Horus Heresy Battle Report 8: Clash of the Lines

"The object of war is not to die a glorious and heroic death, but to give one to your enemy."

 - Sergeant Albrecht,
Death Guard Legion

Campaign To Date:

It is the middle of the Age of Darkness, as the Warmaster Horus makes his long march toward Terra, leaving shattered star systems in his wake. Lying in the path of the traitors' advance, the planet of Xhorik Prime is torn apart in civil war after only recently being united in the Great Crusade. The largest nation, The Federation of Unimund declare for the Warmaster and Mortarian as their living gods and liberators, while their ancient rivals to the north, the stratocracy of Kozar and her allies, side with their kindred spirits and sworn blood brothers, the White Scars. An advance force of Death Guard has been tasked with bringing the Xhorik System into compliance so that the main war host can safely resupply and move on quickly.

The early stages of the conflict centered around the Battle for Bielyr, a major city on the border between the two sides. After a long, hard-fought struggle through the ruined streets, the Death Guard  were able to drive the loyalists north out of the now-destroyed city. Once they had lost the city, the White Scars fell back before the Death Guard advance and lured their forward forces into a trap. Thanks to some unexpected assistance from a small band of Imperial Fists, the loyalists cut off the traitor vanguard and captured their commander, Praetor Wolfgang. But a daring rescue mission performed by a small band of Death Guard freed Wolfgang and returned him to his army in time to lead his men against the imminent attack by the White Scars.

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"Sir, you have returned! By Mortarion himself, it is damn good to see you." Consul Heynrich saluted.

"The enemy are already upon us. What is the status of our positions?" barked Praetor Wolfgang, stomping into the command tent, clad once again in massive tactical dreadnought armor.

"Sir, the enemy is engaged all along our lines. We are spread thin trying to protect our flanks on this open plateau against their Outriders. But we are well positioned, my lord. Our reports tell us their main attack is coming against our left flank, led by Praetor Zherdan himself. I have already sent all reserves to strengthen our positions there. We will have the numbers to throw them back and we will emerge victorious." 

"Fool," spat Wolfgang. "That is a feint. Those riders will disappear into the dust as soon as you engage them in force. The key to the battle hinges on the abandoned outpost here." Wolfgang's armored finger stabbed the holomap. "It is the only tenable position on this plateau we can hold for long against their mobility without our lines being spread apart and our units picked off. Zherdan knows it, so he makes a show of force to the west to draw away our reserves."

Wolfgang glanced around. "Give me every man you have left in camp. Albrecht, bring Squad Ritter and move out on my command. They shall feel the wrath and vengeance of the Death Guard, and see it is like nothing they have ever known."

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PRE-GAME AND MISSION:

We played the Onslaught mission from both Horus Heresy Book One and Book Six using the Clash of the Line deployment (opposing triangles on the short edges) to really represent the spear tips of two armies crashing together and trying to break through this key location. Onslaught is an aggressive mission that awards VPs for enemy units killed in the first turn and controlling your tactical objective in the enemy's deployment zone at the end of the game. Secondary objectives are Slay the Warlord and Attrition, which awards an extra VP to the army that destroyed the most enemy units. We also added a scenario rule of having a random level of dust storm each turn, with a range of effects such as limiting visibility, causing pinning, impacting reserves and deep striking, and more. With only Troops able to capture the objectives, neither side could afford to sit still and not advance aggressively.

Pete won the roll to select his deployment zone. Phil won the roll to go first and elected to do so.

ARMY SELECTION: 1100 Points

Death Guard - Pete

• Praetor Wolfgang: Terminator armor, Paragon Blade, volkite charger, digilasers
• Apothecary Wilhelm
• Tactical Squad Stärke: 14 marines with close combat weapons, sergeant with power fist and artificer armor
• Tactical Squad Ritter: 10 marines with close combat weapons, sergeant with power fist and artificer armor, rhino with heavy flamer
• Tactical Support Squad März: 7 marines with volkite calivers
• Heavy Support Squad Tragen: 3 marines with missile launchers
• Contemptor Dreadnought Friedrich:  multi-melta, meltagun, dreadnought close combat weapon

White Scars - Phil

White Scars, Brotherhood of the Wind

• Centurion Kuyuk: Power glaive, bolter, refractor field
• Tactical Squad Kheeg: 10 marines with close combat weapons, sergeant with power glaive and artificer armor
• Tactical Support Squad Khoer: 5 marines with plasma guns
• Legion Outrider Squad Anchin: 3 bikes with twin-linked plasma guns, sergeant
• Sicaran Omega Tank Destroyer: Omega Plasma Array, heavy bolter and lascannon sponsons

Imperial Fists, Boarding Party

• Terminator Squad: Plasma blaster, volkite charger, two power fists, chainfist, lighting claws

BATTLE:

The front lines of the two forces engage each other in the badlands of the Vaalbara Plateau near a deserted outpost that forms the only defensible position in the area. 

