Point of Desperation 3-Way Battle Report

"War begets war. It is as if the destruction draws in new combatants like sharks to blood. War is like a dragon where, for every head cut off, two more grow to take its place."

- Khan Turan Jorma

Campaign To Date:

After a bloody civil war, Traitor forces have taken the planet of Xhorik Prime, establishing a secure port for Horus' forces on his long march to Terra. Led by the cunning Khan Turan Jorma, small bands of Loyalist survivors continue to wage a guerilla war from the mountains and caves of the barren, ork-infested east. 

After the Traitor victory, infighting led to the banishment of a band of World Eaters and their messianic Chaplain Zungarz. In order to gain the glory of Khorne, he is leading his berzerker forces on a rampage against Loyalist, Ork and Traitor forces alike. 

The chaos and bloodshed around the Xhorik System has also drawn various pirates, marauders and mercenaries to the sector, looking for opportunity amidst the disorder. Foremost among these rogues and renegades are General Titus Ghoulv's Iron Battalion, also known as the Chem Hounds for their indiscriminate use of chems and combat drugs. 

All three of these warbands are desperate for the weapons and munitions that will allow them to continue to fight, and indeed survive, in the war-torn galaxy during these darkest days of the Heresy. They set their sights on the Armorium of Beilyr, known to contain a mass of weaponry stored during the Great Crusade, including some rare and powerful relics of Terra and Mars predating the Empire of Man. The three forces close in on their target, each looking to claim this unrivaled prize.

Pre-Game and Mission:

With the rare opportunity to get both of my brothers together for a game, we put some thought into the scenario to ensure it would be fun and make for a great game. In the past, we have tended to play two players commanding one army vs the other player. This time, we wanted to try a three-way battle with each brother commanding his own army. I flipped through my shelf of Horus Heresy and 40k books and found the scenario Point of Desperation in the black book VI Retribution: a three-player battle that looked balanced and tactically interesting. The scenario focused around maintaining control of the central objective, the armorium, in order for your faction to continuously offload as many weapons and munitions as possible. At the end of each turn, if a sole player had control of the objective, he would score 3 VP. If control was shared, each player would score 1 VP. The secondary objectives rewarded you for slaying the opposing warlords (1VP; or 2 VP if killed in melee by an HQ choice), destroying one unit of each of the two opposing armies in the same turn (Complete Destruction, 1VP) and for having the most units remaining at the end of the game (Overwhelming Force, 1VP). These victory conditions gave some nice balance to different types of armies and strategies, but of course the core focus would be to win the battle for the central objective for as long as possible. To fit our larger table and our own preferences, we made a few modifications to the scenario, covered in the Scenario Setup.

With the scenario selected, I immediately set out to create a suitable terrain piece to represent the armorium. The progress was documented on the Armorium Terrain Piece Build post and the final product can be seen in the Armorium Finished post.

We also wrote some additional pre-game narrative to help setup the clash:
Campaign Update: World Eaters
Campaign Update: White Scars
Campaign Update: Pirates of Dark Planet

The Galaxy Will Burn
Bill: I enter into this mortal clash feeling confident since the army I have been given the honor of commanding is well-equipped for everything the mission calls for. Zungarz and his Hell Hounds, the glory hogs of the last battle, would be given another chance to swat aside resistance and protect a much-contested central objective. Their numbers and determination would have to persevere against much heavier fire than anything ever thrown against them in the past. Pete's tank heavy army had no less than three large blast marker weapons that could turn space marines into meat soup. The risk of gathering around a control point would be extreme; one 'Hit' could spell instant death for anyone, even mighty Zungarz himself.

I honestly don't have a plan for killing so many Armor 14 behemoths and can only use my Predator as a shield against their withering blasts. By turn 2, it should be able to wedge itself into the space between the bunker ruins and cathedral, blocking movement and creating obstructed LoS as long as it doesn't blow up. My Dreadnought and Terminators do have chainfists but I plan to rush them as fast as possible towards the center and I am sure there won't be any tanks there at any point. Hopefully Phil would use his anti-tank units against the Leman Russes since they present such a huge threat. My only plan is to push Phil's infiltrators and scouts out of scoring range with all haste and pray that the ruins' cover saves keep a few World Eaters alive...     

Aside from a lack of artillery, Pete's World Eaters are a well-tuned game-winning machine made of speed, flexibility, and raw power. The Red Butchers are an unstoppable force of nature and it has long been a dream to direct their hateful blows. Backing them up is a second Terminator squad which, though inferior, counts as a scoring unit. The lightning claw squad, along with the Hell Hounds, would be tasked with clearing and controlling the bunker. The Butchers would just butch.

As if such a wave of destruction needed any help, the Dreadnought was available to add further pain to my enemies but I didn't have much of a plan for it. It's chainfist could pop the lid on a troublesome tin can to allow him to pull out the meat inside but only if he could touch it. I felt good about his trusty forcefield to protect him from cannon blasts but since he couldn't score (or even fit in the bunker ruins to help) or create a wreck to block tanks, his role would be minimal in the game.

Perhaps the most unexpected but welcomed unit in an army of slavering maniacs was the snipers; the Butcher's Eyes. They could infiltrate to give me an early game scoring option as my foot troops hoofed it to the bunker. They must be the last sane members of Angron's vicious followers, shaking their heads sadly at the deterioration of their brothers' minds and trying to protect them as best they can. They would be my only unit to camp out and shoot. Hopefully, their crack shot aim could fell a few foes. 

I feel great about my ability to score VP's in this battle. The Eyes would start the point counter rolling and the Hounds and Terminators would set it spinning. No doubt I would suffer horrendous losses as my tightly-packed infantry takes point blank tank shells but the game is only a finite number of turns. By the time I run out of bodies to throw into the meat grinder, it would end. There wasn't really any other option but to charge in and hope Pete rolls poorly. I may not score on the first or last turns, but I feel very confident about scoring all throughout the middle.

Ride Like The Wind
Phil: To say I was excited about this game would be a drastic understatement. We had a great three-way scenario picked out that we had never played. We had a new terrain centerpiece built specifically for this game. We had several pieces of pre-game story written to provide some narrative. We had a new army entering the main campaign against the marines with Pete's militia. And with the postponement, we had additional time to let it build up.

Unlike the other two armies, I had a few options on how to configure my force for this game. As I looked through my collection of White Scars, I started to formulate a plan to utilize my main strength of highly-mobile scoring units and to minimize my weakness of mostly lower durability. I don't have a lot of painted models, but I have some flexibility in how I configure them in terms of squad sizes, loadouts and transports.

