"...Everywhere there was evidence of the orks' presence: rubble lay strewn in the streets and damage from the recent fighting had been left unrepaired. As we entered the refinery grounds, my squad spotted the first ork patrol milling about and grumbling loudly in their ugly vernacular. Vermian and Rogar raised their sniper rifles and looked to me for the order to fire. Our mission called for the utmost stealth and with three Xenos and only two silenced weapons, I did not want to risk leaving one alive to raise the alarm. Instead, I gave the signal for the men to creep forward and eliminate the sentries silently with combat blades..."
-From the report of Scout Sergeant Mishina
Background
This is the second battle in our Rynn's World Campaign, using 4th Edition rules.
Although wresting Badlanding from the Orks' control would be impossible in the short term, Chapter Master Kantor planned a series of raids on Warlord Snagrod's latest acquisition. These would serve a number of aims. Firstly, they would secure information the strength of the orks, their war machines, and ships. Secondly, they would disrupt the orks and prevent them tightening their grip on Badlanding and exploiting its resources. Thirdly, they would encourage the resistance of the surviving humans now engaged in a guerrilla war from their scattered settlements in the Scratch Mountains.
For an overview of the campaign and Andy Chambers' excellent lore:
For links to all the related posts in this campaign:
Scenario: Blades in the Night - Kill Team Mission 6: Reconnoiter
This battle would represent the Crimson Fists scouts of the 4th company reconnoitering the company's planned entrance into Krugerport, while simultaneously attempting to eliminate as many orks as possible.
The mission called for the Kill Team to enter the battlefield from a side of their choice and then traverse around the central point and exit on the same side from which they arrived. This represents them stealthily scouting the area to find a path for the rest of the company. Any sentries encountered should be eliminated before they can raise the alarm.
The winning side gets to use their entire force from this scenario in the next battle without paying its points cost.
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| Scout Damian plans to plunge his combat blade into the backs of a few Orks this night... |
Opposing Forces:
Crimson Fists Kill Team Broken Arrow [Pete]
- Scout Sergeant Mishina: Power fist and plasma pistol
- Scout Ferdinand: bolter
- Scout Vermian: sniper rifle
- Scout Rogar: sniper rifle
- Scout Pelayo: bolt pistol and combat knife
- Scout Alexander: bolt pistol and combat knife
- Scout Damian: bolt pistol and combat knife
- Scout Roca: missile launcher
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| Kill Team Broken Arrow, led by Sergeant Mishina |
Orks Brutes of the Skulltakaz Warband [Phil]
- Nob Zogbod with power klaw and slugga
- 5 Brute Squads with slugga and choppa
- 4 Brute Squads with shoota
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| Nob Zogbod, 'Fuel-Boss of Krugaport', and his top brutes run the captured refinery. |
Battle:
In the middle of a dark and cloudy night on the periphery of Krugerport, 3650989.M41...
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| The Crimson Fists choose to enter Krugerport through the industrial district. Kill Team Broken Arrow are sent ahead to scout a clear path for the rest of the company, and to eliminate any sentries that may raise the alarm. |
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| Boss Zogbod claims the Badlanding refinery as his personal fief. He is in charge of the fuel for the Skulltakaz war machines but skims enough off the top to afford a power klaw. |
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| Ork brutes of the Skulltakaz warband are always on patrol around the refinery, more worried about other orks trying to make off with their fuel than the beaten 'oomies of Badlanding. |
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| The Skulltakaz always keep their lucky skull totems close to hand. |
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| "Oi! Did you hear sumfink?" |
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| Kill Team Broken Arrow enter the refinery grounds in the dead of night. With the use of night vision goggles, they observe the plant to be crawling with ork sentries. |
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| They immediately find their path blocked by an ork patrol milling about. |
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| In order to not draw any attention from gunfire, they rush the orks and cut them down with combat blades. Somehow, one ork lives long enough to bellow out a challenge as he fights back! He is quickly killed, but not before he gets the attention of some nearby patrols. |
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| Two brute patrols come to investigate the noise, but the Crimson Fists are already slipping away in the darkness, out of their spotting range. |
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| Sergeant Mishina takes the point, leading his men up a ladder and onto the elevated walkways around the refinery tanks and away from the suspicious patrols on the ground. |
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| The Kill Team scrambles across the refinery and down the other side, using the large tanks and the darkness to stay out of sight. |
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| At the far side of the refinery as they prepare to double back with their reconnaissance information, a number of ork patrols start to converge around them, leaving them no clear path back! Sergeant Mishina decides the time for stealth is over and orders his men to open fire on the ork sentries, one patrol at a time. "Light 'em up, boys!" |
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| The gun fire of course brings more orks scrambling down ladders and closing in, eager for a good fight. As they approach in small clusters through the darkness, the concealed and prepared Kill Team pick them off, one patrol at a time. Even Boss Zogbod and his personal goons are laid low by sniper rifles and a frag missile! |
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| The scouts continue their circuit of the refinery, fighting through the last few ork patrols in hand-to-hand combat. |
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| With the patrols spread out, the kill team can quickly overwhelm and eliminate them one by one. |
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| Scout Damian leads the charge into one of the last patrols standing between the scouts and their path back to the waiting 4th company. |
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| Kill Team Broken Arrow have cleared a swathe through the refinery for the rest of the company to hurry across before dawn, when more greenskins will inevitably arrive, looking for fuel. |
Aftermath:
As Andy Chambers stated in the story in White Dwarf 235:
The initial phase of the raid passed well. At nightfall, Scout squads infiltrated the town ahead of the main body of Crimson Fists and eliminated several guard posts to prevent the alarm being raised as the rest of the company moved forward.
The game result aligned with the lore.
With the Crimson Fists winning, they would be able to use the Kill Team as a free Scout squad in the next battle.
Post-Game:
PETE: Well, that was a fun game of cat and mouse. Very different than a regular game of 40k or HH. I appreciate the slow burn of sneaking past sentries and trying to stay out of their perception zone, and more importantly, charge range! After my kill team failed to take out the first patrol efficiently, I figured the task would be doubly hard the rest of the way. Phil’s orks were more often able to move in the direction of my kill team and were cutting off paths through the board quickly. And then when the orks had my boys cornered with nowhere left to sneak in the night, I made the decision to light up the darkness with missiles and bolters in a loud and violent attempt to make a stand. Thankfully that turned out to be the right decision, as each barrage of fire from my kill team crippled or outright destroyed the brute patrols rushing their way. I don’t think many kill teams have missile launchers, which felt a little overpowered in a game this size.
The panic of potentially being overrun and locked in deadly close combat with orks turned to euphoria as each patrol was a little too desynchronized to have multiple units charge in together and they were therefore able to be neutralized one-by-one. After that, the ending was a bit anticlimactic, as the scouts were able to mop up any last orks on the board and complete their mission objectives.
But all-in-all, the story and themes of this historical skirmish were realized in an enjoyable and satisfying way. It sets up the next game nicely and keeps the narrative flowing. And it was a short, entertaining, and suspenseful game, which I really appreciate. Not every game of 40k needs to take 6 hours. Phil and I will have to mix in some more Kill Team in the future and change it up with different factions. I’d love to see guardsmen patrols vs. an ork kill team next.
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