advances west, past the destroyed rhino
Flamer marine in captain squad dies in the south to lasgun fire
Another marine from the same squad is shot dead by autocannonn fire from newly arrived outflanking sentinel. It arrived on the south west short table edge
The Fool is the last revealed objective (in the south west, in a heavily guard populated forest) and it turns out to be Sabotage, luckily for the guard it doesn't blow up, all other objectives were targeting relays.


Turn 5

NIGHT TIME!

Fire Shield cast over assault squad successfully
Marines in the north east advance, devastators can see nothing
Yellow squad is targeted by Captain Zappeion's auspex -1 cover save


Guard squad Black 2 bring down captain Zappeion and the surviving 2 marines of his squad
Rhino for meltagun squad is destroyed, the squad dismounts


Turn 6

Marines only kill 3 lascannon heavy weapons on the high point of the north valley face, in close combat (squad Pamestin with the meltagun, now in the centre of the northern quadrant) consolidate towards wrecked chimera




Testless's ever accurate guard lascannon team destroy the Stalker as it passes over the green hill
Squad Pamestin, almost within melta range of the Punisher get shot by the Pun cannon, only one dies, then most of the rest get whittled down by chimeras and lasgun fire (including the meltagunner) except one enraged surviving marine with a bolter and krak grenades - always the bearded red-head.


Turn 7


Squad Crolt misses the guard squad near the Punisher but the 4 remaining assault marines kill Lieutenant Copperhhead and his command squad runs and dies
Last member of squad Pamestin does nothing in assault with the punisher, despite getting an automatic hit with his krak grenade, he needed a 6 to get a penetrating hit


Last 2 marines in the south die to the advancing guard


late game pictures
















































Victory points

Emptyhat - 8 (objectives + kill the warlord)
Cheminhaler - 2 (linebreaker + first blood)


Conclusion


Captain Tesless watched as the sixteen surviving marines in the north east began to withdraw back towards the edge of the perimeter. The marine assault had failed. The guard had control of the Matrix and High Command would be pleased. All in all it was a good day, despite the constant dust storm.

[flamingkillamajig]

Nice looking pictures of the battle. Maybe the storm talon copters would do better for you.

"Squad Pamestin, almost within melta range of the Punisher get shot by the Pun cannon, only one dies, then most of the rest get whittled down by chimeras and lasgun fire (including the meltagunner) except one enraged surviving marine with a bolter and krak grenades - always the bearded red-head."

Isn't it obvious? He's irish.

[Long John Silver]

That squad doesn't have the guns glued on yet. I could award the Irish Soul Drinker the meltagun as a reward for his dogged perseverance.

[flamingkillamajig]

The capsized predator looks like it's planking the ground or something.

[Long John Silver]

I set it up like that just to provoke a reaction from you.

I still can't get round those dice... 5 out of 6 objectives were the same thing. And we kept forgetting to use the targeting relays as well. In addition I kept forgetting my IF chapter tactic rules, which should give me a major boost.
Well I have 2 drop pods to assemble and I've worked out a similar 1750 list involving them. That way I can have my cake and eat it and still use the A-Team assault squad rhino.

It was my first time using more than 1 transport and I quite like the mini rhino rush; its a lot more fun than sitting around with masses of infantry and rough riders, which was my guard tactic.

[flamingkillamajig]

Perhaps the predator is a sea turtle trying to lay it's eggs in a giant sand dune. Soon baby predators will burst out and encounter the heavy resistance from the imperial guard on the way to the ocean. Then again I have a really weird fucked up mind so there's that.

[Long John Silver]

Only there was no ocean, just trees and hills as far as the eye could see.

[flamingkillamajig]

That's because it was displaced by people. The people always effecting their ecosystem. When will it end. On another note this is really getting weird.

[Long John Silver]

In this specific case, which set of people caused the eco disaster? The normal humans or the trans-human marines?

[flamingkillamajig]

The fight between them both. The turtle marines for keeping such free and wild souls in captivity and the guardsmen for their soulless butchering of them. In a sense the guardsmen more than the marines but the marines are using them for transports.

Ok that's super weird now.

[flamingkillamajig]

Lol the two marines up in the landspeeder on that building look like they're watching the view of a sunrise for their 'date night'. Afterwards lots of super roid'ed up sex occurs.

[emptyhat]

It could be nice parking in a landspeeder. Up until the basilisk shell lands.

[Long John Silver]

I should have taken them closer, need to play them more aggressively next time.

[flamingkillamajig]

I imagine landspeeders are probably like sentinels in the whole anti-vehicle department sometimes. There shouldn't cost much but still I'd be careful that they make it to their destination. Then again it's been forever since i played 40k and i never played as marines. I do remember guard usually beating most marines armies except for the great players though. Usually the reason was because people stayed in their buildings or needed to come at me. Thing is guard had plenty of tanks so it was usually a slaughtering and i could usually out-range them so that i could just bombard them in their buildings and there wasn't a whole lot they could do about it except come at me and die fast or stay in the buildings and die slower (though the anti-tank weaponry probably helped).