First, I started with the core requirements of a Chogorian Brotherhood to understand the points cost of my essentials: a Praetor on jetbike, a six-man Skyhunter squadron with two volkite culverins, and my five-man Outrider squadron with plasma guns. This would give me two fast units that could hit vulnerable units and reach the objective quickly when needed. It would also give me the fastest warlord, allowing me to choose if and when I wanted to engage my rivals in a duel for those bonus VPs. However, neither of these units were well suited to sitting on an objective while both opposing armies charge in. They would be used to engage and destroy enemy targets of opportunity around the flanks in the early game and then hopefully swoop in late in the game when the last enemy units on the objective were bloodied and weakened. 

I knew I wanted to be on that objective on turn 1, something that would be tough for my opponents to match. The Recon Squad was an obvious choice as a Troops selection with infiltrate, but I realized that the World Eaters would also have an infiltrating squad so I would need a backup plan in case they beat me to the punch and deployed infiltrators on the objective first. So I studied my options and realized my Recon Squad could take a Rhino as a transport and it could infiltrate with them! (This was something none of us had ever tried and should catch my opponents off guard.) This would allow me to be no farther than 18" from the objective even if I was in sight of the enemy. Then using their Scout move I could redeploy them even closer, so long as I ended 12" away from the nearest enemy. This would put me close enough to the objective to reach it on turn 1 since the World Eater infiltrators could not occupy the entire objective and I would be able to approach from a side where that 12" offset from the enemy models would be less than 12" to the edge of the objective. Thus I felt confident I could either control or contest the objective on Turn 1.

A full squad of Recon marines with cameoline and a rhino hiding in a ruin would be likely to survive a turn or two of even the most committed enemy shooting, but I knew they would be quickly overwhelmed in melee by the Red Butchers, who would likely be arriving in turn 2 with their Land Raider, or the Hellhounds with their chain axes who would be arriving on foot in turn 2 or 3. In order to hold the objective longer, I would need some additional numbers arriving in turn 1 or 2, preferably something that would be at least respectable in melee. Running a Chogorian Brotherhood, all infantry needed a transport or they would be forced to start in reserves and would not make it to the objective until turn 3 or 4 at best. I was tempted to take a unit of five Ebon Keshig in an Anvilus Dreadclaw, but past experience has taught me that they can't stand up to the Butchers and, although they do not give up VPs for being destroyed, they are not a scoring unit and could not hold the objective for me. I also considered my usual approach of a plasma support squad in drop pod that could cripple an enemy squad or tank upon arrival, but I knew from experience they were a glass cannon that would die too quickly and would cost too many points (1750 points does not go far in Horus Heresy!). Finally, I settled on a Veteran Tactical Squad to be the occupants of the Dreadclaw. With Weapon Masters (+1 WS) as their veteran ability, combined with their two attacks and two close combat weapons, and a sergeant with power glaive, they would be fairly tough in melee. But the icing on the cake was to take only 9 men in the squad to leave room in the transport for the secret weapon: a Legion Centurion Champion. With weapon skill 6, a 2+ save, and a power glaive, I figured he would be a tough matchup for even an enemy warlord. If he could get into a duel with one, he had a chance to net me 2 VP (the rule stated the enemy warlord needed to be killed by an HQ in melee to get the extra VP) and even if he lost, I would lose nothing but my pride. 

I now had four scoring units, all with the ability to quickly reach the objective, but my potential damage output was pretty underwhelming. I knew I could not win by just running onto the objective and dying so I needed a way to hit back and destroy some key threats. Looking through my last few units, the Primaris-Lightning Strike Fighter with its six Kraken Heavy Penetrator missiles and tank-killing upgrades was an obvious choice for this role. The Lighting would strafe the battlefield destroying whichever enemy vehicles were the biggest threat to my small and somewhat fragile army.

With the army selected, the plan was clear. Each unit had its role and its preferred targets. Now it was just a matter of putting it all into action. 

Pillage and Plunder

Pete: Since the total points cost of my Cults and Militia army determined the size of the battle, I had no options on what to take and what to leave out. I knew the four tanks, including the Super Heavy Malcador, should be able to deal out plenty of pain – so I had a chance, if I played the perfect game and everything fell my way. My biggest glaring weakness would be the lack of scoring units in a game determined by controlling a central objective. Militia vs. Marines. Ugh, that’s not gonna be easy. But if I could roll forward, dropping dinner plates of death onto that objective and clear it out… just maybe I could rush in the final couple turns and score some VPs. I had one ace up the sleeve though, with my “ogryn” brute squad of five 3-wound ork nobs with frenzon stimulants, able to stand toe-to-toe with any marine unit outside of the Red Butchers. Perhaps if they landed on that objective, after being screened by a wall of tanks as they strolled up to the bunker, they could fight off any wounded units left on the board.

The fire support squad would be largely ignored due to the more pressing concerns of the armored division rumbling around the field of battle, so I hopped they would get a lucky crack shot here or there and perhaps change the course of the game by taking out a few jet bikers, a predator or a contemptor dread at an opportune time.

My main objective was to have fun and enjoy the rare treat of the three brothers playing a game of Horus Heresy together. Objective complete!!

Army Selection: 1750 Points

World Eaters Warband Zungarz's 'Zerkers- Bill

• Chaplin Zungarz: Artificer Armor, plasma pistol, refractor field, crozius arcanum
• Tactical Squad Hellhounds: 17 marines – 16 with bolters, bolt pistols and chain axes. 1 sergeant with artificer armor, power fist and plasma pistol
• Reconnaissance Squad Butcher's Eyes: 5 marines with power armor, sniper rifles, cameoline
• Unending Slaughter: Terminator squad with lightning claws, one with chain fist and heavy flamer 
• The Red Butchers: 1 Devoured with dual chain fists, 4 Butchers with dual power axes
• Land Raider Phobos Flesh Grinder: side sponson twin-linked lascannons, twin heavy bolter, armored ceramite, machine spirit 
• Contemptor Dreadnought Delrog the Diabolical with twin-linked lascannon and chainfist
• Predator Severing Cut with Predator Autocannon and lascannon sponsons and Machine Spirit

Traitor Militia General Titus Ghoulv’s Iron Battalion: The Marauders of Meddeon VII, The Pirates of the Northern Fringe, The Chem Hounds - Pete

• Force Commander Saghesh the Sadistic: power sword, plasma pistol, refractor field, Alchem-Jackers, Warrior Elite
• Ogryn Brute Squad Dregg Nukem’s Shrapnel Eaters: 5 Ogryns with power axes, carapace armor and Frenzon stimulant injectors
• The Tongue Collectors: 15 Grenadiers with plasma gun, flamer
• The Psycho Slaves: 15 Grenadiers with melta gun, flamer
• The Black Bombardiers: Support squad with 3 missile launcher teams and 2 lascannon teams
• 3 Auxilia Medicae: Dr. Cut, Dr. Cauterize and Nurse Ratchet
• Leman Russ Squadron Ghoulv's Iron Fist:
• Leman Russ Battle Tank with lascannon
• Leman Russ Demolisher with heavy bolter
• Leman Russ Vanquisher with heavy bolter
• Malcador Heavy Battle Tank Chimaera with armored ceramite and flare shields

