Compiled by: Lexmechanic Omega-248791/JAC

Segmentum: Ultima

World Designate: Norrath, Agri-world

Status: Contested.

Subject: TRAITOR elements are now crippled. They have gone to ground, seeking to bide their time. They must be eliminated

Introduction:

Here we are, the final game! The last of our short campaign is a simple scenario from the core rule book: Seek and Destroy. I wanted to do a very standard game to truly show off the edition, as the previous two games had been a rushed three player scenario (game 1) and a very narrative style one (game 2). Who will win? This should be evenly matched. Going into it I was very afraid of the Basilisk in particular! Read along to find out how things went!

Deployment:

Little to explain here. The forces of Chaos won the roll off and after choosing their board edge they started their deployment first, picking the side of the board that featured the fort and the minefield. The majority of the Chaos forces were deployed behind cover and out of line of sight, but I was very surprised to see the Basilisk placed in the open, albeit far away in the corner.

I placed my units far apart, to try to mitigate the effects of the ordnance templates. That Leman Russ could be very dangerous to me: both of his tanks fire big templates of AP 3! As my Tactical Squad with the heavy bolter and plasma gun benefited a lot from being inside the tall ruin last game, I decided to place them in it again: the cover save would help protect them from the big guns. It was also centrally positioned, so it gave their weaponry a good overview of the battlefield. I knew the Basilisk was a priority to destroy, so I placed my Mortis Dreadnought right where he could nail it as quickly as possible. I also placed my Rapier Laser Destroyers in line of sight of it too, just in case. I was thinking of having them ready for the Leman Russ, as they are my most reliable way of penetrating its front plate, but there was always just the chance of just blowing them up on the first turn. Instead, I positioned my multi-melta equipped Dreadnought (hidden in the picture behind the top of the ruin) and Razorback (filled with meltagun Tactical Squad) ready to contest it and the scary Spined Chaos Beast. Lastly, my Battle Robot Maniple was just placed wherever I could get them to contest the most infantry and Warhounds.

Round 1:

The 999th Regiment struck first. The Basilisk immediately annihilated my Rapiers and the crew with one shell. Ouch! Other than that I was left completely unharmed this turn. The Traitor squad on the left moved forward and shot their lasguns across the river into my Tactical Squad to no effect, while the Warhounds that surrounded the Leman Russ rushed forward towards the river's ford. The Leman Russ rumbled forward slightly and took a shot at my Razorback, but thankfully the shell went wide. Everything else stayed in hiding, waiting patiently for the heavy armour to soften up the enemy.

The marines hit back, hard. The twin-linked autocannons of the Mortis Dreadnought immediately destroyed the Basilisk, which brought much relief to me. The Tactical Squad fired upon by lasguns shot back and shredded seven Traitors, and a couple of the charging Warhounds were destroyed by the Tactical Squad at the top of the ruin. When it came time for morale, the Traitors panicked and fled a massive 12 inches! The Celestial Questors had made their mark, but as the Rapier Laser Destroyers are so expensive on points, it was actually a relatively even turn 1.

Round 2:

A bloody first turn for the Norrath natives, but when the going gets tough: keep going. Luckily for them, the large Traitor squad was just above half strength, giving them the chance to regroup. They pulled themselves together and turned back to the fight! The much smaller squad of Traitors hiding out on the other side of the battlefield behind the fort succeeded in calling out the unit of Screamers from the warp, which immediately started flying onwards up to the river edge, with their many eyes set on the Razorback. The Leman Russ tank stayed where it was, while the Spined Chaos Beast and Gibbering Hordes also moved up to the riverbank.

Shooting phase for Chaos. The Leman Russ blasted the Tactical Squad in the ruin with everything it had. The shell went wild, but the heavy bolters managed to kill two marines. The Warhounds used their "fleet of claw" rule to move up further, and the rest of the 999th Regiment failed to make any impact with their ranged weaponry. The Assault phase was where things changed though: the Warhounds charged into the ruin - and killed the remaining three Space Marines!! They managed to kill one in return, but I had taken a big blow. This was quite a shock to me, as my Tactical Squads had been extremely resilient in all my games until now. The hounds consolidated out of the ruin, slightly around the corner.

With the heretics now exposed, it was time to really bring the pain! My Tactical Squad within the Razorback dismounted, and now within 12" range of the Screamers they opened up and sent two of them back to the Warp. The two Dreadnoughts decided that they in fact HATE dogs. The multi-melta missed, but the twin-linked Autocannons and storm bolters shredded the hounds to pieces. One, however, survived, and passed its "last dog woofing" test. Brother-Ancient Vortigon (with the fist) crossed the ford and began crushing the small gibbering creatures, instant-deathing a base's worth of them. Further down the river, the Battle Robot Maniple and Tactical Squad shot at the renewed Traitor squad, killing another four, which finally cracked their morale for good, routing them. Lastly, the Razorback took a shot at the Spined Chaos Beast, who easily shrugged it off.

Round 3:

Round 4:

Round 5:

Aftermath: