Horus Heresy Campaign Phase 3 - Battle 2: The Boarding of The KVS Defiant

"We are going in to disable that ship, and we are going to kill anyone who stands in our way. Prepare the Butchers."

 - Praetor Helmuth,
Death Guard Legion

Campaign To Date:

It has been about 40 years since a combined force of Sons of Horus, Death Guard, and White Scars brought the Xhorik System into compliance during the Great Crusade. The major population centers of the largest continent were quickly brought under Imperial control in the typical fashion: a series of pinpoint attacks of overwhelming force by the Legions against the enemy's strong points, followed by rapid surrender. Due to the richness of the primary planet and the strategic location of the system on a sort of crossroads of warp currents, small garrisons of the Death Guard and White Scars legions were left on the planet to oversee the tithes of men and material to the Great Crusade and to help eradicate the threat of large ork populations in the eastern wastes.

With the advent of the Horus Heresy, the Warmaster ordered that the Xhorik System be taken to act as a way station for resupply on his long march to Terra. The Death Guard and their human allies on Xhorik Prime launched an attack on the White Scars and their allies, the Stratocracy of Kozar.

In Phase 1 of the campaign, the Traitors pushed the Loyalists from the war-torn border city of Bielyr in a series of bloody streetfighting.

In Phase 2, the war escalated across the badlands of the Valbaara Plateau in several pitched battles. In the end, the Brotherhood of the Wind was defeated and their leader Praetor Zherdan was killed by the Death Guard.

Phase 3 of the Campaign for Xhorik Prime finds the battered Loyalists unable to stand against the Death Guard heavy armor and so they are resorting to guerrilla tactics as the Traitor army advances north toward the major cities of Kozar. This phase will culminate with a large Traitor assault on a fortified Loyalist city. There will be four missions that will impact the deciding battle of the phase.

PRE-GAME AND MISSION:

The second battle of the phase takes place in orbit over the Loyalist Kozar city of Berat. We elected to use the Zone Mortalis mission Force the Breach! to represent a Traitor boarding party trying to capture a Loyalist ship, the Kozar Void Ship Defiant. The setup is simple: three objectives (one in the Defender's deployment quadrant and one in each neutral quadrant) and whoever controls more of them at the end of the game wins.

ARMY SELECTION:  1000 Points

Traitors - Pete

Death Guard

• Praetor Helmuth: Terminator armor, Paragon Blade, volkite charger, digilasers
• Tactical Squad Hammer Streik: 12 marines with close combat weapons, sergeant with power fist and artificer armor and Apothecary Holtzendorff

World Eaters

• The Red Butchers: 5 marines with power axes plus Devoured Argore with two chain fists
• Contemptor Dreadnought Fellblood: twin-linked lascannon, melta gun and chain fist

Loyalists - Phil

Ship's Crew of the Kozar Battlecruiser KVS Defiance

• Commander Kazchian with plasma pistol
• Infantry squad with lasguns and medicae
• Grenadiers with one missile launcher and medicae
• 2 Sentinels with lascannons
• 3 Tarantulas with twin-linked lascannons

White Scars Brotherhood of the Wind 

• Consul Barikh with power glaive and refractor field
• Veteran Tactical Squad Zurgaa: 10 veteran marines, sergeant with power glaive and artificer armor
• Veteran Tactical Support Squad Khoyor: 7 veteran marines with combi-plasmas, and 1 with plasma gun

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

Kohrin gripped his lasgun tightly as the ship shuddered and groaned around him.  The lights flickered out momentarily, casting him and his squad mates into utter blackness. He knew that meant that all available power was being diverted, likely to the shield systems. The lights sputtered back to life, but weaker now, and some not at all. 

Again, the walls shook and the floor rocked and swayed under his feet, as the artificial gravity generators struggled to keep up with the pitching of the ship as it recoiled from the impacts. Kohrin swallowed and glanced around. His squad mates were quietly lost in their own thoughts, some mumbling the now-forbidden, but not forgotten, prayers of Kozar, their ancient homeland. Prayers that pre-dated their assimilation into the Empire of Man and the administration of His Imperial Truth. 

The ship jolted harder than before and Kohrin staggered, but this time instead of the dull, echoing rumble and groans of previous hits, the sounds were immediate and intense: an eruption, the screaming whine of metals failing, a hissing roar like a windstorm. 

“Rifles up, lads. That’s a boarding party.” the Lieutenant barked. “And nearby, from the feel of it.”

The men around Kohrin tensed. The praying from some intensified. 

He heard the hard pounding echoes of metal on metal. Then the distant sound of men screaming, dying, muffled by the doors and yet unmistakable. Kohrin’s stomach twisted and his hands felt numb. He looked down to check that he was still holding his lasgun. 

The metal pounding got louder. Then an angry roar split the air, sounding only half-human. 