White Scars Brotherhood of the Wind - Phil

• Khan Turan Jorma: jetbike, paragon blade, cyber hawk
  
• Centurion Champion Subotei: power glaive, refractor field, artificer armor
• Skyhunter Squadron Khujaa: 6 jetbikes,  2 x volkite culverin
• Veteran Tactical Squad Arryn: 9 veterans, one plasma gun, sergeant with power glaive and artificer armor 
• Recon Squad Chono: 10 marines with recon armor and camo cloaks, sergeant with power fist and artificer armor, with Rhino with multimelta
• Outrider Squad Tsujen: 5 Outriders with plasma, sergeant
• Anvilus Dreadclaw Drop Pod
• Primaris Lightning Strike Fighter Ariunbold: twin-linked lascannon, 6 x Kraken Heavy Penetrator Missiles, Battle Servitor Control, Ground-tracking Auguries

Deloyment:

World Eaters Deployment and Plan:
Bill: I used my pre-game strategic option to make 3 turns of night fighting, increasing the ruins' cover save from 4+ to 3+. I felt that this would benefit my melee-heavy army the most and keep Pete's tanks from fragging too many of my marines. I could have taken the option to deploy infiltrators first but, regrettably, didn't take it. Phil quickly snatched it up and deployed his Recon squad (in a Rhino) in the central ruins, securing it for 3 VP's at the end of turn 1 and there was nothing I could do about it. The tough calls a commander has to make...

Still, three turns of darkness could be invaluable in enduring the cannons, not to mention the deadly flyer Phil would be sending forth to rain missiles on everything. I ended up deploying and going first, which was perfectly fine. My opponents would undoubtedly prefer to go after me to have more time to kill my boys before scoring but I didn't think my turn order would affect my strategy at all so I didn't prioritize changing it. 

I set up my Butchers inside the Land Raider, ready to blitz Phil's side, and the Dreadnought and Predator to throw at Pete's. My Hellhounds and lightning claw terminators would run up the center, boot out the recon marines, and hold the ruins. The snipers had nowhere ideal to set up since the terrain was intentionally set up sparsely around the ruins and so had to take up shooting positions in the ruins to my right. They would by my late-game insurance policy; a scoring unit protected by 3+ (2+ during night fighting) ruins (including their cameoline) that could run in and score if everyone else was pushing up daisies. It was quite different from the role I imagined for them but Phil's unit was the only one able to infiltrate in the ruins. I would have at least 4 turns to see how effective their shooting would be. The night fighting wouldn't be doing them any favors.

Ok, time for action! Axes high! Everyone, follow me! 

Zungarz and his Hellhounds form the core of the World Eaters line, suported by the mighty Delrog the Diabolical and the Predator battle tank Severing Cut.

The World Eaters line up directly across from the Armorium, with a block of infantry in the center and mobile armor on the flanks.

The Butchers's Eyes recon squad infiltrate into a ruin close to the Armorium in order to provide supporting fire and to move to the Armorium when the time is right. 

White Scars Deployment and Plan:
Phil: Despite my Legion's unmatched speed and the inclusion of a Recon squad, I rolled the lowest for which game setup item I could choose. There were advantages to my army with each choice so I was not too worried about it. As it turned out, Pete chose to deploy and go last, which is a nice advantage when VPs are scored at the end of each game turn; Bill chose night fighting to protect his melee units from shooting; and that left me with the opportunity to select to deploy infiltrators first, which aligned well with my strategy, but was not crucial to it, as described above. The other choice was to select my deployment zone, but I only planned on deploying one unit in my zone to start the game so the main advantage would have been to force one of my opponents into a non-ideal position. 

I was hoping to setup my Skyhunters where they could pulverize Pete's infantry with their lower armor saves, but once I saw his grenadiers were completely concealed by his wall of tanks and that there was a large ruin preventing me from flanking his advancing line, I changed my strategy. I decided to hold them in my deployment zone out of line of sight of the heaviest weapons and use them to provide covering fire for my units that would be desperately trying to survive in the central ruin. They would then dash into the ruin late in the game when the number of threats was whittled down in order to capture (or at least contest) the objective.

The Recon marines deployed right in the central ruin, as planned, on the far side from Pete's gun line of militia battle tanks. The rest of the force would be arriving from reserves. The drop pod would deposit my veterans and Centurion Champion right at the objective and then move to block and delay my opponent's units. The Outriders would outflank and hope to attack an exposed key target before moving to the objective, while the Primaris-Lightning would swoop in and provide the anti-tank covering fire for my troops. 

The plan was to hold the objective for the first two or three turns until my infantry units were inevitably crushed in melee and then grab it again around turn 5 with my mounted troops and hold/contest it for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, I would hope to slay the World Eaters' warlord with my Centurion Champion and, if I was lucky on the turn my reserves arrived, maybe I could get a bonus VP for destroying a unit from each army. I felt I had a solid plan built around the strengths and limitations of my army, and a better ability to choose the matchups of my units than my opponents due to my mobility. 

The stage was set for a bloody clash where only the boldest and cleverest general would prevail. Mount up, Scars! Let's ride!

The only White Scars to begin in their deployment zone are the Khan and his Khujaa Skyhunters. The rest of the force either infiltrates or waits in reserves to strike at the right time and place.

Khan Turan Jorma leads the raid.

Recon Squad Chono infiltrate to the Armorium with their Rhino in order to capture the best weapons and munitions.

Traitor Militia Deployment and Plan:

Pete:  I chose to go third anticipating that I would need the very end of the game to make up some final VPs and make a game of it. If I could blow the absolute hell out of the objective for four turns, perhaps it would be a game of grind-it-out attrition. That’s really the only play I had. I didn’t have any transports or infiltrating units, so I’d be the slowest army on the board. 

Seeing the other armies set-up, I didn’t change my plan much – a wall of front armor value 14 tanks, screening my squishy troops and elites. What did change was pulling the Malcador in a flanking move, which would in theory circle around Bill’s rear and add additional devastation to his units that had cover from the Leman Russ squadron. With base speed 12”, it wouldn’t be outlandish to expect the Malcador to arrive neatly in Bill’s deployment zone by turn 2 or 3 – moping up any puny opposition in the way. 

Again, the fire support squad was placed in the only elevated cover in the deployment zone. Although I was concerned with the limited views due to the cathedral on the right and the burnt-out building on the left. Phil and Bill would need to spend time engaging my units close to my quarter of the board to give the fire support squad something to shoot at! Not a given since the objective was centrally located…

One last piece of deployment wisdom was to screen the rear armor of the Leman Russ squadron as well as control the left side of my deployment zone – all anticipating plasma wielding bikers roaring onto the board on turn 2 or 3.  I’ve learned how to at least minimize their carnage by blocking their best entry points. 

