Apocalpyse Battle 1 - "Blackstone Island"

Upon arrival at Agrona, the Imperial fleet had seen that they were too late. Approximately twenty Chaos warships of various classes were already in orbit around the target planet. Sensor arrays and magna-optics revealed that heretics were already sending streams of landing craft to the surface. There wasn't any time to lose. Ship Captains immediately gave orders to engage the enemy. As both fleets closed the distance and fired upon each other, the Imperial ships launched their own heavy landers toward the surface.

Planet fall was a disaster. Many landers were blown apart by enemy fighters or crushed against Agrona's debris field. However, the Imperial forces endured the casualties. Securing key ground objectives before the heretics was of vital importance. The first wave of landers suffered approximately fourty-five percent loss of troops and equipment.

Once on the ground, the Imperium gathered as many remaining survivors as they could. Various forces were able to move toward objectives immediately and some were still trying to reorganize themselves. Due to the high level of experience the Adeptus Astartes possess, their planet fall did not suffer as many losses as other Imperial forces.

Forces available for immediate action:


Objective A "Blackstone Island"
Black Widows - Adeptus Sororitas
Dark Angels - Adeptus Astartes
Ebon Sun - Adeptus Astartes

Objective B "Howling City"
Cadian 110th Shadow Corps - Imperial Guard
Dark Angels - Adeptus Astartes
Ebon Sun - Adeptus Astartes
Ultramarines - Adeptus Astartes

Forces regrouping or redeploying:

Landing Zones 11, 18, 26
Azurite Order - Adeptus Sororitas
Cadian 420th Red Eye Crusaders (inducted into service by Inquisitor Cazares) - Imperial Guard
Death Korps of Krieg 121st - Imperial Guard

Forces currently unaccounted for:

Unknown Status and Locations
Death Korps of Krieg 112th (inducted by special Ordo Malleus psyker team Zwyer's Choir) -Imperial Guard
Storm Dragons Reconnaissance Team - Adeptus Astartes

Since the battle had begun immediately upon arrival at Agrona, the various leaders of the tactical council had very little time to plan a proper landing operation. Hurried discussions were based off visual images spied from orbit between torpedo volleys. One image showed an island that was dominated by several districts of industrial factories and similar facilities. The structures were of Imperial design. Agrona had clearly been an established colony at some point in the distant past. Considering the estimated length of time that had passed since last any Imperial ship had visited the world it was highly likely that any of the machinery were still operational.

Before the island was dismissed, an Adeptus Mechanicus representative recognized the era of construction of the facilities and noted that, despite the gulf of time, any of the power plants underground would still be quite usable. If his adepts were allowed to gain access, they could awaken the dormant machines. It was then decided that the island would be an excellent location for landing operations and resupply. If brought back to operational status, the power plants there could provide a source for fuel and other resources on the surface. This would be an important asset due to the councils growing doubts on how reliable actual shuttle supply runs would be through Agrona's debris field.


There were to be two primary objectives. The industrial island (nicknamed Blackstone due to how dark the island looked from orbit) and another location that looked like it was once the capitol city. Upon rallying on the surface, detachments from the Dark Angel Marines and the Ebon Sun Marines split their forces in two. One group would participate on the securing of the capitol city and the second group would join with the Black Widow Sisters and move toward Blackstone Island. Upon moving onto the island, forward scouts spotted a tall cylindrical structure amongst the ruins. It seemed to be an access shaft that would lead down to the island's power plant below ground. This became a high priority target.

As the Imperial forces closed in on their objective, the air was suddenly filled with a cacophony of noise that sounded simultaneously like the roaring of broken engines and thousands of tortured screams. As the noise rose, a dust cloud appeared on the horizon. The Imperial forces were given orders to halt and take cover. As the cloud drew closer, random pulses of ghostly light flickered inside. Suddenly a shock wave of psychic energy erupted from the cloud and washed over the Imperial lines. Astartes and Sororitas Sisters alike were momentarily stunned as sensations of agonizing death and deep despair assaulted their minds.

Due to the mental fortitude of both the Astartes and the Sororitas, the psychic shock wave did not have a lasting effect. However, it bought the forces of Chaos enough time to charge out of the mysterious cloud and close the distance.

Apocalypse Battle "Blackstone Island"

Points: Approximately 3500 per side

Heavy losses on the left flank as the Dark Angels took the brunt of fire from the Iron Warriors. Even though Chaos was inflicting heavy losses on the left, their advance was stalled once a trio of Penitent Engines charged into their lines to make a mess of things. In combination with support fire from Space Marine Land Raiders and Imperial Guard Leman Russ Tanks, the Chaos left flank did not advance past Objective 2. Realizing this, Chaos units pulled back to Objective 1 to claim it. While that was being done, other units moved onto Objective 2. However, despite taking heavy casualties, the last survivors of a Sororitas unit moved close enough to the Teleport Pad to contest it.

Meanwhile in the center field, a Chaos Havoc squad failed to do any meaningful damage to the advancing Imperial war machines. A nearby squad of Chaos Marines move to the right to help claim Objective 5 once a squad of Deathwing Terminators teleported into the back field and started to move toward it. The Terminators inflicted heavy casualties and got close enough to contest the Chaos Obelisk with the remaining enemy models nearby.