The armies clash along a wide front, but the crux of the battle swings around this outpost as an anchor for the rest of the conflict. Whichever side can break through at this key point will sway the entire battle for their side.

Horus Heresy Battle Report 7: The Extraction

"What of honor? What of glory? The only glory is victory; the only dishonor, defeat. Honor without victory is worthless. The methods of war matter not, only that my foes are dead while I yet fight."

 - Sergeant Albrecht, leader of Kill Team Ritter,
Death Guard Legion

Campaign To Date:

The planet of Xhorik Prime is engulfed in civil war as two rival blocs of nations, only united during the Great Crusade, now align themselves with opposing sides in the Horus Heresy. Falling directly in the path of Horus' long march to Terra, an advance force of Death Guard has been tasked with bringing the Xhorik System into compliance so that the main war host can safely resupply and move on quickly. Standing in the way to control of the main planet is a small garrison of White Scars and their Kozar military allies, their sworn brothers.

The early stages of the conflict centered around the Battle for Bielyr, a major city on the border between the two sides. After a long, hard-fought struggle through the ruined streets, the Death Guard were able to drive the loyalists north out of the now-destroyed city. Once they had lost the city, the White Scars fell back before the Death Guard advance and lured their forward forces into a trap. Thanks to some unexpected assistance from a small band of Imperial Fists, they cut off the traitor vanguard and captured their commander, Praetor Wolfgang.

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Korab squinted into the setting sun, but with the dust, the glare and the fading light, it was as useless as peering into thick fog. As the sun sank below the horizon, he could feel the temperature dropping, seemingly by the minute. For hours he had endured the blazing heat and now he only had a moment to enjoy the coolness before the wind started to chill him through his sweat-soaked uniform. But that was life on Second Duty: sweat for hours and then freeze until Third Duty relieved him. Korab gave up staring into the setting sun as his comm link blinked, notifying him that he was due to report. 

"Patrol oh-six checking in. Western perimeter clear. Over." 

'As if I had any idea what's more than 50 feet in front of my face...', he thought. 

He knew they had the auto-sensor perimeter nodes lined up around the entire outpost. 'So what is the point of all this endless partolling around out here in the damned wind all damn day like this?' He looked around at his patrol;  Jori and Orik were trying to stand downwind of one of the storage tanks of the processing facility they had re-purposed as a makeshift outpost. Korab gave the hand signal to move on and started toward the pumping station. When the wind picked up at dusk like this, he knew he would either have to shout to be heard or use the comm link, which needed to stay clear for official reports only, so they had gotten used to communicating non-verbally.

"Patrol oh-one checking in. Northern perimeter clear. Weather conditions just beee-autiful," came a voice over the comm link, slightly broken up by static. Korab grinned at Tomor's sarcasm even as he shivered; the temperature was dropping fast now that the sun was all but gone. All that remained was a reddish glow reflected by the clouds of dust. 

Korab turned his head to the left as we walked. He noticed a large shape materializing out of the darkening swirling dust. Panic gripped him as he reached for the comm link button. The shape moved at unexpected speed. As he reached the button, a large blade was driven straight through his throat. Korab tried to scream, but all that came out was a wheeze as his hand fell away from the comm unit and he collapsed in the dust. 

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PRE-GAME AND MISSION:

To represent a small team of Death Guard sneaking into the Loyalist outpost, we decided to use the Kill Team rules from Horus Heresy Book Six, but we used the original set from the 40k 4th Edition Rulebook where the defender had Brute squads to make it easier to manage the large number of infantry. For anyone not familiar, the sentries start unaware with only a random chance for the Defender to control them, but as the Attacker makes noise, Klaxon counters are accrued and the sentries are increasingly likely to investigate. We also made a slight change that if the attacker charged from outside the sentries' spotting distance and wiped out the Brute squad in the first round, they were considered to have been killed before they could shout out or raise the alarm, so the Defender would not accrue a Klaxon counter.


BATTLE:

View of the Loyalist outpost from the west. 

As an industrial facility without many options for securing prisoners, Wolfgang was housed in the empty processing chamber on the upper level.  

Horus Heresy Battle Report 6: Ambush!

"Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack."