From behind him, Kohrin heard the metallic footsteps of power armor and whipped around only to see the massive bodies were clad in the stark white of the White Scars. He trembled at the sight of the superhumans.  Even knowing they were on his side, he couldn’t forget the things he had seen them do. 

The White Scars moved wordlessly through the Kozar troopers to stand ahead of them, shoulder to shoulder in the narrow hallway. 

The clanging of the approaching enemy grew louder. The bellows of rage reverberating through the halls made Kohrin squeeze his eyes shut. The men around him murmured and glanced sideways at each other, as if each was checking to confirm his squad mates were still there. 

“You are soldiers of Kozar! Whatever comes down that hallway, you will hold your ground!” The lieutenant’s voice was firm and clear, practiced in command. 

In the dim light, Kohrin could just make out the massive silhouettes at the other end of the hall and his heart sank. Whatever they were, they made the giant power-armored marines in front of him look small. Their weapons alone were nearly the size of a man. The flickering lights gleaned off the splatters of slick, fresh blood that covered them. 

Once again, that horrible, twisted roar that seethed with hatred. This time louder and clearly coming from those huge and horrible metal shapes. Kohrin found himself screaming too, whether to drown out the terrifying sound or to steel his nerves or just out of sheer terror, he did not know...

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



BATTLE:

Map overview with objectives highlighted and deployment zones designated.

The near side of this board represents the entrance to the engine room. If the Traitors gain control of this vital area, they can disable the ship from the inside, taking her out of action and swinging the void battle in their favor. The objectives represent vital ship's controls.

Defending the ship are a number of Kozar infantry units along with a small contingent of elite White Scars veterans lead by Consul Barikh.

Kozar grenadiers and Tarantulas guard one of the ship's system control panels while the White Scars prepare to launch a counter-attack against whoever or whatever has boarded the ship.

Protecting the vital engine room control system is the massed Kozar infantry, supported by Sentinels and White Scars veterans with combi-plasma guns.

Through the breach storms a boarding party of Death Guard and World Eaters led by the Death Guard Praetor Helmuth.



The Death Guard tactical marines march into the enemy ship, well-accustomed to taking on dangerous missions with high rates of attrition.

The giant Red Butchers call out their challenges as they frantically look for an enemy to slay.

The White Scars veterans welcome the chance to kill some of their traitorous brethren.

The veteran Kozar grenadiers surround the control system, vowing to hold it with their lives, if need be.

The Butchers and their dreadnought make their way to the hallway that leads to the engine room, howling with rage at the sight of their enemies.

The Death Guard marines are uneasy being near the crazed Red Butchers and gladly split off from the World Eaters, heading for a nearby control system objective.

The Loyalist defenders face off against the blood-soaked Red Butchers.

The White Scars veterans fearlessly approach the World Eaters and let loose a volley of plasma from their combi-weapons that fells two of the hulking brutes.

The Kozar infantry holds back to guard the control system.

The other veteran squad advances and concentrates their fire into the Butchers, catching them in a cross fire.

Both sides approach the ship's control systems, knowing that the fate of this ship will likely determine the outcome of the void battle above the city of Berat.

A couple of advancing Death Guard infantry are blasted by the lascannons of the Tarantula defense systems.

"We must throw back the invaders at any cost!"

The remaining Red Butchers prepare to satiate their bloodlust.

The Red Butchers raise their power axes and charge down the hallway.

The narrow hallway leaves little room for maneuver. The only option is to kill or be killed.

Praetor Helmuth orders his men forward to seize one of the ship's control modules.

The Death Guard attackers surge forward.

The White Scars defenders stand fast against the charge.

To make matters worse for the Loyalists, one of the Red Butchers that was brought down by plasma gets back up and joins the assault! (Pete had forgot about their Feel No Pain last turn so we let him roll them late.)

The Red Butchers make short work of the White Scars veterans and continue their advance.

The crew of the Defiant live up to the name of their ship and hold their ground against the attackers.

The two sentinels and 22 men open fire but fail to cause any damage to the Terminators.

The Red Butchers just laugh off the salvo of lasgun and lascannon fire.

The Grenadiers hold their objective and fire a few long-range shots at the Death Guard.

The battle rages near the engine room.

The Tarantulas continue to pound the Death Guard boarding party and kill a few more marines.

The veterans of Squad Zurgaa advance toward the Death Guard attackers.

Despite losing a few of their number to enemy fire and being heavily outnumbered, the White Scars continue their advance.

Praetor Helmuth leads the steady advance into the Loyalist ship.

The Red Butchers charge their enemies, their only desire to kill and kill again.

The guardsmen continue to fire into the advancing superhuman warriors with little effect.

The Butchers make contact with the enemy and the slaughter begins.

The ship's crew fight back desperately with knives and bayonets, but their weapons are useless against the tactical dreadnought armor.

Within minutes, none of the human defenders remain. The Butchers stand covered in the gore of their enemies.

The Death Guard maneuver into a defensive position to stay out of the line of sight of the Tarantulas.