The Chem Hounds deploy a wall of Leman Russ tanks ahead of their massed infantry. Heavy weapons provide support from the elevated ruins and a mghty Malcador holds the far right flank.

Saghesh the Sadisticis the force commander. He is protected by his Ork (Ogryn) Brutes. A steady supply of chems is provided by the robotic Dr. Cut.

The three rival factions approach the coveted Armorium from different directions.

Battle:

Turn 1:
The battle began with the World Eaters running toward the central objective under the cover of darkness. Bill made some excellent 5" and 6" run rolls and, just like that, his infantry was already within striking distance of the Armorium. His shooting is ineffective against the heavy armor of the Leman Russ battle tanks and the nighttime-enhanced hull down cover saves of the Rhino in the ruin. Bill's first turn was uneventful, but his forces were encroaching on the objective and well-positioned to reach it next turn.

The World Eaters advance.

Phil's White Scars were next. The Loyalists started by landing their Anvilus Dreadclaw drop pod right on the corner of the Armorium. Phil elected to leave his veteran squad inside, relying on the pod's armor to protect them until it was time to make their move and keeping their options open in case they needed to utilize the Dreadclaw's mobility in the next turn. The recon marines decided to disembark to take advantage of their cameoline combined with night fighting to get a 2+ cover save and to spread out to limit how many could be engaged in melee. With the Land Raider Flesh Grinder protected by armored ceramite, he elected to direct the Rhino's multimelta at the advancing terminators instead and melted one. His Praetor and Skyhunters then contributed their massed heavy bolter and volkite fire (23 shots in all) to bring down another. 

Squad Chono disembarks into the ruins around the Armorium.

With a grin of anticipation, Pete rolled his wall of tanks forward, looking for appropriate targets. His first shot was with the mighty Leman Russ Demolisher and his 5" blast marker landed square on the Anvilus Dreadclaw. But his grin quickly faded when he rolled for armor penetration and got a one! (We messed up because Ordnance weapons are supposed to roll two dice and pick the highest.) Thankfully for him, his Vanquisher made up for it when it fired a shot into the World Eaters Predator and blew it to bits with an Explodes! result on the damage table. The Leman Russ could not cause any damage to the troops in the ruins with their cover save enhanced by night fighting and cameoline. Finally, the Malcador made a sweeping move around the ruined cathedral and fired everything at Delrog the Diabolical. One shot was stopped by its atomatic shields, but one got through for a hull point of damage. Pete's Ogryns and grenadiers moved forward behind the tank wall.

Tank vs tank: the Vanquisher vanquishes the Predator.

With surprisingly little damage, turn 1 came to a close with the White Scars in sole possession of the Armorium. 


Score:        World Eaters: 0                White Scars: 3                Chem Hounds: 0

Turn 2:
Bill continued to move the bulk of his forces straight toward the central objective. The only exception was the Contemptor Dreadnought Delrog veering off to get behind the cover of the cathedral. He returns fire at the Malcador and, despite the tank's armored ceramite and flare shields, he manages to remove the first hull point from the super heavy vehicle. As the Red Butchers disembark, the Land Raider fires at the Rhino and immobilizes the smaller tank. His recon snipers manage to get a head shot on one of the Skyhunters of Squadron Khujaa, killing him instantly and sending his jetbike crashing into the rubble. With his limited shooting out of the way, Bill rubs his hands in anticipation of the assault phase and the carnage to come. Undaunted by the pesky shroud bombs, Zungarz and his Hellhounds roll an amazing 12" charge and crash into the overmatched White Scars Recon Squad. Their Chaplain's inspired rhetoric (...and their chainaxes with AP4...) allow the Hellhounds to make short work of Recon Squad Chono: they kill four recon marines and the rest attempt to flee but are cut down and destroyed! At the same time, The Red Butchers charge the Rhino that is blocking their path to the bloodshed. The Devoured never gets a chance to use his chainfists as the other Butchers use their power axes to destroy the Rhino in a large explosion that covers both melees. One Butcher is unluckily wounded in the blast. Bill's forces had easily destroyed two units in melee and now both the Hellhounds and the Butchers would receive Furious Charge for the rest of the game, thanks to their Blood Madness.

The White Scars recon marines deploy shroud bombs but it does not stop the World Eaters from making their assault.

Melee rages between the World Eaters and White Scars around the Armorium.

With a nervous look at his depleted forces, Phil started rolling for his reserves. Both the Lightning and the Outriders would be arriving. The Lighting swooped in from Phil's long table edge and attacked the nearest Leman Russ with two Kraken Heavy Penetrator missiles and its twin-linked lascannon but only managed to inflict one hull point with a Crew Shaken result. The Outriders made their usual outflanking maneuver to arrive from the short table edge behind Pete's militia. They open fire on the Psycho Slaves grenadier squad, killing five. The Veteran Squad disembarked into the central ruin before sending their Anvilus Dreadclaw to try to block the advance of Pete's tank line. Khan Jorma and his Skyhunters see the carnage being caused by the Red Butchers and pour all of their considerable fire onto the squad. The hail of bullets manages to bring down the wounded Butcher and the Devoured himself! After carefully weighing his options, Phil figured it was better to charge the World Eaters than to be charged, so he grit his teeth and threw his Veterans at the Hellhounds and Zungarz. As the melee began, he confidently declared that his Centurion Champion Subotei would issue a challenge, figuring that he had an excellent chance against either Zungarz or the squad sergeant, and knowing that killing Zungarz with a HQ choice would be worth 2 VP. After some quick back-and-forth with Pete about the loadouts of the characters, Bill realized he did not like his odds. Phil's smug grin was replaced by his mouth hanging open in disbelief when Bill declared that both of his characters were refusing the challenge. The decision did not impact the melee as they were too far back to engage in the fighting anyway. Despite the White Scars Veterans' higher weapon skill, extra attacks, and having a Centurion and Sergeant with power glaives all against the World Eaters with no special weapons, the World Eaters won the combat 4 - 2, due to some horrendous dice rolling by Phil! So there was no risk to the Traitors for not being able to use their characters' leadership value after declining the challenge, either! With a shake of his head, Phil passed the dice and tape measure to Pete. 

The Khan and his Skyhunters form a firing line.

The White Scars Outriders and Primaris-Lightning strike the Chem Hounds in a pincer attack from both flanks but the damage is minimal.

Subotei and his veterans charge the Hellhounds but are beaten back.

