BFG: Siege of Corilia, Prelude

The Astropath Primaris had been in a trance for some minutes. Undisturbed as he was, he travelled through the Void, seeking any vision, an echo, anything that would reveal a sign in the future. Dum, dum, dum, bright and vibrant. Then he suddenly opened his eyes. "I sense great danger, something is approaching fast through the Ghoul Stars Nebula."
He need not say anything else. Messengers were quickly dispatched. General Staff arranged meetings. Planetary Militia started mobilizing. Orbital stations were put on high alert. Sector Fleet Command issued a concentration Primary Order.
There could be only one to emerge from the Ghoul Stars. The planet was in the path of a Waagh Fleet.

Planet Corilia is an important cog in the general defence planning of Subsector Cydonia. Numerous ore mines produce high quality resources for the various manufactorums, their chimneys never ceasing to spew combustion gases. Promethium is flowing from derricks near Hive Primaris, its volumes so great that it has created an artificial lake, waiting to be used or transported elsewhere. Four perimetrical hive cities provide the needed labour for the adjacent facilities, while the vast Hive Primaris is the seat of government and administration, as well as general coordination of production, logistics and surface defences. Each defence sector is served and secured by an orbital base, where fleet maintainance is performed.
Any attacker will have to get through the starports' defences before dropping troops on the surface, where six regiments of the local Imperial Guard are waiting in prepared positions.

Campaign Forces:

Battleforce Ignus

Emperor class Battleship			Deliverance	365
Vengeance class Grand Cruiser			Venerable	230
Mars class Cruiser			Colossus	260
Jovian class (carrier) Cruiser			Basilisk	260
Tyrant class Cruiser			Ardent	180
Tyrant class Cruiser			Apollo	180
Tyrant class Cruiser			Neptune	180
Lunar class Crusier			Fury	180
Lunar class Crusier			Cavalier	180
Lunar class Crusier			Reaper	180
Lunar class Crusier			Tracker	180
Dauntless class Light Cruiser			Hound	110
Dauntless class Light Cruiser			Hunter	110
Escort squadron x12				420
				3015

Waagh Fleet

Space Hulk			Green Haven	550
Hammer class Battlecruiser			Smasha	245
Hammer class Battlecruiser			Crusha	245
4 Roks				320
Smasha Battlegroup
Terror Ship		Nazdreg		175
Terror Ship		Muzgob		175
Terror Ship		Gobbla		175
Terror Ship				175
Terror Ship				175
Kill Kroozer		Bomba		150
3x4 Onslaught (1 destr)				360
3x4 Brute (1 destr)				300
10 Transports
Crusha Battlegroup
Kill Kroozer		Ork Royal		150
Kill Kroozer		Splitta		150
Kill Kroozer		Krooza		150
Terror Ship		Marauder		175
Terror Ship		Da Green Baron		175
Basha Light Kroozer		Runt		90
Basha Light Kroozer		Sneaky		90
Basha Light Kroozer		Hunta		90
Basha Light Kroozer		Rusty		90
3x4 Brute				300
3x4 Onslaught				360
3x3 Grunt				270
10 Transports
				5135

First contact was made. Three Lunar class Cruisers responding to the Concentration order encountered a small Ork raider warband. After an intense battle, the raiders were annihilated (2 terror ships, 4 Brutes, 4 Onslaughts) while the Navy had a cruiser crippled (Tracker) and minor damage to the others. The victorious squardon made haste towards their spaceport.
Captain Stradden reports:

When they spotted us, they poured towards us, ever-thirsty for battle, as anyone would expect from the accursed Orks. Their morale was high. My squadron engaged them following the Navy's standard procedures, scattering their escorts with a combined salvo of MK-IV torpedoes, then opening at the Terror ships with the broadside batteries. Forwarding tactical conclusions to Fleet Command: Their battle-lust keeps until they are half-beaten. They then turn tail as any other worthless xeno in the universe. Ork coordination seems to be lacking, attack-craft launch times varied wildly and their formations are inflexible. Our lack of anti-aircraft protection proved costly.