The Death Guard bolters bring down another White Scar veteran.

"Hold your ground, men." 

"Fall back and continue to fire!"

The sentinel pilots fall back and continue firing into the Red Butchers. The lascannon fire finally brings down a second of the mighty terminators.

Consul Barikh leads his men toward the Death Guard.

The Grenadiers suddenly find their flank exposed to the approaching World Eaters. They open fire but do no damage.

The outnumbered White Scars of Squad Zurgaa assault the Death Guard Squad Hammer Streik near the objective.

A viscous melee rages.

Brother against brother.

Both sides take heavy losses in the initial assault, but the White Scars take the worst of the exchange and are reduced to only Barikh and a single veteran.

Despite their losses and being heavily outnumbered, the White Scars refuse to fall back and throw themselves once again into the enemy boarding party.

Praetor Helmuth and Consul Barikh face off.

The Tarantulas and the Contemptor Dreadnought exchange lascannon fire.

The Dreadnought damages one of the Tarantula sentry guns.

The Grenadiers prepare to defend their position to the last man.

The unstoppable Red Butchers are not slowed by overwatch fire.

The Butchers cut through the Grenadiers with ease.

The pistols and knives of the Grenadiers are useless against the Terminator armor.

Their carapace armor proves equally feeble against power axes and the squad is killed to the last man.

The Death Guard finish off the White Scars and consolidate their positon behind the cover of some walls, their objective secure.

The sentinels desperately fire a few more shots at the Red Butchers, but their efforts are in vain.



The Traitors control two of the ship's control modules and shut off the engine and weapons systems, leaving the KVS Defiant adrift and unable to contribute to the void battle. Without the battlecruiser, the Loyalist fleet is forced to withdraw, ceding the orbital space above Berat to the Traitors.



RESULT:

Traitors: 2 Objectives
Loyalists: 0 Objectives


Traitor Victory!

With this result, the Traitor fleet would be sitting in geosynchronous orbit over the city of Berat during the coming Traitor assault on the city. This would allow them to use Deep Strike to deploy a single unit of Terminators, if desired. It would also allow Pete to call down an orbital bombardment (as per the Deimos Command Rhino) on 4+ roll once per Traitor shooting phase.



POST-GAME:

Loyalist Post-Game Analysis:

Phil: Our first Zone Mortalis game was a success: a fun and cinematic event. The terrain we cobbled together from the Calth and Prospero boards and some painted styrofoam actually worked pretty well. The crowded table and special rules made the game feel a bit different than normal. The mission, board and the armies were all very fitting for the scenario we wanted to play.


The Traitor boarding party had an easy time of it and did not lose a single unit. It just shows how an elite and close-combat-focused army is much better suited to a Zone Mortalis mission than the larger, more unwieldy and shooting-heavy Loyalist army. Of course the star of the game was the Red Butchers. They were unstoppable. At one point, they survived 84 lasgun shots and then 22 melee attacks without losing a single model (the infantry rapid fire shooting, then rapid fire overwatch at full BS, then striking first in close combat) and then the Butchers proceeded to wipe out the infantry squad and commander in a single phase. In total, they ended up killing three units and only losing two models.


So far, I love the way this phase of the campaign is playing out with these unique setup battles representing the build-up to the main assault and having some effects on that deciding game. Now, on to the next one, which will hopefully be a little closer match!

Traitor Post-Game Analysis:

Pete: Wow, what a cool battle. I’ve been looking forward to playing a Zone Mortalis game ever since I got the first book in the Horus Heresy Campaign series, Book One – Betrayal, three years ago. And without splurging on a $695 Zone Mortalis Battlefield from Forgeworld, we put together an altogether acceptable gaming board. It captured the spirit of a close-quarters ship battle and added a lot of newness and flavor to our ongoing battles! I particularly loved the hallway of death that Phil modeled, ha.

This set-up and mission was the ideal stage for my new Red Butchers unit. They really never got going in the last battle as they arrived so late from reserves and had limited targets on their side of the board. It was so satisfying to see them charge across the ship’s deck and corridors, covered in blood, destroying all in their path. I agree with Phil that close-combat units seem to be the ideal combatants in a tightly packed battlefield of Zone Mortalis. I’m surprised at how lucky the Butchers were on their saving throws, though! They braved a lot of shots.

The 3 Tarantulas with twin-linked lascannons were a strong unit that if left unchecked would have
eventually decimated my tactical squad and preator. Good thing there were some walls to block line-of-sight! If not, I think the game would have ended in a draw as I wouldn’t have been able to hold that objective. Veteran Tactical Squad Zurgaa would have moved in and secured it for sure.

I really loved that game! I can think of future battles incorporating part of the board as Zone Mortalis
and the other half open. Bunkers, factories, armories, garrisons, underground sewers, etc. are all in play. Maybe I need a squad of marines or humans with flame throwers to properly utilize the special rules!