With Outriders striking at his rear, Pete turned his Grenadier Squad Psycho Slaves around and spread them out to block the White Scars Squadron Tsujen. He then moved his main battle line forward toward the central objective but the Anvilus Dreadclaw was now interrupting the progress of some of his force. With grim determination, he pointed the Demolisher at the drop pod for a second time. Once again, a perfect hit, and once again, a roll of one for the armor penetration! (And once again forgetting the Ordnance rules.) Pete then directed the fire of his heavy support squad in the ruin toward the Outriders harassing his rear. He was unable to kill any but the fire forced them to jink, thus limiting their shooting effectiveness next turn. Pete then continued his wide sweep with the Malcador by moving it into the corner, and well out of the assaults distance of the Contemptor Dreadnought. Yet despite maneuvering into prime position for shots at the side armor with no cover save, the entire arsenal of guns on the super heavy either failed to hit or to penetrate! Pete's run of bad shooting continued throughout his turn and he was surprisingly unable to destroy any enemies with his four tanks. 

The Chem Hounds advance on the objective as the White Scars' Ariunbold soars overhead.

The Armorium was now contested by the World Eaters Tactical Squad, the Hellhounds, and the White Scars Veteran Squad Arryn. No secondary objectives had been achieved. 


Score:        World Eaters: 1                White Scars: 4                Chem Hounds: 0

Turn 3:
Bill began his turn by embarking Terminator Squad Unending Slaughter into the Land Raider. He  then advanced the vehicles on his flanks and positioned his Red Butchers for the inevitable charge into the melee in the central Armorium ruin. Despite being outmatched in mobility, armor, and firepower, Bill resolutely marched his Contemptor, Delrog the Diabolical, straight at the Malcador tank. His boldness seemed to pay off as he knocked a second hull point off the super heavy with a penetrating hit, despite the flare shields and ceramite on the tank. His Land Raider was not as effective shooting at the White Scars Skyhunters as they were able to jink to avoid the lascannons. But even their skilled riding could not save them from the Butcher's Eyes who took avenged the fallen Devoured by landing a second shot on the Skyhunter squad, accounting for their second kill against the squad. With glee, Bill moved on to the assault phase and threw his Butchers into the scrum. Phil once again issued a challenge from his Centurion Champion Subotei, but was denied satisfaction a second time by the unusually cautious and controlled Chaplain, Zungarz. In melee, the quicker White Scars were able to kill one Butcher first, but the World Eaters then killed 3 veterans in retaliation, including the sergeant. Despite losing combat again and being only three men against 17, the White Scars continued to hold their ground. Satisfied that another round of combat was likely to see off the last of the Loyalists, Bill concluded his turn. 

The Red Butchers join the fray with the White Scars while the other World Eaters Terminators mount up in the Land Raider.

With the Land Raider Flesh Grinder giving the Terminator Squad Unending Slaughter a long threat range, Phil cautiously slid his Praetor and Skyhunters off to his left, away from the central objective and the World Eaters assault unit. Squadron Khujaa then fired everything at the Recon Squad The Butcher's Eyes in retaliation for the continued sniper fire that had already brought low two of the jetbikers, but their jinking to avoid the lascannon fire combined with the Recon marines excellent use of cover, camo and darkness meant the shooting had no effect. He then turned the Primaris-Lightning strike fighter and zoomed it toward the Malcador, intent on damaging the steel behemoth. Yet somehow the Ariunbold missed with everything and did not even scratch the tank! This left Phil's Outriders as his only chance to cause any shooting damage this turn, but they had jinked to avoid Pete's heavy weapons. Being blocked from advancing toward the Objective (or the juicy rear armor of Pete's tanks) by the Psycho Slaves, Phil weighed his options and decided to have the Outriders assault the Grenadiers, figuring he would take his chances against S3 hits in melee rather than face the considerable firepower of Pete's big guns. They charge but neither side can inflict any kills thanks to the Grenadiers' medic. Finally, in the critical melee in the center, the White Scars inflict one wound on the World Eaters but are then wiped out in return by the Red Butchers! With their success, the World Eaters all consolidate forward, toward Pete's line. After failing to inflict any damage in his turn, Phil can only shake his head and await the retaliation.

With their path to the objective blocked by the Psycho Slaves, Outrider Squadron Tsujen assaults.

With the Anvilus Dreadclaw still blocking his direct advance on the Armorium, Pete splits his tank line with the Demolisher and the Vanquisher moving to the right of the drop pod and the Leman Russ moving to the left to line up shots between it and the ruins. He continued the Malcador's dance with Delrog by moving around to its flank yet again. Pete decided that if he could not destroy the meddlesome Dreadclaw with his shooting, he would try melee. He moved his Ogryn brute squad up into assault range. In his shooting phase, he fired the Leman Russ and the Demolisher at the Red Butchers and managed to kill one of the hulking brutes. His Vanquisher and Malcador had the World Eaters Contemptor lined up in a crossfire between them. The Vanquisher managed to damage and shake Delrog, limiting the dreadnought's shooting next turn. The Malcador fire next and it appeared to deliver the finishing blow. But as Bill was reaching to remove the model, we remembered it got a saving throw from the atomatic shielding and Bill passed the save - Delrog yet lived! Pete's heavy support squad targeted the Primaris-Lightning and forced it to jink to avoid the flakk missiles. In the assault phase, the Ogryns charged the Anvilus Dreadclaw and wrecked it with a multitude of power axes strikes. This would prevent the pod from flaming Pete with its burners but the wreck was still forcing him to take a longer path to the Armorium. In the other melee, the Outriders killed two Grenadiers but lost one of their own in return. After three turns, Pete had yet to get a scoring unit to the objective or score any VPs and so he had to console himself with the knowledge that at least the night fighting was finally over.

Nukem's Shrapnel Eaters charge in and wreck the vexing Anvilus Dreadclaw.

The World Eaters now had sole control over the Armorium and faced no immediate threats to their dominant position. 

Score:        World Eaters: 4                White Scars: 4                Chem Hounds: 0



Turn 4:
The three turns of night fighting were finally over, meaning shooting should be a bit more effective going forward. Having crushed the White Scars around the central objective, Bill now turned his attention to the approaching Chem Hounds. The Land Raider advanced toward Pete's tank line and disgorged its cargo of Terminators. The Flesh Grinder then knocked a hull point off the Demolisher with its lascannons. On the other side of the Armorium, the smoking and limping Contemptor Dreadnought refused to give up. Bellowing with rage, he charged the Malcador, his chainfist causing two more hull points of damage for a total of four, leaving the super heavy with only two hull points remaining. The dreadnought was certainly more than holding his own against the militia tanks. After some fairly effective shooting, Bill moved to the assault phase by launching a long charge with his last Red Butcher against the Leman Russ battle tank next to the burning drop pod. Even without their leader's chainfists, the Butcher destroys the tank with a flurry of power axe attacks. His Tactical Squad held their ground on the objective, enabling his forces to continue looting weapons and scoring VPs.

The last Red Butcher destroys the Leman Russ battle tank with his power axes.

Delrog attacks the Chimaera with his chainfist. 