Zalitai Zherdan, Praetor of the Brotherhood of the Wind, 

when asked about preparations for the Death Guard advance

Campaign To Date:
It is the middle of the Age of Darkness, as the Warmaster Horus makes his long march toward Terra, leaving shattered star systems in his wake. Lying in the path of the traitors' advance, the planet of Xhorik Prime is torn apart in civil war after only recently being united in the Great Crusade. The largest nation, The Federation of Unimund declare for the Warmaster and Mortarian as their living gods and liberators, while their ancient rivals to the north, the stratocracy of Kozar and her allies, side with their kindred spirits and sworn blood brothers, the White Scars.

The first few weeks of the conflict centered around the battle for the border city of Bielyr, which quickly degenerated into small, isolated infantry detachments engaging in desperate close quarters street fighting. In the tight confines of the ruined city, the Death Guard proved their mettle as their Eradication Teams systematically killed and drove back the over-matched loyalist forces of White Scars Astartes and Imperial Army Auxilia street by bloody street, block by ruined block. The only victory for the loyalists came in the form of a daring raid behind enemy lines south of Bielyr to destroy a fuel plant, thus delaying the Death Guard heavy armor from arriving to the battle zone and allowing the remainder of the loyalist forces to fall back from the city before the unrelenting Death Guard advance.

Praetor Wolfgang of the Death Guard left the final mopping up and garrison duty in Bielyr to his reserves as he pushed on northward after the fleeing White Scars, looking to crush his enemies before they could regroup and be reinforced.

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The bitter eastern winds brought clouds of grey dust down from the distant mountains, scouring the vast sheet of bare volcanic rock known as the Vaalbara Plateau. Somehow, scattered clusters of tough, stunted plants clung tenaciously to the rock, their  sharply spiked forms testament to the unforgiving environment. The Death Guard detachment pressed on in their northerly march, restlessly pursuing the fleeing White Scars and Kozar Army regiments. 

Through the swirling clouds of dust and sand, Praetor Wolfgang spotted the silhouette of the mining and processing outpost that, according to his scouts, the fleeing loyalist forces were using as a rallying point. Wolfgang had taken Bielyr through the single-minded application of  calculated logical maneuvers, executed by his men without any thought of individual safety or glory. Acting as a single vast machine with a multitude of parts, the Death Guard marines each knew their role and carried it out, no matter the cost; death was no excuse for failure. And now Wolfgang calculated that the logical result of the pursuit was that the loyalists would dig in at the only defensible location in the vicinity, surrounded as it was by a vast, bare plateau. He computed that the resistance would be fierce and there would be many casualties among his forces, but the inevitable result would be victory for the superior forces of the Death Guard, especially if he could hit them quickly and under the cover of the dust storm before they had a chance to fully fortify their position. 

The shrieking black wind abetted somewhat as the column entered the cluster of processing stations and administrative buildings, intending to strike the final blow through the heart of the enemy division.  Wolfgang and many of his men dismounted from their transports, ready for the dangerous door-to-door fighting through the facility that they expected. But as they advanced into the outpost without resistance, Wolfgang realized it wasn't just due to the cover of the dust storm as he initially thought; there was no one here. Instincts honed over hundreds of campaigns immediately told him to fall back. His scouts had been deceived. 

But the moment he began giving the order, an eruption of plasma and missile strikes broke out all around him and the lead elements of the column. Deafening explosions burst nearby with such force that Wolfgang felt them deep in his core rather than heard them. Through the smoke and flames, he saw the hated enemy advancing from all sides. Surrounded and heavily outnumbered, he knew he could not win this fight. He had no fear of death and knew he would take many foes with him if he stood and fought to the end. But his orders were to achieve victory and deliver Xhorik Prime to the advancing traitor army, not to die here. Lifting his ancient blade, he called out to the scattered survivors, "To me! To me! Forward, for the Death Lord! For Barbarus!" Gathering a small band of survivors, he prepared to break through the encirclement and only then, with unrelenting hatred, take his vengeance on his enemies, whether it take a day, a month or a hundred years. 

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PRE-GAME AND MISSION:

Since we had more painted loyalists and traitors, we decided to play the mission Between the Hammer and the Anvil from Horus Heresy Book Six. Pete (the traitors) would get victory points for each unit that escaped the table and Phil (loyalists) would earn victory points for each traitor unit destroyed.


BATTLE:

The Death Guard have pursued the fleeing loyalists to this mining and processing outpost on the Vaalbara Plateau. 

The outpost is an industrial and administrative center surrounded by barren rock and stunted, spiked trees. 

Shadow War Armageddon Industrial Terrain Painted

I finally got around to painting my Shadow War Armageddon terrain. There are a couple of homemade pieces in there to extend how far the plastic kits go (Pringles canister off on the right and peanut canister under the large central platform). I also plan to use my pumping station with this since I built the platform to match the height, but it didn't get in the picture because it is still over at Pete's from our last game.