 

FOW Armored Clash

FOW Resurrection..
Summer 1944, the Allies are pushing through the Cotentin Peninsula. A company of the US 2nd Armored is tasked with capturing a small but tactically significant village. What a coincidence, elements of a german Panzer division are closing to secure the crossroads.
Due to lack of space, the table was 4x3, reducing the possibilities of flanking maneuvers (or leading to that soft side 5 of a panther)
US Tank Co. (Turning Tide)
HQ -  2 Sherman
M32 TRV
4 M4 Shermans
4 M4(76mm) Shermans
Tank Destroyer Platoon (4 M10)
Rifle Platoon (3 squads)
Arm. Field Artillery Platoon (3xPriests)

Panzer Kompanie (Earth & Steel, but swapping PzIVs to StugIVs)
HQ - 2 StugIV
3 StugIV
3 PanzerIV
3 Panthers
Heavy AA Platoon (2x88s with extra crew)
Mot. Artillery Platoon (4x10,5 guns)

German Deployment (back row:Artillery-AA. Front: PzIV, Panthers, StugIV, CO-2iC between the units)

US Deployment (Infantry and M4s to the left, Priests to the rear, M4(76) and TDs to the right)

 2 Objectives are placed mid-table, to be captured past 3rd turn, mobile battle, prepared positions Rules.

Turn1
The Germans get the first turn and surge forward. Narrow lanes prevent direct shots, but the Panzers will be in stationary positions when the Americans make their move.
On the US turn, the left forces apply pressure to the opposite Stug platoon, infantry wades through the shallow river, while the tank platoon climbs the bridge and prepares for some stabilized shots. TDs cross the enclosed field ready to bring the M10s forth nexdt turn, while the 76mm Shermans move to target the PzIVs. All US shooting is completely ineffective, missing or bouncing against enemy armor. The Priests manage a ToT bombardment on the Stugs, but the enemies save. They should prepare for some serious pain..
Turn2
Except some minor moves, German armor, arty and 88s unleash hell against the Yanks. But this is when US Veteran rating pays out.. Panthers, PzIVs and Stug 2iC fail to hit the 76mm-Shermans, while on the bridge the combined fire of Stugs and 88s manages 5 bail-outs, and not a single burning Sherman! Asserting the situation, German artillery ranges on the advancing infantry and bridge-Shermans, but only kills the M32 TRV...

Turn2, an unsuccessful shooting phase for the Germans. (Poor recovery vehicle..)

During the US 2nd turn all hell breaks loose. CnC remounts and helps all other Shermans bail-in, what a Commander! The TDs are brought forth and brace the hedgerows, Infantry advances, confident that the opponent's tanks face more immediate threats rather than MG-ing them.
The 2iC throws a smoke-screen against a Panther. 76mm fire only bails a PzIV, but TD shots destroy the remaining 2 PzIVs of the platoon. On the lower part of the map, 75mm fire destroys one Stug and bails the other 2, forcing the German CO to take a risky decision. The northern PzIV platoon fails the test and flees. So does the southern Stug platoon. Their adjacent Commander, not wanting to be left with only 3 Panthers, joins them for a re-roll, but fails. The German force is left with only the Panther platoon as an offensive unit, and pulls the plug.
6-1 to the Americans
(It could be 5-2, if the Panthers did something on their next turn, but judging from their general performance.. next time Fritz! )

End Game.. A moment before the 2 German platoons fail their motivation and leg it

40K Campaign - The Battle for Rozak - Turn 1

TURN 1 (Battles fought throughout 2012)

Strategic Map- Orbital and Land Operations - Turn 1

After an inconclusive engagement between the two fleets, the Imperial navy landed their troops, deploying the Mechanized Command in LZ 1, the Airlanding Command in the LZ 3, while the Salamander elements secured the LZ 2. A landing force was fragile and disorganised until it achieved cohesion, but the Shas'O knew that the Landing Zones were supported and dominated by Imperial Air power, whose strafing runs were rightly feared. Not having the numbers to withstand such bloodbath, Lanc'el ordered his troops to wait and ambush the enemy in other spots. But the impetuous garrison of Port Rozak, reinforced by a volunteer regiment of the city's lower classes, set out to the nearing LZ 1, and attacked massively against the planetstriking Imperials, ignoring the SHas'O's orders. If the attack succeeded, the LZ would be abandoned, and the Mech Command's stragglers would retreat to the hill "Point Zero" (16) where they would make a last stand. Rozakian infantry and militia set out to capture the zone's objective, but they were met with stiff resistance by a wall of chimeras and hellhounds, and volleys of Imperial squads that were just deepstriking all around them. Imperial fighters were strafing the rebels from the onset of the battle, and the attack ultimately failed, thus securing the LZ for the Imperium and giving them the battle initiative to attack either Port Rozak and the Starport to the south or the strategic Riverland Bridge (13) to the east.