Surveying the battlefield, Phil realized there was not much he could do this turn. His Outriders were still in melee and since his Lightning had just jinked, he elected to fly it off the table and into Ongoing Reserves so it could return to the action next turn and hopefully have better luck with its remaining two Kraken missiles. This left only Khan Jorma and his Skyhunters. Phil moved them cautiously back toward the center of the table where they would be able threaten the objective. They fired everything at the World Eaters Recon Squad and killed two of the snipers. Despite their losses, the Butchers Eyes passed morale and held their position in the ruin. In the melee between the bikers and the grenadiers, the Chem Hounds stay true to their name as their medic saves another handful of wounds and only one dies. In return the Psycho Slaves somehow kill two Outriders of Squadron Tsujen. With nothing more to be done, Phil passed to Pete. 

Pete started his turn by marching his Orgryns around the wrecked drop pod to challenge the king of melee, the last member of Red Butchers. This would be a true test for his new melee unit. The Malcador continues to circle the Contemptor Dreadnought, lining up for yet another salvo of shots at the side armor. Pete's Demolisher leads the way toward the objective with the Tongue Collectors Grenadier squad continuing to follow behind, staying out of the way of enemy guns. The Demolisher fires at the Unending Slaughter Terminator Squad and destroys one in the large blast. The Malcador fires everything at the Dreadnought once again, and this time the atomatic shields cannot save Delrog - he is finally laid low by lascannon fire. In the assault phase, the Ogryns charge the Butcher, but due to the distance only three make it into combat. In the battle of power axes, the Butcher deals a few wounds to the Ogryns and he takes one in return. The result is a stalemate, as is the ongoing melee between the Psycho Slaves and the Outriders. Phil attempts to disengage his Outriders from the melee using Hit and Run, but fails the roll, leaving his fast bikers tied down in an endless slog. Despite Pete's army still being mostly intact compared to his competitors, he still had not reached the objective and time was running out for a comeback.

The Chimaera finally wins the duel with Delrog the Diabolical.

Bill's World Eaters still had sole possession of the Armorium, although Pete's Chem Dogs were finally within striking distance. The last few units of Phil's White Scars were still hanging around the periphery, waiting for the right chance to take the objective. 

Score:        World Eaters: 7                White Scars: 4                Chem Hounds: 0

Turn 5:
Bill began turn 5 by turning his Land Raider to face the super heavy tank that was now approaching the rear of his lines. He also elected to finally make his move with the Recon Squad, having them break cover and run for the Armorium to act as a backup scoring unit in case disaster befell his Hellhounds. With his last surviving Butcher down to one wound and overmatched by the Ogryn Brute Squad, Bill moved his other two infantry units forward in support: the Hellhounds Tactical Squad and the Unending Slaughter Terminators. In his shooting phase, the Flesh Grinder fired at the Malcador and scored another penetrating hit: the super heavy was now down to its last hull point. The assault phase saw Bill charge with everything he had left into the Ogryns. Seeing that Pete's force commander, Saghesh, was joined with the Ogryn unit, Bill issued a challenge from Zungarz, hoping to gain extra victory points for slaying an opposing warlord with an HQ unit. Pete accepted the challenge and moved Saghesh up to face off against the World Eaters Chaplain. In the first round of the duel between warlords, they each inflicted one wound on the other, the mortal Saghesh obviously using some effective combat drugs to keep up with the superhuman Zungarz. The lightning claws of the Unending Slaughter killed one Ogryn and the Hellhounds inflicted a few wounds on another. The Ogryn Brutes hit back and felled a Terminator in return. But with the inspired performance of Saghesh to spur them on, the Chem Dogs hang in the fight. Even after the pile in move, the large Hellhounds squad is still strung out enough that some models remain on the Armorium ruin. Satisfied that his army was properly stuck in where they would almost certainly triumph, Bill ended his fifth and possibly final turn. 

Frenzon-crazed brutes clash with blood-maddened World Eaters.

The Primaris-Lightning returned form ongoing reserves. Seeing the Bill's World Eaters starting to walk away with the game, Phil elected to target the Land Raider that was between his jetbikes and the objective. He fired his last remaining missiles and his twin-linked lascannons. While the lascanon scored a glancing hit, once again Phil rolled a 1 for both missiles rand missed!  Knowing this could be the last turn, Phil's first and most important move was to send his Praetor and Skyhunters zooming in to reach the Armorium in an attempt to contest the objective and split the VPs with Bill. But he measured out the distance and the jetbikes would be an inch or two short of reaching the objective! So instead he moved forward 12" intending to reach the objective in Turn 6 (if it happened) and had the squadron fire at the Butcher's Eyes as they scampered toward the objective. Luckily for Bill, only a few of the Skyhunters had line of sight due to the Land Raider's position so only two Recon marines were killed, leaving a lone survivor. As the long, grueling melee between the Outriders and Psycho Slaves completed its fifth combat round, the White Scars killed two more Grenadiers for no loss of their own but the drug-crazed Chem Hounds refused to give ground. Knowing he needed at least one more turn and likely two to have a chance at a win, Phil ended his turn and hoped it would not be his last. 

Pete moved his three remaining tanks, the Vanquisher, the Demolisher and the Malcador to close in on the last remaining opposing tank, Flesh Grinder. He then ran his unharmed Grenadier Squad, the Tongue Collectors into the Armorium ruin - finally giving his army a chance to plunder some much-needed weaponry, and getting him on the board for victory points! His shooting phase involved a lot of cursing and arm waving as the large blast templates of his Demolisher cannons scattered off or failed to penetrate the Land Raider. The Vanquisher finally provided some minimal redemption as it knocked a single hull point off the World Eaters tank, shaking the crew. In the large melee between the Armorium and the wall of wrecked vehicles, Zungarz slays Saghesh in their duel, claiming a valuable trophy and scoring two victory points for Bill's World Eaters. The last lightning claw terminator from the Unending Slaughter kills an Ogryn before he is mercilessly cut down in return, along with a tactical marine from the Hellhounds. With the loss of their commander, the Ogryns are finally overcome and flee from combat, the lumbering brutes somehow successfully fleeing from the World Eaters, who must have been too caught up hacking apart the bodies of the fallen and bellowing out in their blood madness. In the other melee, the last two Outriders finally escape from the tarpit with the Psycho Slaves by passing their Hit and Run roll and they consolidate toward the objective, hoping they are not too late.

Pete's Chem Hounds finally ended Bill's World Eaters' dominance of the central objective by contesting it with the Grenadiers for one vicotry point apiece. Meanwhile Phil's fast Skyhunters were just a bit too far out of position and could not cover the distance to the Armorium, leaving him out of the scoring for the third straight turn after building an early lead. However, with Bill scoring two VPs for slaying an opposing warlord in a duel with an HQ unit, his lead just continued to grow and it was starting to look insurmountable. The roll was made for a sixth turn and we got it.