I tried to keep it simple, but it was still a long job just because there is so much surface area. All the paints except the Typhus Corrosion and washes were cheap craft store paints. Recipe was black primer, heavy drybrush dark grey, drybrush medium gray, then a wash with a mix of Agrax/Nuln oil, light drybrush of light grey, then primarily Typhus Corrosion for the grime and weathering. I wanted it to be quick and look decent and to stay in the background without overpowering the models as the center of attention on the battlefield. I think this recipe gets the mix right.

It looks like I need to add a few more of the clip-on wall/fences for cover in a few more places. Eventually, I would like to add more to it until we have enough to play a game using the Zone Mortalis rules on this terrain.

Drop Troops - New Additions and Full Army Recap

After buying the Imperialis Militias and Cults army list, I realized I was going to need a lot more men to make my units legal for Horus Heresy. So I painted up enough riflemen to give me a full squad of 20, plus a few medics to add into my units as needed. Here are the new models and a look at the full army so far. It just needs a commander to be FOC-legal for Horus Heresy or 40k.

First up, some converted Auxilia Medicae. Grav-chute strikes are extremely dangerous so these guys will be in high demand and given no shortage of opportunities to apply their arts.

Imperial Reinforcements

After numerous stinging defeats at the hands of the traitors, a call for Imperial reinforcements has been answered by an elite strike force of Imperial Fists, led by Sergeant Darius Faulk.

Horus Heresy Battle Report 5: The Onslaught Continues

PRE GAME AND MISSION:

We used our custom mission cards and each drew a random, secret mission. For a list of the missions, see the previous battle report.

Pete drew Take and Hold. After putting back his first choice, Phil drew Assassinate and had to play it face up.

Rolling for the shape of the deployment zones yielded opposing corners. Phil won the roll to choose his deployment zone and chose the southwestern corner. Pete won the roll to go first and chose to deploy and go second.

View of the battlefield from the south. 

Drop Sentinels

The Xhorik 87th Drop Troops Regiment is finally getting some heavy support - relatively speaking, of course...

Drop sentinels of the Xhorik 87th. They have been in a field for a good while, picking up some dust and grime.

Drop Troops Provenance of War - Draft Rules

I'd like to be able to use my drop troops in our games of Horus Heresy. It seems the closest army list is the Imperialis Militia and Cults, as the Solar Auxilia is a bit too elite and has a very distinct fighting style built in to their rules. The Militia list allows for quite a bit of customization through the Provenances of War, but none of them really fit a drop troop army so I thought I would take a stab at making my own.


Drop Troopers................................+50 points

Unlike most Imperialis Militias and Cults, a drop troopers army is made up of highly-trained professional soldiers in a permanent state of combat readiness. They are an airborne force that trades heavy armor for mobility. They have no use for any equipment that cannot be transported by a Valkyire.

All units consisting entirely of Infantry gain Deep Strike.
Option - Sentinel units can gain Deep Strike for +50 points per unit.
Option - Grenadiers and Platoon Command Cadres can take a Valkyrie as a dedicated transport as long as they number 12 or less.

Cannot be combined with Cult Horde, Tainted Flesh, or Abhuman Helots.

Legion Fellblade Super Heavy Tank

I've uploaded a few pics of the newest (and biggest) addition to our Horus Heresy campaign - a Legion Fellblade super heavy tank. I've had my eye on this behemoth for the past year and I'm incredibly excited to have it assembled and ready for painting. As with any large resin model from Forgeworld, it was a complicated and frustrating build that took 10+ hours to complete. Each piece of resin must be cut (sometimes sawed) away from the sprue, excess resin scrapped away, washed with soap and water, heated and re-molded, cracks and holes filled in with green stuff, and then assembled.

This Fellblade should give my brother and I a centerpiece for our biggest battles and a powerful Lord of War choice that entire missions and scenarios can be crafted around. A model like this really elevates the games it is a part of beyond some periphery skirmish - this is now the epicenter of the battle or campaign. And by rule it has to be more than a skirmish, as the LoW choice can only make up 25% of your force's total points. So except for special missions Phil and I craft around this Fellblade that are more in the realm of narrative play, this tank will only be allowed in games of 2,400 pts. and more.

I really felt that this model "fit" with my Death Guard army I'm building. Slow and intractable, heavy firepower, intimidating - it makes sense that my legion would make use of a tank like this as it fits the tactics and personality of the army perfectly. Other Super Heavies may have more advanced weaponry and are perhaps better overall, but they don't fit a Death Guard army like the Fellblade with its old school tank look, its massive turret cannon and brutal demolisher for close encounters.

At the end of the pictures you'll find a size comparison between the Fellblade, a rhino and a space marine. This sucker is big!