The Airlanding Command landed in LZ 3 unopposed. Opting for a quicker assault against the Capital, they did not seize the Mining Facilities (6), instead dashed forward to engage the Strongpoint (8) guarding the pass to the Capital. But when they crossed the Rockmount Canyon (7), the Tau sprung their trap. Well hidden and determined, the Tau forces had the Imperials surrounded before opening fire. Railguns and missiles downed one Valkyrie after another, while Crisis suits descended upon the ground forces, ripping open the Chimeras, burning guardsmen screaming out and dying. The intervention of Imperial Spec-ops did not remedy the situation, and the forward element of the Airlanding Command was shattered, giving the Tau and their Allies their first victory.

The aggressive nature and the recklessness of the Salamanders paid out greatly, since not only did they secure their LZ, but they immediately mounted a drop-pod assault operation against the Governor's Mansion. A successful 4+ roll resulted in the Governor actually being in the estate at the time of the attack, and the Tau bodyguard force had to hold for 6 turns to successfully evecuate him. The Drop Pods landed in point blank to the estates fortifications, Salamanders pouring firey death and hot melta upon the Fire Warriors posted there. Responding to the emergency signal, Crisis suit teams deep striked into the fray, gunning down power-armored foes, and dying in the process. In the end, the Tau force not being able to effectively engage in long range firefight, cornered from the first moment by the Emperor's Finest, was completely wiped out, the Planetary Governor captured and summarily executed for high treason and Heresy. (The failure to protect the Governor was corrosive to the Rebels' morale. From now on, every Rozak Guard unit not accompanied by a Commissar or a Senior Officer suffers a -1 to its Ld checks)

40K Campaign - The Battle for Rozak - Prelude

Rozak System, Eastern Fringe, M41.972

General Geographic Notes: Rozak System includes 4 planets, but due to extreme climate conditions only Rozak Prime is inhabited. The Planet is almost entirely covered by water, hiding significant quantities of oil in its depths. Although it would seem absurd to use ships in the 40th millenia, it was the most cost-effective way of transporting oil from the mid-ocean wells to Rozak Port's refineries. Also, Rozak mines to the south, produce the much wanted metals, vital to the planetary economy. The Hive City itself, flanked by impenetrable jungle and highland plateaus, is fortified against land and air threats. The population was fed by the fertile plains near the single river, although during the last months those lands were giving way to an arid wasteland, growing at a strange rate.


During the 4th Sphere of the Tau expansion, the Rozak Planetary system was included to the Tau's ambitious expansionism. The close proximity to the Tau Dominion, the vast distance from Holy Terra and the negotiation skills of the Water Caste's diplomats, all resulted in a swift and bloodless secession to the Greater Good.
The population, disgruntled by high Imperial taxation, greeted their new allies fervently. But fearing the immediate Imperial retribution, the planetary High Governor pleaded the Tau for military assistance. Indeed, part of the Tau fleet remained in orbit and landed mobile formations on key points of the surface.

Commander of the Fire Caste Cadre was the Shas'O Lanc'el'Ot, a skilled leader that quickly assessed the situation and concluded that:
Rozak Prime (Capital Hive City), Port and "Defiance" Starport were the key objectives.
Riverland bridge, Strongpoint Alpha and Red Point were local strongpoints that should be manned and held.
Also, due to the flak batteries' dispersion and coverage, three possible landing zones were available (LZ I,II,III).

Strategic Map- Orbital and Land Operations - Prelude

The Imperium's wrath fell upon them earlier than expected. A Cadian expedition, having just quelled a rebelion in a nearby world was ordered to intervene, with one armored and one airlanding formation at 100% readiness. Along them, a Company of the Salamanders Chapter, eager to bring retribution to the hated xenos and their unforgivable human collaborators.

The pieces were set and the conflict was about to begin, but the 40k universe was dark and full of terrors. None had noticed some weird dots in the outer space, a dark omen that would render the humanoids' disputes rather insignificant, in the great scheme of things..

FOW scenery

Scenery time! Let's see what we're fighting on, at 15mm scale. Except the ruined buildings, all others are custom-built, cheap and easy to make.

A bridge crosses the steep river 

Ruined houses (which means I possess two Jagdpanthers! )

A close-up on the last bridge
(that river badly needs some water-effect)

Rural roads

British advancing cautiously

A small hill, wooded patch and swamp (or flooded field)

A standard bunker and an enfilade one

A wannabe Maginot line (minefields, barbed-wire, bunkers)

Breaching. Get'em lads!