Score:        World Eaters: 10                White Scars: 4                Chem Hounds: 1

Turn 6:
Turn 6 began with Bill running the last surviving recon marine into the ruins of the Armorium. The Land Raider returned fire at the super heavy Malcador but with the crew being shaken, the shooting was ineffectual. With a second scoring unit now safely on the objective and feeling like he could not lose at this point, Bill moved Zungarz and his Hellhounds up to challenge the Chem Dogs who had dared to set foot in the Armorium and start pillaging weaponry. They fired their bolt pistols and then announced a charge, with Zungarz at the head. Pete rolled his overwatch, including the automatic hits from his flamer, and despite his artificer armor, the previously-wounded Zungarz was killed by the wall of deadly flame! Although the three players were shocked at this development, the World Eaters were clearly unphased as they proceeded to make their assault move and then butcher the Tongue Collectors, killing many in melee and then destroying the unit in a sweeping advance. Just like that, Bill had lost his warlord but he had also cleared the only competing scoring unit from the objective.

The Hellhounds charge again, as Zungarz is felled by a wave of burning promethium.

Phil realized he needed to take sole control of the objective if he was to have any chance, but two World Eaters Troops units were currently holding the Armorium. He first moved his two remaining Outriders, now free of the grinding melee, up in order to rapid fire their plasma at the Hellhounds. He then moved the Skyhunters into the Armorium ruin, in preparation to shoot and charge the Hellhounds from the other side. The job of the Lightning was to eliminate the remaining World Eater sniper so it flew directly toward its target. With its missiles expended, Phil had to rely on its twin-linked lascannon to get the job done: the shot hit but the Recon marine was saved by his cover save and cameoline. Phil's shooting went from ineffectual to disastrous when his Outriders fired their plasma. Shockingly, even with re-rolling misses, both bikes rolled a Gets Hot and both failed their saves, wiping out the squadron! They managed to take one World Eater tactical marine down with them, but Phil had to wonder for a minute if he was playing orks instead of marines when he killed more of his own men than the enemy with his shooting. It was left to the Skyhunters to save the day for the White Scars and reclaim the objective. They started with an impressive round of shooting that left five World Eaters face down in the rubble. With five remaining Hellhounds, the White Scars now had to rely on an assault to claim sole control of the objective. They made their assault, but only a few jetbikers made it into melee, not including Khan Jorma. The combat ended in a stalemate with neither side inflicting any casualties. So Phil's turn ended with failing to destroy either World Eaters scoring unit but he finally had his own scoring unit back on the objective. All he could do now was to hope for another turn.

The Khujaa Skyhunter Squadron finally makes their move and asaults the World Eaters in front of the Armorium.

Khan Jorma and his remaining forces swarm the objective, intent on claiming the remaining munitions for the White Scars.

With Bill's huge lead, Pete decided his best bet was to set about destroying the rest of his army with his much-larger remaining force. He began his turn by concentrating on the lone World Eaters Recon Marine. He lined up his Vanquisher and Demolisher to have line of sight to the lone sniper, trying his best to stay out of sight in the rubble. On the other side of the ruin, Pete moved his remaining Ogryns back toward the fray. His nearest scoring unit was the Psycho Slaves but even with a good run roll, they were too far to make it to the objective. In his shooting phase, the World Eaters Recon Marine continued to show a knack for survival. Pete landed a Demolisher shell directly on top of him but once again rolled a one to wound! At this point, Pete felt like the Demolisher cannon was cursed. The Vanquisher fired its mighty cannon but missed. So it all came down to the hull mounted heavy bolter on the Vanquisher - and Pete finally got the job done, killing the last member of the Butcher's Eyes. Pete could now turn his attention to the damaged Land Raider, firing everything the Malcador had at it. This time, the super heavy proved its worth and rolled an Exlodes! result, ending the Land Raider in a massive explosion. So far, Pete was two for two on eliminating his targets and he looked to keep up the momentum with his heavy support squad. They targeted the Primaris-Lightning, the last remaining target not engaged in melee. Despite the jet's attempts to jink, one of his flakk missiles hit home and again rolled an Explodes! result. The elegant jet burst apart and fell to the ground in a shower of flaming debris. With everything finally going his way, Pete launched his Ogryns into the Hellhounds who were busy fighting Squadron Khujaa in the Armorium. With their extra charge bonus from their Frenzon, they were able to wreak havoc with their power axes, wiping out the last five marines of the squad! In by far his best turn yet, Pete had destroyed an amazing four enemy units, including one of each opponents for the bonus VP.

Chem Hounds tanks encircle the remaining World Eaters before clearning them from the Armorium.

The elimination of the Hellhounds and Butcher's Eyes left the White Scars in sole possession of the Armorium. Pete scored Slay the Warlord and Complete Destruction secondary objectives for two points despite not contesting the objective. With the realization that although Bill had a large lead, he was down to a single model with a single wound remaining and another turn would almost surely mean that he would be eliminated from the game, all the players gathered around for the crucial role for whether there would be a seventh and final turn. With the most on the line, Bill made the roll and it came up a one! The game was over and he had just barely hung on to his hard fought victory.

Score:        World Eaters: 10                White Scars: 7                Chem Hounds: 3

Post Game:

World Eaters Post-Game: Burn! Maim! Kill! Blood for the Blood God!
Bill: Surely Lord Khorne will be pleased with the victory I have delivered despite a few moments of hesitation. Zungarz declining a challenge not once but twice to leave his would-be rival to be killed by his Hellhounds seems quite out of character for the battle-thirsty berserker. However, I had to keep my focus on the objective and ignore my personal desire for a good duel. There were no VPs to be gained in the battle from killing Phil's Centurion because it was not his CO. Plus, that AP 2 power glaive combined w Phil's 2+ save gave me serious doubts about Zungarz's ability to win (don't tell him I said that!). I can only presume Khorne had important plans for him and whispered in his ear, "Not yet..."

Eventually. he did accomplish the difficult and important task of killing a CO in a duel, fulfilling his obligation to deliver a worthy skull to his master's throne. The very next turn, he was fried alive in his armor by an overwatch flamer but only after racking up 10 VPs. I prefer to think that his fiery death was part of him ascending to Daemonhood in his patron god's realm in The Warp. His mortal form being consumed by immolating waves will become part of his legacy. He didn't even scream.

That being said, Zungarz is not the obvious choice for MVP. As much as he seemed to win the day, his battles were always assisted by the Red Butchers. In fact, their extreme toughness saved me from getting tabled and losing by default. When the dust settled and smoke cleared, only a single Butcher with 1 wound remained and thankfully there was no 7th turn. I didn't know how close to the razor's edge I was. For a single terrifying second, I had to anticipate all my strategy and luck coming to absolutely nothing, before a very welcome '1' appeared on the die to determine the game's end. My army can do a lot but it will eventually run out of fuel. 