On the right flank, things were looking grim for the Imperials as there was still a Greater Daemon (no model was available so an Eldar Avatar was used as a "counts as"), Daemon Prince, and an Iron Warriors Chaos Lord in the process of finishing up the last of the Imperial Guard Sentinels. Then, afterward they would move to help out the Death Mage Sorcerer and his host of Chaos Bikers that were still mixing it up with the remaining Ebon Sun Marines at the base of Objective 6. However, time ran out and the Elevator Access Tower was contested.

On the north end of the battle zone, the Imperials managed to push off the Chaos Chosen team that had infiltrated into the far back field to grab Objective 4. At the last moment, an Ebon Sun Predator Tank gunned its engines and got close enough to grab the objective.

"Blackstone Island" final scores:

Chaos: 1 Objective (Ruins)

Imperials: 2 Objectives (Surveyor Equipment, Sacred Fountain)

Number of objectives scored in this Apocalypse Battle are added to the score of the second battle for the capitol city (aka "The Howling City"). The total of both battles will determine the winning side. Winners will be able to choose their starting locations on the campaign map first. Losers pick second.

Agrona

The Gate to Gortuloth Campaign takes place on Agrona, a planet far out past the Eastern Fringe. Agrona's star system is very close to the Hadex Anomaly and its abnormal temporal effects. Imperial scholars theorize that the proximity to Hadex and its mysterious energies has contributed to Agrona's isolation.

As you approach Agrona, the first thing you'll notice is the odd asteroid field surrounding the planet. These asteroids are composed of a type of crystal unknown to Imperial tech adepts. To take up positions in high orbit, fleet ships would have to be on constant alert for shifting patterns in the asteroid field. A difficult task in itself for even experienced fleet crews. Added on top of the dangers of collision, the asteroids have another element of peril. At unpredictable times, immense arcs of energy lash out between random pairs of asteroids. The first Imperial vessel to get caught between an energy arc was severely damaged. It is assumed that ships belonging to the heretics met with similar results. Initial studies involving the asteroids have pointed to evidence that show them as fragments of what was once a larger xenos construct. The original purpose of this construct remains unknown.

Due to the hazards of maintaining close orbit, ships of both the Imperial and Chaos fleet are not able to provide reliable support to their own ground forces. Availability of orbital bombardments are rare and supply runs are difficult to coordinate.

The Gate to Gortuloth Campaign

The last blood soaked campaign played by the Misguided League Bowlers has been over for a few months now. I think we've given enough time for our wounds to have healed don't you? So dust off your weapons and armor, you're being sent to the front lines again.

The Story

As it is with most approaching disasters, there will be warning signs. Unfortunately they are usually too small to notice.

While raiding a small coven of heretics, the Inquisition found things they did not fully understand. Agents were then ordered to investigate further. So they delved deeper into the cult's plans, followed several trails of seditious activity, examined dozens of clues, and interrogated hundreds of suspects. Finally, at the end of a long investigation, the entirety of the plot was unveiled.

For hundreds of years, the followers of Chaos have been searching for a planet not located on any known star chart. Their sorcerers had come across an artifact that originated from that lost world and performed several rituals upon it. Through their psychic divinations they learned of the events that took place there. The planet once belonged to an ancient xenos race that waged war with a daemon of immense power. The conflict lasted for many ages. Each time the daemon was slain, it's essence returned to the warp to recover. Once fully healed, the daemon would push into their realm again and inflict suffering on their people. In the end, this mysterious race was able to defeat the daemon by imprisoning it on their home world. Within that prison, the daemon could not walk upon the real world or return to the warp.

Hundreds of millennia later, the indigenous civilization now long gone, the daemon still remains trapped on the planet. The forces of Chaos have been gathering together. They plan to travel to the forgotten planet and free the daemon. The Imperium must respond and put an end to their dark plans..

"The Gate to Gortuloth" is the name of the new team based campaign that we'll be playing. Players will divide up into two separate teams. On one side, the armies of the Imperium, and on the other, the corrupted legions of Chaos. It is a map based campaign that takes place on the surface of the planet Agrona. Each team wages war to keep territories that contain ancient xenos ruins for study. The more territories (with xenos ruins) that a team holds, the more artifacts the team can unearth and study. Once a team has enough artifacts, they can decipher the mystery of the gate and open it.

More on the campaign, the map and all the rules to be posted soon. In the meantime, gather your forces, pick your teams, and get ready for war!

What is Hammer to the Face?

This blog will be where I cover our club's wargaming activities and other related table top geekness. At the moment, we are primarily playing Games Workshop's "Warhammer 40,000". Most of the posts here will be about 40k. As time goes, I will be posting army features for each of the players as well as the occasional battle report. Players will be able to visit the blog and view each other's miniatures, their army lists, and read bat reps to see what kind of tactics they are currently using.

For you other 40k fans outside the gaming club, I hope the blog can at least provide some decent reading content. I'm not planning on trying anything on the scale that the awesome folks at "Bell of Lost Souls" are doing. I'll simply just be covering the shenanigans of our gaming group. Welcome to "Hammer to the Face!"