Aerial view

ICT IV - part 2

Third Battle was against the Ruinous Powers again, on my first round's battlefield again. Juggerlord and spawn retinue, 2x2 nurgle Obliterators, Sorcerer with cultist blob, another cultist blob, marine warband on Rhino and.. 2 Helldrakes.
The Relic! mission, centered on the middle, Hammer & Anvil deployment. I deployed to punish the enemy contenders, as well as to throw my troops in for a quick grab. The Juggernaught mounted lord was stripped off his retinue easily, but they had transported him safely near my lines (cavalry is really fast! ). Due to sheer bad luck, the Chaos Lord didn't reach my Crisis team Honour Guard and was killed, giving me the upper hand (had he reached me, he would tie and kill my Commander and 3 XV8s). The Chaos scum that grabbed the Relic soon regretted it, killed to a man by hot plasma and powerful pulsefire. Now was my turn to grab the Relic and run towards my lines. Having achieved the secondary objectives of Slain Warlord, Line-Breaker and First Blood, I was confident about the future. Then came the Helldrakes. Diving, grabbing Tau with their talons and roasting others in baleflame, they decimated my infantry, leaving no way to control the Relic. The chance was seized by the Sorcerer, who ordered his cultist rabble forward, entered the building and got hold of this piece of knowledge. They only had to hold for 2-3 rounds, gone to ground inside the building until the game ended or passing it to the fresh cultist squad heading their way. While the Broadsides were at last bringing down both Helldrakes, concentrated fire from 3 vehicles and 7 Crisis Suits eradicated the Sorceror and his retinue, dropping the relic, just as the second cultist squad made contact with them. It was now their turn to taste the Tau firepower.. Electing to GtG, they couldn't move, thus being unable to grab the Relic, standing about an inch near them..
Tau Victory 3-0, though if the Chaos Lord had struck home, it would be really unpleasant for the Greater Good!

Last game of the Tournament was a standard pitched battle with Kill-Points. In the lush jungles of a deathworld, the Tau force made contact with a unholy alliance, Dark Eldar and a Guard detachment!
Due to my little knowledge of DE, I regarded all of them as.. T3 low armored elves with poisonous weapons, long sticks hurt armor and suits badly, leaders are unkillable frenzy machines. The DE list was ill-suited for KP missions, having 2-3 3-man squads and fragile vehicles. His assault units advanced, duke Sliscus and his wyches aboard a Raider dashed forward, hoping to withstand enemy fire and engage in "child's play" melee wiht the Tau. Their transport went down first, then the frustrated passengers were marked by the pathfinders, stripped of their cover and cut to pieces. On the other flank, the numbers of the Guard infantry were winning the gunfight, and outflanking kroot were ordered to intervene. Achieving light damage, they were the only kill point to yield. All along the battlefield, Crisis suits were assuming aggressive stance, closing into rapid-fire distance, pounding the GtG aliens, then Jump-packing back to safety. The Dark Eldar were trying to grab easy kill-points, Dark Lances seeking Tau vehicle armor plates. Due to the Disruption Pods, their accurate and powerful shots only immobilised one Devilfish. Owing to my Warlord's trait, the flying squadron of 2 Vendettas arrived on the last game turn, shooting once, doing nothing (disruption pods again! ). It was an easy win, nearly 10-1..

Mid-game..

And the final results: 7th out of 32, with 7 points and 5384 game points out of the possible 7000 pts max. That means that only ~1600 enemy pts have escaped the Tau menace (the best player got 6215 pts, genocide!! )
Mission successful.
Afterthoughts. I had a really nice time, my enemies being sportmanslike and fair.Looking forward to attending the next one, in Feb-March.
Tau are nice and strong, they just need some more variety in their choices, plus some more durable troops. It is a headache to grab and hold relics or objectives, but they pack a real punch against most other forces.

ICT IV - part 1

Last month I attended the most lavish 40k tournament in Greece, the Independent Club Tournament IV, competing against experienced player, well-painted armies, and among eye-catching terrain pieces. Rather inexperienced with Tau (and surely lacking combat tests), I fielded the following:

Shas'O (plasma rifle, Missile pod, multi tracker, 2 shiled drones, blacksun filter, stimulants)
3 XV8 (plasma rifle, Missile pod, multi tracker, 2 shiled drones, blacksun filter)
3 XV8 (plasma rifle, Missile pod, multi tracker, 2 shiled drones)
XV8 TwinLinked Flamer, Multitracker)
10 kroot+hound
10 FireWarriors ('ui, blacksun filter, gun drone, bonding knife)
6 FireWarriors
7 FireWarriors in Devilfish (Disruption Pods, Flechette Dischargers)
8 pathfinders ('ui, blacksun filter, gun drone)
Transport Devilfish Marker Beacon, Disruption Pod)
3 XV88 (TwinLinked PlasmaRifle, Multi Tracker, 2 shield Drones, blacksun filter, 'vre has Target Lock)
Hammerhead (Railgun, burst cannons, Target Lock, Flechette Dischargers, Disruption pod, Multi Tracker)

The list combines the fundamentals for me, and is interesting to play with. Transports for the vulnerable troop infantry, indestructible vehicles (due to the disruption pod), many Crisis Suits (the reason why we play Tau), the compulsory markerlights, lots of plasma, lots of Rails, plus some outflanking harassment.
Four games, 32 players, objective: to avoid the last places of the final rankings!