The 3rd contender for MVP, equally vital to the rest in relation to my victory, was not one of my own troops at all. Phil's Dreadclaw blocking Pete's army may have contributed to Khorne's victory more than anything. Pete directed a lot of battle and demolisher cannon fire at that stubborn drop pod, sparing my Hellhounds from the blasts, and even after it was destroyed still created a massive obstacle to block Pete's army from reaching the center or drawing LoS to my troops. The bottleneck that resulted kept Pete from bringing his troops up to compete for control of the bunker and, perhaps even more importantly, kept him from charging with more than a fraction of his orc slave brutes. By the time he had cleared the choke point, the game was over.

The biggest loser was obviously the Predator but I never had any high hopes for it. Its job was to do exactly was Phil's Dreadclaw did: race up and die to create an obstruction between my own troops and Pete's intimidating gun line. Tragically, it bit it a turn early, on turn 1 in fact, and didn't get the chance to reach its destination. That vanquisher cannon is no slouch in slaying armor. Other than that, I feel like everything in my army gave better than it got in combat and met all of my expectations.

This three way scrap had been 5 months in the making and nothing could have made it worth the wait more than such a thrilling victory. The blood truly flowed and no one ever took a step back. Even in death, Zungarz secured his place as a champion of the Blood God. A great game with great models with two great brothers! It doesn't get any better!

White Scars Post-Game: Bested but not Broken
Phil: That was an epic clash that will live on in legend for years to come. Although Bill looked to be running away with it in the middle rounds with his unchallenged control of the objective, in the end he was only a single wound away from being wiped out and thus losing by default. Had the game gone on to turn 7, I would almost assuredly have won the day for the noble White Scars and the Khagan. So what went well enough that I was a 50/50 die roll from a win and what went so wrong that prevented the White Scars from achieving victory?

First, the things that went right. I am very happy with my army selection and overall strategy. I put some thought into how my agile force could win a game that was all about slugging it out over a central objective when I know from past games that I do not have any units that can stand up to the World Eaters toe-to-toe. My plan to grab the objective early and hold it again late almost worked. I knew my recon and veteran squads would die eventually but I did not expect them to go down quite that quickly. In hindsight, I should have put the recon squad as far from Bill's deployment zone as possible to try to avoid that turn 2 charge, and taken my chances with the battle cannons rather than the chain axes. I was hoping the recon marines' shroud bombs might buy them a bit more time, or the fact that the combatants were strung out so only a few from each side could fight. But unfortunately, the shroud bombs couldn't hide them and they failed their morale and their sweeping advance escape (a recurring theme for my otherwise quick legion...)

The other thing that went mostly to plan was my Skyhunters hanging back and staying mostly intact until making their move to the objective in the late game. Unfortunately, they were just an inch too far to reach the objective on turn 5 as planned and they had to wait until turn 6, which cost me a VP. So the plan mostly worked and I had sole control of the objective on turn 1 and turn 6.

So what went wrong? Pretty much everything in turns 2 through 5! At the start of turn 2, I felt I still had the initiative when I confidently played my trump card and had my veterans charge the Hellhounds and my Centurion Champion challenge Bill's Chaplain to a duel. I knew I had a great chance to win the duel for 2 VPs (and give up zero even if I lost), but I did not foresee Zungarz simply refusing! It didn't prevent him from fighting since he was out of engagement range anyway, and he knew his side was going to win eventually with the help of the Butchers even with the chaplain and sergeant cowering in the back row.

Uncharacteristically, my Primaris-Lightning failed to destroy anything all game even after firing all six of its Kraken Heavy Penetrator missiles at various vehicles. Even with BS2, at least three of the shots missed. And even with re-rolling armor penetration, it only knocked off a hull point here and there from various tanks. 

I chalk that up to a streak of bad rolling, but where I made a bad tactical decision was with the Outriders. As planned, I used them to attack one of Pete's only two scoring units that could threaten the objective. Unexpectedly, Pete turned his unit around and spread them out to block me, forcing me to either take time to go around them while getting shot up or go through them. My plan was to charge in to the relative safety of melee (compared to the firepower of all the heavy weapons), kill a few Grenadiers and then jump out of close combat with Hit and Run and head to the objective on the next turn. Unfortunately, my rolling was terrible and I lost a few bikers in the melee and then I forgot to use Hit and Run at first, and then when I finally remembered it, I failed the roll the first time! Then the icing on the cake: when they finally broke free and attacked the Hellhounds, the last two simultaneously melted down, despite a re-roll for being twin-linked! They both rolled 1s on the re-roll and then failed their saves! 

In hindsight, I  may also have held back the Skyhunters for too long. I had the strongest Warlord and should have worked harder to get him in a duel with one of his foes. Bill made a good move by sending the Unending Slaughter in the Land Raider my way and forcing me to either fight a useless and dangerous melee or fall back away from the objective. This was a critical juncture where he took the initiative, neutralized my strongest unit and probably ended up costing me the game. 

Embarrassingly, wiping out my own Outriders was the only unit I managed to destroy the entire game! That's right, an entire 1750 point army fought for six turns and could not destroy one squad, character or vehicle. Despite my army's utter ineffectiveness in combat, I still managed to almost win by using mobility to claim the objective when I could and avoid the worst of my enemy's firepower. This was a really fun game and I cannot wait to try another three-way battle the next time we get together. 


Traitor Militia Post-Game: Bested but not Broken
Pete: Well – that was one amazing game! Fun, exciting, dramatic and satisfying. And I enjoyed 6 beers throughout – giving me a nice buzz as my militia were soundly defeated. I didn’t have much hope for ultimate victory, but I knew I could play spoiler to one army or the other, and you never know how those silly little dice with roll…

If I could give it another go or change one thing, it would be to dive the Malcador into the center of the board and blow it up in a gorgeous rain of fire, templates and carnage. Instead, it spent the game dancing around my right flank in a game of cat-and-mouse with the contemptor dread. For 300 points, I wanted it to really impact the game and the progression of the action. That was unfortunate.

Phil’s Deathclaw drop pod was definitely helpful to Bill’s eventual win. It totally blocked my army’s progress and caused me to waste turns of tank shots on the damn thing. If I could have remembered to re-roll armor penetration, no doubt it would have been a little quicker to DIE!!!

Also, I shouldn’t have allowed my force commander to stand toe-to-toe with Bill’s HQ in a challenge. I was thinking it would leave my ogryns to brutalize the rest of his Hellhounds and not take too many wounds, making them impotent. They still needed to control the central objective, and that’s where the meat of the VPs would be won. My grenadiers certainly weren’t going to do it!  But I gave Bill 2 VPs for slay the warlord and therefore gave him the game. But I played to try and win, not get second or some consolation prize. But all-in-all it was a smashing success having a three-way battle!