First game against a crusading company of Black Templars. A large squad of trainers and trainees accompanied the Emperor's Champion and the Chaplain, a squad of Termies, 2x5-man objective-holder marines, 2x3 LandSpeeders. Packed with Typhoon missiles (16 kraks per turn) they could spell doom to my Suits.
Two objectives per player, deployed at the edges of each deployment zone. Broadsides holding the centre, Crisis and troops controlled each of my objectives, pathfinders sheltered in a 2-story ruin searching for targets. Similarly, the small marine teams held the opposite objectives, the Speeder squadrons held the flanks, taking cover behind the treeline. The Terminators and the large Templar squad would advance to grab objectives.

Deployment and starting moves

My first turn saw 4 out of 6 Speeders downed, Finders negating their cover and missile pods and Rails doing the rest. I tried not to target the assaulting squads, as their frenzied doctrine would push them even closer with every casualty. The Templars rushed forward, their weapons mainly firing against my suits, stripping them of their Shield Drones.

Shas'O, the Templars are closing!

Against their aggressive move, a counter-aggressive thrust was commenced, mechanised Fire Warriors disembarked midfield to fire their powerful guns against the Astartes guarding the opposite objectives, while kroot mercenaries appeared on the back woods, finishing the Templar squad and threatening the enemy Objective.
Undaunted, the Templars kept firing, a Speeder unleashed a hail of frag missiles on the disembarked (and tightly packed) Fire Warriors, decimating the squad, while the pre-battle Litanies of Hate propelled the Astartes squad to commence a near-impossible assault (9 inches through rough terrain) and clear the building of an entrenched FW squad. That was a major breakthrough and a serious blow in the Tau defence lines and disorganized their main effort. Now the large squad was on our doorstep, rather unharmed, and thirsting for more Tau blood. It went on to kill the Broadside squad, turned on the other side's objective and destroyed a devilfish, a FW squad and the Pathfinders. At least the Shas'O managed to save his precious life!
The last stages of the battle saw the terminators dying, all but one Speeder destroyed and the small Astartes squad in the woods being pummelled heavily but surviving and securing the Objective.
Both had Line-Breaker, I had First Blood and the Templars controlled one Objective more ( 5-7 Defeat)

Second game against the Ruinous Powers, the Greater Evil!
Typhus with Terminator bodyguards, Slaanesh marines on Land Raider, traitor Marines on Rhino, Lascannon Predator, Lascannon Helbrute and a Zombie horde. Five Objectives.

Tau deployed, awaiting their rivals

 Transports were my first priority, they advanced up to the middle under the cover of darkness. Zombies crept to their objective, lingering in the ruined building, while the chaos anti-tank vehicles engaged the Hammerhead. Alerted by the Pathfinders' guiding markers, the Tau gunline tried but failed to stop the LR, which kept going and disembarked its passengers near the firing line. The overconfident Hammerhead was finally brought down, after failing miserably to harm its' enemies. Even the kroot, entering behind the Predator, were tank-shocked and routed, never to rally again. Combat on the other flank was going better, Fire Warriors pouring fire on the Zombies and the newly-arrived Typhous squad. Slaaneshi troops slaughtered the Pathfinders and advanced to assault the rear Crisis team. Competing to get first, pushing each other, they ultimately failed to reach the enemy. As a result, they were gunned down by the thankful XVs, praise the Aun'.. Now targeted by a multitude of weapons, the Nurgle terminators faltered, even Typhus himself was ripped apart by a powerful Rail hit. Having stabilised their lines, the Tau switched targets to the marine squad climbing the hill for the central objective. The enemies' numbers preserved them, and the few survivors claimed the hill objective.
Up to that point, I just had to order a squad to contest the Zombie-held objective, and the Tau would be winning by 6-3. But my "cunning and strategic" mind ordered the Fire Warrior squad to assault the Zombies and grab the objective. The 6 FW assaulted the 3 remaining zombies, lost 2 (ouch), did nothing and their brains were eaten... So a 6-3 became a 6-6 draw. There's always place for improvements!
Part 2 follows.